Holly Beretto
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Articles by Holly Beretto
INNOVATIONMAP EMAILS ARE AWESOME
Houston’s newest school for arts and music broke ground in October in the city’s historic East End. The Frank Liu Jr. Academy for Music and Arts (FLAMA), a tuition-free charter school, will welcome students in pre-K through 8th grade next August.
A Christmas Carol Returns to the Alley Theatre Stage
On Alley Theatre Artistic Director Rob Melrose’s first day on the job, then-managing director Dean Gladden gave him a rundown of the company’s five-year plan. It included an item that said, “New artistic director creates a new production of A Christmas Carol.” Given that the holiday classic is a traditional theater-going outing for generations of families and is among the theater’s most-anticipated productions of the year, that could’ve been daunting. Melrose took it in stride.
More than 30 Houston restaurants selling Thanksgiving meats and sides to-go Original
As Houstonians finalize their plans for Thanksgiving, family and friends have to decide whether they're making everything from scratch or getting a little help from some of the city's best restaurants. Why spend a whole day cooking when there's football to watch and stories to share. From full meal kits to side selections and à la carte customizations, here are some of our favorite options for creating a memorable Thanksgiving feast.
Plan Your Weekend: November 12 to 15, 2026
Festivals + Events Current + Upcoming Events This Weekend Insights Top Things This Week Galaxy Lights returns to Space Center Houston this weekend. | Photo courtesy of Space Center Houston Find the perfect things to do in Houston this weekend with events and more to do in our 365 Houston Weekend Guide for Thursday, November 12 to Sunday, November 15, 2026. Get this list in your inbox every week and sign up for free. Want to add your event?
Expect Big Emotions on Stage with Tosca at Opera in the Heights
Opera is filled with big emotions: passionate lovers swearing allegiance to each until death, jealous lovers swearing vengeance against their rivals. But maybe nothing is bigger for start-to-finish heaving drama than Giacomo Puccini’s Tosca, which opens Opera in the Heights’ 2026 – 2027 season. Love. Vengeance. Betrayal. “ It has everything, right?” said Kathryn Frady, artistic director of Opera in the Heights, who is also singing the titular role.
Top Live Theater & Performing Arts in Houston This Week: November 9 to 15, 2026
Festivals + Events Current + Upcoming Events Arts + Culture History + Culture Music Theater + Dance Insights Top Live Theater & Performing Arts This Week Top Things This Week Cirque Kalabante's Afrique en Cirque lands at Miller Outdoor Theatre on Saturday night to close out the 2026 season. | Photo courtesy of Cirque Kalabante See the latest performing arts productions and theater happenings opening across Houston from Monday, November 9 to Sunday, November 15, 2026.
Top Live Theater & Performing Arts in Houston This Week: November 2 to 8, 2026
Festivals + Events Current + Upcoming Events Arts + Culture History + Culture Music Theater + Dance Insights Top Live Theater & Performing Arts This Week Top Things This Week Australia's Circa puts acrobats where the ballerinas were in the all ages comedy take on "Swan Lake" at Wortham Center. | Photo courtesy of Circa See the latest performing arts productions and theater happenings opening across Houston from Monday, November 2 to Sunday, November 8, 2026.
Opulent Sugar Land mansion with 2-story theater listed for $5.5 million Original
When it comes to palatial living, it’s hard to top 4043 Maranatha Drive in Sugar Land. This incredible home unfolds across more than 11,500 square feet, with incredible amenities for luxe living. It’s now on the market for $5.49 million and is represented by Nancy Almdovor of Nan & Company Properties.
Top Live Theater & Performing Arts in Houston This Week: October 25 to November 1, 2026
Festivals + Events Current + Upcoming Events Arts + Culture History + Culture Music Insights Top Live Theater & Performing Arts This Week Top Things This Week Houston Symphony performs Dolly Parton’s "Threads: My Songs in Symphony" live at Jones Hall on Friday and Sunday this weekend. | Photo courtesy of Houston Symphony See the latest performing arts productions and theater happenings opening across Houston from Monday, October 25 to Sunday, November 1, 2026.
