Hobby Center for the Performing Arts in Houston

The Hobby Center for the Performing Arts is a fairly new venue in Houston that is breathtaking and beautifully designed. The center provides two elegant theaters for visitors to enjoy musical and theatre performances. The Hobby Center opened in May 2002, and the ornate facility has been an excellent addition to the Houstonian cultural hub since that time. Performances at the Hobby Center for Performing Arts have gained national recognition from various media outlets.

Hobby Center for the Performing Arts in Houston is located in a 100 million dollar state-of-the-art complex. The center has a slanted and creatively designed roof with gorgeous glass windows that line the entire walls of the front of the theater. Outside of the theater stands a two-part sculpture created by Tony Cragg. The name of the sculpture is called "In Minds." The sculpture is made of stainless steel and bronze and can be described as a tall compilation of round rings stacked on top of each other. The sculpture was imported from Germany and weighs 1800lbs. Two other artistic pieces hold a famed place in the halls and theatre of the Hobby Center. Those two pieces are both conceptual abstract art pieces created by Leonardo Nierman and Sol LeWitt. The theatre itself is beautiful with perfect acoustics and a team of ushers and staff that keep the performances and facilities running smoothly at all times.

The Hobby Center for the Performing Arts in Houston has a purpose of encouraging distinctive arts education and outreach to the community. Architecture, artwork, and creativity all marry each other at the Hobby Center. There are two theatre halls located in the Hobby Center; Zilkha Hall and Sarofim Hall. The Zilkah Hall is surprisingly warm and although it seats 500, feels like an intimate and elegant setting. Zilkah Hall is predominantly used to showcase smaller tour groups. The Sarofim Hall is much more elaborate and grand, seating 2,650 people and is held primarily for larger special events and performances. Sarofim Hall was acoustically designed for touring Broadway productions. The Hall is meticulously decorated with royal purple seating and golden brown accents.

The Center contributes to the art scene with its many programs. One of the Hobby Center's most notable programs is called Uniquely Houston. The program offers smaller nonprofit performance organizations a place to perform in the theater district. The Uniquely Houston program is the Hobby Center's effort to promote local artistic talent by making that talent more accessible to a broad audience base. Local talent that performs music, theater, spoken word, or dance are all potential candidates that can participate in the program. The Uniquely Houston program isn't the only effort by the Hobby Center to get involved in the welfare of the local Houston community. Over 80% of children who attend Houston public schools qualify for assistance due to coming from low-income homes and the Hobby Center partners with other organizations to address this issue. Volunteer opportunities are available via the Hobby Center for those who want to impact the life of Houston youth through arts and performance education.