Education Open House

What will you get to do at our free Open House?

Warm ups (Including some movement)

Demo Class

3 min play workshop (Theatre)

Puppet or quick craft while parents have a Q&A session

MST – Rice Village

2540 Times Blvd.

77005

Questions? Please contact at crayten@mainstreettheater.com

Junie B. in Jingle Bells, Batman Smells

Junie B. in Jingle Bells, Batman Smells

Adapted by Allison Gregory
Based on the Book by Barbara Park

 

It’s holiday time, and everyone’s favorite first grader is back to celebrate!  At least…until Junie B. finds out she has drawn the name of her archnemesis, Tattletale May, for her Secret Santa Gift?!  Holiday hijinks with lessons about giving and the spirit of peace and goodwill –  a perfect treat for the whole family!

Recommended for Kindergarten and older.


LOCATION

MATCH
3400 Main St.
Houston, TX 77002
Directions

PERFORMANCES AND TICKETS

Weekend Performances:
Ticket Prices: $26 – $38

Sundays, November 15, 22, & December 20, 2026
12:30pm & 3:30pm

Monday – Wednesday, November 23 – 25
10:30am & 1:30pm

Saturdays, November 28, December 5, 12, 19, 2026
10:30am & 1:30pm

School Matinees:
School Group Tickets: $10.00 each (discount for Title I schools)

Mondays – Fridays: November 12 – December 18, 2026
Performances are at 9:30am & 11:30am
(No performances Nov. 23 – 27)

Sensory Friendly icon

November 22 at 12:30pm
Relaxed / Sensory-Friendly Performance

Low Vision icon

November 22 at 3:30pm
Audio-described Performance

Audio Described

December 5 at 1:30pm
ASL Performance

PLAN YOUR VISIT

Seating Charts
Parking/Dining
Learn more about available discounts here.

Running Time: TBD

Please note: no outside food/snacks are allowed at the theater. You may purchase concessions at the show at PUBLIC performances.

Recommended for Kindergarten and older.

Children under the age of 3 (including sleeping babies) are not allowed in the theater.

The Hobbit

The Hobbit

Based on novel by J.R.R. Tolkien
Licensed by Middle-Earth Enterprises
Adapted for the stage by Greg Banks

Bilbo Baggins, would much rather be sitting in his cozy Hobbit Hole with a cup of tea. But somehow he finds himself on a magically mystical adventure. Discover what happens as Bilbo travels on an epic journey over freezing mountains and a frightening forest, meeting all sorts of fierce creatures—a lesson in bravery and the knowledge that anyone can change the course of history.

Recommended for 5th Grade and older.

LOCATION

MATCH
3400 Main Street
Houston, TX 77002
Directions

PERFORMANCES AND TICKETS

Weekend & Holiday Performances:
Ticket Prices: $24 – $38

Sundays, January 31, February 7 & 28, 2027 at 2:30pm

Friday, February 5, 2027 at 7:00 pm

Sunday, February 21, 2027 at 2:30pm & 7:00 pm

Open to the Public

School Matinees:
School Group Tickets: $10.00 each (discount for Title I schools)

Mondays – Fridays, January 28 – February 26, 2027
9:30am & 11:45am

Sensory Friendly icon

February 7 at 2:30pm
Sensory-Friendly/Relaxed Performance

Audio Described

February 7 at 2:30pm
Audio Described Performance

ASL Performance icon

February 21 at 2:30pm
ASL Performance

HELPFUL INFO

Seating Charts
Parking/Dining
Learn more about available discounts here.

Running Time: TBD

Please note: no outside food/snacks are allowed at the theater. You may purchase concessions at the show.

Recommended for 5th Grade and older.
Children under the age of 3 (including sleeping babies) are not allowed in the theater.

SPRING BREAK & SUMMER 2027: If You Give a Mouse a Cookie

If You Give a Mouse a Cookie

Adapted by Jody Davidson
Based on the books by Laura Joffe Numeroff

If a hungry little mouse shows up on your doorstep, you might want to give him a cookie, and if you give him a cookie he might ask for a glass of milk… Based on the award-winning book, this fast-paced, slapstick adventure will send our youngest patrons into fits of giggles!

Recommended for Pre-Kindergarten and older.