Dirt Dogs Theatre Co. Starts Season With Dinner with Friends
Dirt Dogs Theatre Co.’s artistic directory Malina L. Beckham calls Donald Margulies’ Pulitzer Prize-winning play, Dinner with Friends, now playing at the MATCH, a play that “quietly follows you home” because it’s a show that takes an ordinary event – a couple getting a divorce – and explores the extraordinary events that happen around it. The show concerns two couples, Karen and Gabe, and Beth and Tom. Karen and Gabe are happily married.
The Satire of War
When John Johnson, artistic director at Classical Theatre Company, decided to program George Bernard Shaw’s Arms and the Man, it was right around the time the US decided to go to war with Iran. “That really pushed it over the finish line,” he said of his decision. “And it’s only been reinforced over the course of the last several months,” as the fighting in the Middle East has continued. Shaw’s play premiered in London in the spring of 1894.
Top Live Theater & Performing Arts in Houston This Week: October 19 to 25, 2026
Festivals + Events Current + Upcoming Events Arts + Culture History + Culture Music Insights Top Live Theater & Performing Arts This Week Top Things This Week "Uhuru" continues its climb at Alley Theatre this week. | Photo courtesy of Alley Theatre See the latest performing arts productions and theater happenings opening across Houston from Monday, October 19 to Sunday, October 25, 2026.
Houston's game-changing free arts academy breaks ground in the East End
Houston’s newest school for arts and music broke ground last week in the city’s historic East End. The Frank Liu Jr. Academy for Music and Arts (FLAMA), a tuition-free charter school, will welcome students in pre-K through 8th grade next August.
Houston's game-changing free arts academy breaks ground in the East End
A rendering of the exterior of the Frank Liu Jr. Academy for Music and Arts (FLAMA)s exterior. The new school broke ground in the East End last week. | Rendering courtesy of OMA Houston’s newest school for arts and music broke ground last week in the city’s historic East End. The Frank Liu Jr. Academy for Music and Arts (FLAMA), a tuition-free charter school, will welcome students in pre-K through 8th grade next August.
Top Live Theater & Performing Arts in Houston This Week: October 12 to 18, 2026
Festivals + Events Current + Upcoming Events Arts + Culture History + Culture Music Theater + Dance Insights Top Live Theater & Performing Arts This Week Top Things This Week Dance of Asian American returns to the Miller Outdoor stage this Saturday evening with a free performance of Asia to the World. | Photo courtesy of Miller Outdoor Theatre See the latest performing arts productions and theater happenings opening across Houston from Monday, October 12 to Sunday, October 18, 2026.
Top Live Theater & Performing Arts in Houston This Week: October 5 to 11, 2026
Festivals + Events Current + Upcoming Events Arts + Culture History + Culture Music Theater + Dance Insights Top Live Theater & Performing Arts This Week Top Things This Week "Romeo & Juliet" wraps up on the Alley Theatre stage this Sunday. | Photo courtesy of Alley Theatre See the latest performing arts productions and theater happenings opening across Houston from Monday, October 5 to Sunday, October 11, 2026. Jump to the List A beloved Broadway singer and composer comes to Houston.
Festivals + Events Current + Upcoming Events Insights Top Things This Month The twice-yearly Bayou City Art Festival transfers back to Memorial Park for its October edition this month. | Photo courtesy of Art Colony Association Make the most of your month with our list of the 35 biggest and most notable festivals and events in Greater Houston in October 2026.
