2026 – 2027 Theater for Youth Season
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Leopoldstadt
Production Guarantors
Kenneth Bohan & Dean O’Kelley
Production Underwriters
Copy.com
The Humphreys Foundation
Production Sponsor
Albert and Ethel Herzstein Charitable Foundation
Production Angels
John Drewer & David Jaqua
Community Partner
Media Sponsor
Leopoldstadt
Regional Premiere
By Tom Stoppard
Directed by Rebecca Greene Udden
Vienna in 1900 was the most vibrant city in Europe, humming with artistic and intellectual excitement and a genius for enjoying life. A tenth of the population were Jews. A generation earlier they had been granted full civil rights by the Emperor, Franz Josef. Consequently, hundreds of thousands had fled from the East and many found sanctuary in the crowded tenements of the old Jewish quarter, Leopoldstadt.
Stoppard’s epic yet intimate drama centers on Hermann Merz whose extended family convene at their fashionable apartment on Christmas Day in 1899. Yet by the time the play closes, Austria has passed through the convulsions of war, revolution, impoverishment, annexation by Nazi Germany and the Holocaust, which stole the lives of 65,000 Austrian Jews alone. Leopoldstadt is a human and heartbreaking drama that follows multiple generations of this family as they reckon with a past – and a heritage – they cannot escape and a future they cannot control.
“This is a momentous new play. Tom Stoppard has reached back into his own family history to craft a work that is both epic and intimate; that is profoundly personal, but which concerns us all.” – The Financial Times
Winner of the 2023 New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award for Best Foreign Play, Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Play, Drama League Award for Outstanding Production of a Play, Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding New Broadway Play.
“A heart-rending epic.” —The New York Times
“Brilliant and gorgeous. A masterpiece.” —Deadline
“Breathtakingly brilliant.” —Chicago Tribune
“Ranks among Mr. Stoppard’s greatest works…an inexpressibly moving, majestic play.” —Wall Street Journal
LOCATION
Main Street Theater – Rice Village
2540 Times Blvd.
Houston, TX 77005
Directions
PERFORMANCES AND TICKETS
March 28 – April 26 May 3, 2026
Previews: March 22, 26, 27
No performance Sunday, April 5
Extended through May 3
Thursdays – Saturdays at 7:30pm and Sundays at 3:00pm
Tickets: $45 – $64 (based on availability)
March 29 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 30 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.
Monday, March 2 at 6:45pm: Join us for a free, first read-thru of Leopoldstadt 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. THIS EVENT IS FULL.
Sunday, April 12: Join us following the matinee for a discussion with Marilyn Hassid, President of the Jewish Creativity International, about presenting Jewish Arts and Culture in the present days. Ms. Hassid is also the former Assistant Executive Director at Evelyn Rubenstein Jewish Community Center of Houston.
Sunday, April 19: Join us following the matinee for a discussion with Amy Frake about the history and the impact of the first 50 years of the 20th Century on the Jewish people. Ms. Drake is the Senior Associate Director of Education at the Boniuk Center for the Future of Holocaust, Human Rights and Genocide Studies at Holocaust Museum Houston.
Everyone is welcome at these post-show discussions, regardless of when you are seeing the play. Just plan to arrive at the theater about 5:00pm. Free to all.
Pride Night: Apr. 16 at 6:15pm, join us for our pre-show Happy Hour & then the SingOUT Cabaret starting at 6:45pm! Special thanks to media sponsor OutSmart Magazine and event sponsor Riven Productions HTX!
Closing Weekend Party: Apr. 25 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
The Best School Year Ever
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
April 11 at 10:30am
Relaxed / Sensory-Friendly Performance
April 11 at 10:30am
Audio-described Performance
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.
Summer Camp at MST!
MST Summer Camp 2026: Performing Arts Playground
SUMMER CAMP REGISTRATION OPENS JANUARY 15!
Ages 4 – 18
And check out our BILINGUAL SESSION! (English/Spanish) – Session 3 at MATCH! AND our new FIRST COLONY location!
JEDI Artist Fellowship Program
JEDI (Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion)
Artist Fellowship Program
Main Street Theater’s JEDI (Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion) Artist Fellowship Program is a paid artistic leadership development program for early-career artists of color. Applicants submit a resume and portfolio. The selected fellows will be assigned to a production either with the MainStage or Theater for Youth programs in their area of interest (Directing, Design, or Stage Management) while being given access to additional professional development opportunities within the Main Street Theater organization.
2025 – 2026 JEDI Artist Fellows
Mariana Pérez (she/her) is a Mexican actress, director, and educator passionate about creating theater that bridges cultures and generations. She has directed Captain Star / Capitán Estrella, a bilingual play for young audiences performed at the Consulate of Mexico, The Music Inside of Me, a short film featured at La Vida es Cortos Festival. She also served as Assistant Director on El Llano en Llamas with HAPAA Houston and is currently Assisting Directing Duermevella with Teatro Loft. Mariana is especially interested in theater for youth and in the imaginative possibilities of theater with objects. She is committed to nurturing curiosity, creativity, and cultural pride in young audiences while continuing to grow as a director and storyteller.
Sha’Na “Shay” Lynnette Smith is a Houston-based multidisciplinary artist, arts educator, and wellness practitioner whose work centers on poetry, storytelling, and community care. A graduate of Prairie View A&M University with a B.A. in Theatre Arts, Shay’s creative practice spans writing, directing, performance, painting, music, and somatic sound healing.
Shay has performed in a wide range of roles—including Hermia in A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Vera in Seven Guitars—and directed acclaimed productions such as Black Nativity by Langston Hughes, Mirandy and Brother Wind by John Cornelius and Michael Bobbitt.
As an educator and certified wellness practitioner, Shay blends creativity and healing to foster inclusive spaces for growth. Her contributions to Houston’s arts scene have earned her support from The Idea Fund and the Art and Survival Fellowship.
Application Information & Important Dates
Application Deadline | Rolling
Candidate Interviews | Rolling
Fellowship Date Range | September 2026 – August 2027 Candidates will be selected for one production on either the MainStage or Theater for Youth during the 2026/2027 season.
See full application below.
Eligibility
- Identifies as Black, Indigenous, or a Person of Color
- Resides in Houston or the surrounding area
- Applicant’s experience must indicate their intention to pursue a professional career in directing, stage management or design for the theater.
- Directing fellows will attend auditions, production meetings, rehearsals, technical rehearsals, and Opening Night of their designated production.
- Stage Management fellows will attend auditions, production meetings, rehearsals, technical rehearsals, and all performances of their designated production.
- Design fellows will attend production meetings and assist their design mentor as needed, both on and off site, and be present for all technical rehearsals.
- Min. age: 22
Compensation
- $1,500 stipend is provided to each Fellow
Benefits
- Professional development and networking opportunities
- Complimentary tickets to Main Street Theater productions
- Mentorship opportunities at Main Street Theater and in the Houston theater community
For more information or if you have questions about the Fellowship, please contact Rebecca Greene Udden, Executive Artistic Director, at rudden@mainstreettheater.com
Apply: