Houston Theater District

[[Image:Houston Texas Alley Theater 2003.jpg|thumb|right|The [[Alley Theatre]]]] The '''Houston Theater District''', a 17-block area in the heart of [[Downtown Houston|Downtown]] [[Houston]], [[Texas]], [[United States]], is home to Houston's nine [[performing arts]] organizations, the {{convert|130000|sqft|m2|adj=on}} [[Bayou Place]] entertainment complex, restaurants, movies, plazas and parks. More than two million people visit the Houston Theater District annually. ==Rankings and recognition== [[Image:Houston Jones Hall 2003.jpg|thumb|left|[[Jones Hall|Jesse H. Jones Hall]]]] The district, with 12,948 seats for live performances and 1,580 movie seats, ranks second in the [[United States]] for the number of theater seats in a concentrated downtown area and is one of only five cities with permanent professional resident companies in all of the major performing arts disciplines (the [[Houston Grand Opera]], the [[Houston Symphony Orchestra]], the [[Houston Ballet]], and [[The Alley Theatre]]). [[Image:Wortham Center.jpg|thumb|The [[Wortham Theater Center]]]] Houston is recognized as an important city for contemporary [[visual arts]]. The city is a prime stop for touring companies from Broadway; concerts and shows, from [[The Rolling Stones]] to [[Cirque du Soleil]]; and exhibitions for a variety of interests, ranging from the nation's largest quilting show to auto, boat and home shows. The [[Houston Grand Opera]] is the only opera company in the U.S. to win a Grammy, a Tony, and an Emmy. In 2007, Da Camera of Houston was awarded the CMAcclaim Award from Chamber Music America, for significant contribution to the cultural life of its region. ==The venues== {| width="70%" |- valign=top |width="40%" | * [[Alley Theatre]] * [[Hobby Center for the Performing Arts]] * [[Jesse H. Jones Hall for the Performing Arts]] |width="30%" | * [[Bayou Place]] * [[Wortham Theater Center]] |} ==Attractions== One of the several attractions in the district is the [[Bayou Place|Bayou Place Entertainment Complex]]—a large multilevel building that is home to full service restaurants, bars, live music, [[billiards]], multiple theatres and art house films. The Houston Verizon Wireless Theatre stages a variety of live [[concert]]s and the Angelika Theatre presents the latest in art, foreign and [[independent film]]s. ==History== Early venues in the district were the [[Sam Houston Coliseum]] and the Houston Music Hall. ==External links== * [http://www.houstontheaterdistrict.org Houston Theater District] * [http://www.alleytheatre.org Alley Theatre] * [http://www.dacamera.com Da Camera of Houston] * [http://www.theatreport.com Theatre Port] {{Houston, Texas}} {{coord missing|Texas}}