Top Live Theater & Arts Performances in Houston This Month: October 2026
Festivals + Events Current + Upcoming Events Arts + Culture History + Culture Music Theater + Dance Insights Top Things This Month Joffrey Ballet returns to HTX for Performing Arts Houston's 60th season, bringing Ekman's surrealist "Midsummer Night's Dream" to Jones Hall on a tour that's only other stop is in Paris, France. | Photo courtesy of Performing Arts of Houston See the latest performing arts productions and theater happenings opening across Houston in October 2026.
Houston’s Newest Theater Offers a Look at a Legend
When writer and feminist icon Gloria Steinem died on September 2, tributes poured in for the journalist and feminist icon. The founder of Ms. magazine was the voice of a generation of women, and that voice would echo across decades. Theatergoers looking to understand how Steinem became such a force for women’s equality can take in Cypress Stage’s production of Gloria: A Life. The show opens on October 1, and it’s the very first production by the new theater company.
Top Live Theater & Performing Arts in Houston This Week: September 28 to October 4, 2026
Festivals + Events Current + Upcoming Events Arts + Culture History + Culture Music Theater + Dance Now showing at MATCH, Catastrophic Theatre presents Eugène Ionesco's absurdist 1959 play, and rebuttal of fascism, "Rhinoceros" | Photo courtesy of Catastrophic Theatre See the latest performing arts productions and theater happenings opening across Houston from Monday, September 28 to Sunday, October 4, 2026.
Plan Your Weekend: October 1 to 4, 2026
Festivals + Events Current + Upcoming Events This Weekend Insights Top Things This Week Houston's powerhouse foodie event returns to Discovery Green to launch us into October. | Photo courtesy of Southern Smoke Foundation Find the perfect things to do in Houston this weekend with events and more to do in our 365 Houston Weekend Guide for Thursday, October 1 to Sunday, October 4, 2026. Get this list in your inbox every week and sign up for free. Want to add your event?
Top 16 Book & Author Events in Houston This Month: October 2026
Media Books + Reading Festivals + Events Current + Upcoming Events Arts + Culture History + Culture Insights Top Things This Month Top Things This Week Named for the Jaipur Literary Festival, the beloved JLF Houston returns to Asia Society Texas Center this Saturday with Southeast Asian author conversations, book sales, food vendors and more.
England-inspired lakeside Houston mansion hits market for $7.75 million
On the shores of Sandalwood’s largest lake is a stunning wooded estate. 50 Patti Lynn Lane, tucked between Briar Forest Drive and Memorial Drive, offers luxury living in tranquil seclusion. It’s on the market for $7.75 million and listed by Inga Laughlin Smith with Martha Turner Sotheby's International Realty. A rare find, this 9,000-square-foot home offers five bedrooms, five full and four partial bathrooms, exquisite details, and striking craftsmanship.
England-inspired lakeside Houston mansion hits market for $7.75 million
This secluded, wooded estate is for sale for $7.75 million. | Photo by Aria Media for Martha Turner Sotheby's International Realty On the shores of Sandalwood’s largest lake is a stunning wooded estate. 50 Patti Lynn Lane, tucked between Briar Forest Drive and Memorial Drive, offers luxury living in tranquil seclusion. It’s on the market for $7.75 million and listed by Inga Laughlin Smith with Martha Turner Sotheby's International Realty.
Top Live Theater & Performing Arts in Houston This Week: September 21 to 27, 2026
Festivals + Events Current + Upcoming Events Arts + Culture History + Culture Music Theater + Dance The Capulet and Montague families spar in timeless Verona in "Romeo & Juliet" at Alley Theatre. | Photo courtesy of Alley Theatre See the latest performing arts productions and theater happenings opening across Houston from Monday, September 21 to Sunday, September 27, 2026. Jump to the List Anyone who needs proof that Houston’s arts scene is eclectic need only look at this week.
Plan Your Weekend: September 17 to 20, 2026
Festivals + Events Current + Upcoming Events This Weekend The always popular monthly Blanket Bingo returns to Market Square Park this Thursday. | Photo courtesy of Downtown Houston Find the perfect things to do in Houston this weekend with events and more to do in our 365 Houston Weekend Guide for Thursday, September 17 to Sunday, September 20, 2026. Get this list in your inbox every week and sign up for free. Want to add your event?