LOCATION

MATCH
3400 Main Street
Houston, TX 77002
Directions

PERFORMANCES AND TICKETS

Weekend & Holiday Performances:
Ticket Prices: $24 – $28

SPRING BREAK:

Tuesday – Friday, March 9 – 12, 2027 at 1:30pm

Sunday, March 14, 2027 at 12:30pm & 3:30pm

Saturday, March 20, 2027 at 10:30am & 1:30pm

SUMMER:
SATURDAYS: June 19, 26 and July 10, 17, 24, 31, 2027 at 10:30am & 1:30pm

SUNDAYS: July 25 & August 1, 2027 at 12:30pm & 3:30pm

Open to the Public

At the MATCH for Schools:
School Group Tickets: $10.00 each (discounts for Title I schools)

Tuesday, March 9 – Friday, March 12, 2027 at 11:30am

Monday, March 15 – Friday, March 19, 2027 at 9:30am & 11:30am

Monday, June 21 – Friday, July 16, 2027 at 9:30am or 11:30am

On Tour for Schools:
(separate pricing)

January 13 – May 21, 2027

Sensory Friendly icon

March 20 at 10:30am
Sensory-Friendly/Relaxed Performance

Audio Described

March 20 at 1:30pm
Audio Described Performance

ASL Performance icon

March 11 at 1:30pm
ASL interpreted Performance

PLAN YOUR VISIT

Seating Charts
Parking/Dining

Running Time: TBD

Please note: no outside food/snacks are allowed at the theater. You may purchase concessions at the show.

Recommended for Pre-Kindergarten and older.
Children under the age of 3 (including sleeping babies) are not allowed in the theater.

ACROSS TEXAS ON TOUR: If You Give a Mouse a Cookie

If You Give a Mouse a Cookie

On Tour for Schools: January 13 – May 21, 2027

Adapted by Jodi Davidson
Based on the books by Laura Numeroff

If a hungry little mouse shows up on your doorstep, you might want to give him a cookie, and if you give him a cookie he might ask for a glass of milk… Based on the award-winning book, this fast-paced, slapstick adventure will send our youngest patrons into fits of giggles!

Recommended for Pre-K and older.

Tour Performances

  • Performance Times arranged with each school
  • Performance length is 45 minutes 
  • $1,000.00 for a single performance
  • $1,500.00 for back-to-back performances
  • Travel fees are not included in the performance price and are determined based on the location of the venue
  • Audience Limit: 450
  • Technical Requirements

“The book, Click Clack Moo, has not stayed on the library shelves since you came and presented. It is always checked out.”

“I just wanted to take the opportunity to thank you for providing such a wonderful performance for our students.  I have already recommended you to another executive assistant so she can contact you about bringing the program to her school.  Your performers were so friendly, professional, and the setup was perfect.  It truly was a joy working with you and I look forward to seeing you again next year unless we get tickets and come to the theater instead.”

Magic Tree House: Dinosaurs Before Dark

Magic Tree House: Dinosaurs Before Dark

Book by Jenny Laird
Music and Lyrics by Randy Courts
Additional Lyrics by Will Osborne
Based on “Magic Tree House #1: Dinosaurs Before Dark” by Mary Pope Osborne

Brother and sister Jack and Annie have just discovered a tree house full of books. When Jack looks through a book about dinosaurs and wishes he could see a real one, suddenly the wind begins to blow, and the tree house starts to spin wildly! When it finally stops, Jack and Annie open their eyes to find they have been transported back to the time of the dinosaurs. Jack and Annie embark on a once-in-a-lifetime adventure, making friends with some of the dinosaurs along the way, as they try to make their way back home.

Magic Tree House: Dinosaurs before Dark is the very first book of the Magic Tree House series by beloved author Mary Pope Osborne.

Recommended for Kindergarten and older.


LOCATION

MATCH
3400 Main St.
Houston, TX 77002
Directions

PERFORMANCES AND TICKETS

Weekend Performances:
Ticket Prices: $26 – $38

Sundays, April 11, 18 & 25, 2027 at 12:30pm & 3:30pm

Saturdays, May 1 & 8, 2027 at 10:30am & 1:30pm

School Matinees:
School Group Tickets: $10.00 each (discount for Title I schools)

Mondays – Fridays, April 15 – May 14, 2027
Performances are at 9:30am & 11:30am

Sensory Friendly icon

April 25 at 12:30pm
Relaxed / Sensory-Friendly Performance

Low Vision icon

April 25 at 3:30pm
Audio-described Performance

Audio Described

May 8 at 1:30pm
ASL Performance

PLAN YOUR VISIT

Seating Charts
Parking/Dining
Learn more about available discounts here.