Genius and Jealousy: 2 Sides of the Same Coin in Amadeus
Words and language have always been important to Houston actor Luis Galindo. “My love of language has been [there] from a very young age,” he said. “Any time I would hear specific words, whether they were in church, in mass, in song lyrics or in the stories I was reading, words always had an effect on me.
A Town Called Gander Comes to a City Named Houston
When Stages Artistic Director Derek Charles Livingston first saw the musical Come From Away at La Jolla Playhouse on its way to Broadway, he wasn’t what you’d call a fan. The musical is the story of the community of Gander, Newfoundland, where 38 planes were diverted on September 11, 2001, following the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. “It was a show about a lot of nice people doing a lot of nice things for a lot of other people,” he recalls thinking.
Top Live Theater & Performing Arts in Houston This Week: September 14 to 20, 2026
Festivals + Events Current + Upcoming Events Arts + Culture History + Culture Music Theater + Dance Insights Top Live Theater & Performing Arts This Week Top Things This Week TUTS debuts its original production of the beloved favorites—and long-recognized entry musical for families—"The Music Man" on Tuesday this week. | Photo courtesy of TUTS See the latest performing arts productions and theater happenings opening across Houston from Monday, September 14 to Sunday, September 20, 2026.
After Hours
The coolest things to do in the dark, the 50 hottest city bars, and Top Doctors. Plus, clowns, closets, coffins, cemeteries, and the cryptids that go bump in the night. Chandeliers, refrigerated drawers, Italian cabinetry, and space for cocktails—closets have become destinations in their own right.
Stunning 2-house Heights compound hits market for $3.6 million
A property touted as the largest residential tract ever offered in the Heights is on the market. 216 E. 26th St. is a spacious compound with luxe amenities set across eight contiguous lots. Protected by four motorized gates and sprawling over 24,000 square feet, this must-be-seen-to-be-believed property is on the market for $3.6 million and represented by Leann Salmons with Martha Turner Sotheby’s International Realty. This warm, inviting home offers luxury living and exquisite details.
Stunning 2-house Heights compound hits market for $3.6 million
Explore the gracious living and exceptional spaces of 216 E. 26th St. | Photo by TK Images for Martha Turner Sotheby’s International Realty A property touted as the largest residential tract ever offered in the Heights is on the market. 216 E. 26th St. is a spacious compound with luxe amenities set across eight contiguous lots.
Top Live Theater & Performing Arts in Houston This Week: September 7 to 13, 2026
Festivals + Events Current + Upcoming Events Arts + Culture History + Culture Music Theater + Dance Rice Chorale performs their annual tribute In those lost in and affected by the September 11, 2001 attacks this Friday. | Photo courtesy of Rice University See the latest performing arts productions and theater happenings opening across Houston from Monday, September 7 to Sunday, September 13, 2026.
Top Live Theater & Arts Performances in Houston This Month: September 2026
Festivals + Events Current + Upcoming Events Arts + Culture History + Culture Music Theater + Dance Insights Top Things This Month Stanton Welch’s "Pecos Bill", presented by Houston Ballet, explores the poignant romance between the legendary cowboy and his beloved Sluefoot Sue. | Photo courtesy of Houston Ballet See the latest performing arts productions and theater happenings opening across Houston in September 2026. Jump to the List September is a month of season openers.
Top 11 Book & Author Events in Houston This Month: September 2026
Media Books + Reading Festivals + Events Current + Upcoming Events Arts + Culture History + Culture Insights Top Things This Week The Friends of the Library Big Book Sale brings offers a wide variety of books for less than $2 each. | Photo courtesy of Friends of the Library Dig into live book events, the latest appearances by authors, and more with our roundup of 11 book and literary events happening in Houston in September 2026.