Running Time: TBD

Please note: no outside food/snacks are allowed at the theater. You may purchase concessions at the show at PUBLIC performances.

Recommended for Kindergarten and older.

Children under the age of 3 (including sleeping babies) are not allowed in the theater.

The Best School Year Ever

Theater for Youth Season Sponsor

The Best School Year Ever

By Jahnna Beecham & Malcolm Hillgartner
Based on the book The Best School Year Ever by Barbara Robinson
Directed by Robin Robinson

They’re back… When anything goes wrong at Woodrow Wilson Elementary School, a Herdman probably did it! So when the teacher assigns a project that forces the students to think of compliments for their classmates – including the Herdmans – we learn a valuable lesson of not judging a book – or a Herdman! – by their cover!

Recommended for 3rd Grade and older.


LOCATION

MATCH
3400 Main St.
Houston, TX 77002
Directions

PERFORMANCES AND TICKETS

Weekend Performances:
Ticket Prices: $24 – $34

Sundays, April 19 & 26, 2026 at 12:30pm & 3:30pm

Saturdays, April 11, May 2 & 9, 2026 at 10:30am & 1:30pm

School Matinees:
School Group Tickets: $9.00 each (discount for Title I schools)

Mondays – Fridays, April 9 – May 15, 2026
Performances are at 9:30am & 11:30am

Sensory Friendly icon

April 11 at 10:30am
Relaxed / Sensory-Friendly Performance

Low Vision icon

April 11 at 10:30am
Audio-described Performance

Audio Described

May 2 at 10:30am
ASL Performance

PLAN YOUR VISIT

Seating Charts
Parking/Dining
Learn more about available discounts here.

Running Time: 1 hour and 30 minutes including one 20 minute intermission.

Please note: no outside food/snacks are allowed at the theater. You may purchase concessions at the show at PUBLIC performances.

Recommended for 3rd Grade and older.

Children under the age of 3 (including sleeping babies) are not allowed in the theater.

Purlie Victorious

Purlie Victorious:
A Non-Confederate Romp through the Cotton Patch

By Ossie Davis

Directed by Errol Anthony Wilks

Dynamic traveling preacher Purlie Victorious Judson returns to his small Georgia town hoping to save Big Bethel, the community’s church, and emancipate the cotton pickers who work on oppressive Ol’ Cap’n Cotchipee’s plantation. With the help of Lutiebelle Gussie Mae Jenkins, Purlie plans to wrench from Ol’ Cotchipee the inheritance due his long-lost cousin and use the money to save his town! “We still need togetherness; we still need each otherness – with faith in the futureness of our cause. Let us, therefore, stifle the rifle of conflict, shatter the scatter of discord, smuggle the struggle, tickle the pickle, and grapple the apple of peace!” A truly hilarious and joyful comedy by the incomparable Ossie Davis.

Purlie Victorious premiered on Broadway at the Cort Theatre on September 28, 1961. Directed by Howard Da Silva, the production starred Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee. A Broadway revival of Purlie Victorious opened at the Music Box Theatre on September 27, 2023. Directed by Kenny Leon, the show starred Leslie Odom, Jr.

“Blazing and hilarious… every bit as scathingly funny as the 1961 reviews said it was.” – The New York Times, 2023

“Raucous… uncompromising… A joyous affair, broad in comedy and in spirit.” – TimeOut New York

“Marvelously exhilarating… Keeps you chuckling and guffawing. It won’t let you wipe that grin off your face.” – The New York Times, 1961

“‘PURLIE VICTORIOUS’ Ossie Davis’s wild ride of a revenge comedy from 1961, in which a Black preacher named Purlie and his intrepid recruit, Lutiebelle, snatch back an inheritance from a white plantation owner. (Sept. 7-Oct. 12, Main Street Theater, Houston)….The “Hamilton” star Leslie Odom Jr., center, returned to Broadway in a 2023 production of Ossie Davis’s “Purlie Victorious.” Now the play will be revived at Main Street Theater in Houston.” – Laura Collins-Hughes, The New York Times

LOCATION

Main Street Theater – Rice Village
2540 Times Blvd.
Houston, TX 77005
Directions

PERFORMANCES AND TICKETS

September 13 – October 12, 2025
Previews: September 7, 11, 12

Thursdays – Saturdays at 7:30pm and Sundays at 3:00pm

Tickets: $45 – $64

Open Captioning

September 14 at 3:00pm
Open “in-sync” Captioned Performance

HELPFUL INFO

Seating Charts
Parking/Dining
Learn more about available discounts here.

Running Time: 2 hours and 10 minutes including one 15 minute intermission.

Please note: no outside food/snacks are allowed at the theater. You may purchase concessions at the show.

Children under the age of 9 are not allowed in the theater.

Tuesday, August 19 at 6:45pm: Join us for a free, first read-thru of Purlie Victorious at our Rice Village location, 2540 Times Blvd. You get to be a fly on the wall for the very first rehearsal, hearing the cast read the play aloud for the first time together. Connect with the production from it’s very beginning and then see the arc of the process when you come back to see the full show. RSVP here.

Sunday, September 28: Stay after the matinee for a conversation with Tracie Jae, facilitator of meaningful community dialogues on race, culture, empathy, and connection. Tracie is the Owner and Lead Rebel of The Quiet Rebel, LLC, where she helps people navigate hard conversations with heart.

Everyone is welcome, regardless of whether you are seeing the play on these dates. Just plan to arrive at the theater about 5:00pm. Free to all.

Pride Night: Sept. 25 at 6:15pm Join us for our pre-show Happy Hour & the SingOUT Cabaret starting at 6:45pm! Special thanks to media sponsor OutSmart Magazine and event sponsor Riven Productions HTX.


Closing Weekend Party:
Oct. 11 in the lobby after the show

Free Beer Fridays, sponsored by Saint Arnold Brewing Company! Have a beer on us after the show!

Season Sponsor

Saint Arnold Logo

The Grippe

Since 1978, Dr. James P. Mirrione has been the playwright-in-residence for the Creative Arts Team (CAT), the resident educational theatre company at New York University. In addition, he has written for Broadway, Off-Broadway, and Off-Off Broadway as well as regional theater. His commissioned plays include The Ghost Café for Carnegie Hall (1992) and The Last Stop, Will and Testament of Saint Jack Kerouac for New York University (1995). He is the 1995 winner of the Spokane Playwrights Festival for his play Area Code 212

His latest projects were Assistant Director for the 2019 revival of Duke Ellington’s Sophisticated Ladies, directed by the 2019 Tony Award winner Andre De Shields, which was presented at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center and produced by Crossroads Theatre Company. He is also the solo actor in Angie Aquavitae Is Aggravated and She’s Gonna Tell You About It, Whether You Like it or Not which premiered in January 2020 at The Black Box Theatre in New York City and at the Triad Theatre in November of 2022.

The Grippe

A Staged Reading (2 performances only)

By James P. Mirrione

Directed by James P. Mirrione
Music Direction & Arrangements by Eugene Gwozdz

Main Street Theater’s staged reading is part of the development of this new work that will be fully produced later this season in New York.

The Great Influenza of 1918-20, which caused the deaths of fifty million people worldwide and over 600,000 Americans, has been forgotten as it was subsumed within the greater context of World War I. Thus, how to address this issue through the medium of theatre; one that resonates with our most recent experiences of the previous pandemic?

Based on actual events, The Grippe, written by James P. Mirrione, is a new play with music that chronicles the Great Influenza of 1918-1920 – the so-called “Spanish Flu.” The work, with a cast of 11 actors who play more than twenty-five characters, weaves several stories throughout the context of the play to capture the potency of those times and to reveal its relevancy for today. Through both words and music, The Grippe follows the valiant efforts of John Pascal, an astute reporter who uncovers the early warning signs of the Great Influenza of 1918 prior to it becoming a pandemic. With the help of a young nurse, Helen Adams, they work together to try to alert the Wilson administration to the oncoming pandemic before it is too late – and, of course, they fall in love along the way.

The play also presents a time when the role of African-Americans was erased from the historical record. The character of Mr. Sweets – the head butler in the White House – serves as a narrator and guide to the events unfolding in the words and music of the play.

LOCATION

Main Street Theater – Rice Village
2540 Times Blvd.
Houston, TX 77005
Directions

PERFORMANCES AND TICKETS

October 5 & 6, 2025 at 7:30pm

All Tickets: $50
A Benefit for Main Street Theater

General Admission

HELPFUL INFO

Parking/Dining

Running Time: TBD

Please note: no outside food/snacks are allowed at the theater. You may purchase concessions at the show.

Children under the age of 9 are not allowed in the theater.