Top 28 Festivals & Events in Houston This Month: September 2026
Festivals + Events Current + Upcoming Events Insights Top Things This Month Eight 20-foot sculptures representing creatures from Mexican magical realism traditions come to Discovery Green with Alebrijes & Nahuales from Mexico. | Photo courtesy of Discovery Green Make the most of your month with our list of the 28 biggest and most notable festivals and events in Greater Houston in September 2026.
Top Live Theater & Performing Arts in Houston This Week: August 31 to September 6, 2026
Festivals + Events Current + Upcoming Events Arts + Culture History + Culture Music Theater + Dance Insights Top Live Theater & Performing Arts This Week Top Things This Week Choreographer Harrison Guy's tribute to 150 years of Prairie View University with "Dear Prairie View" on Friday and Saturday. | Photo courtesy of Performing Arts Houston See the latest performing arts productions and theater happenings opening across Houston from Monday, August 31 to Sunday, September 6, 2026.
Top Live Theater & Performing Arts in Houston This Week: August 24 to 30, 2026
Festivals + Events Current + Upcoming Events Arts + Culture History + Culture Music Theater + Dance Insights Top Live Theater & Performing Arts This Week Top Things This Week The Alley's Summer Chills series concludes for 2026 on Saturday as "The Girl on the Train" reaches its final destination. | Photo courtesy of Alley Theatre See the latest performing arts productions and theater happenings opening across Houston from Monday, August 24 to Sunday, August 30, 2026.
$11.5M Houston-area estate by golf club designer hits the market
Imagine acres of green vistas, tree-lined paths and the privacy that comes with a personal oasis. That’s S Lazy S Ranch, set on 80 acres at 8502 Stansberry Road in Wallis. It’s for sale for $11.5 million, listed by Rachel Hrncir with Martha Turner Sotheby’s International Realty. Gated and fenced, this is a remarkable property meant for living, working, and entertaining, with exceptional indoor and outdoor spaces.
Plan Your Weekend: August 20 to 23, 2026
Festivals + Events Current + Upcoming Events This Weekend Cruiser boats and bumper boats continue to entertain all ages daily on Kinder Lake at Discovery Green. | Photo courtesy of Discovery Green Updated Thursday, August 20, 2026 at 4:15pm Find the perfect things to do in Houston over the weekend with events and more to do in our 365 Houston Weekend Guide for Thursday, August 20 to Sunday, August 23, 2026. Get this list in your inbox every week and sign up for free. Want to add your event?
Houston Runs on Rosé. Three Master Sommeliers Explain Why.
In Houston, it’s pink wine, no matter the season. Image: Brian Kennedy The calendar might be (slowly) flipping toward fall, but you’d never know it here in Houston. The mercury pushes triple digits in August, and September still sizzles. And if you’ve been to the Original Greek Festival or Southern Smoke Festival in early October, you know that’s a sundresses-and-shorts affair.
Top Live Theater & Performing Arts in Houston This Week: August 17 to 23, 2026
Festivals + Events Current + Upcoming Events Arts + Culture History + Culture Music Theater + Dance The Garden Theatre's '80s roller disco musical "Xanadu" continues its run at MATCH this week. | Photo courtesy of The Garden Theatre See the latest performing arts productions and theater happenings opening across Houston from Monday, August 17 to Sunday, August 23, 2026.
80-acre Texas estate with 2 ponds hits market for $11.5 million
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80-acre Texas estate with 2 ponds hits market for $11.5 million
news/real-estate ranches homes wallis real estate Featured Event Aug 19, 2026 | 10:00 am VIEW ALL EVENTS > news/real-estate In 2025, Texas had more mortgage applicants under 35 years old than any other state in the country. RDNE Stock Project/ Pexels real estate homebuying housing market smartasset reports Featured Event Aug 19, 2026 | 10:00 am VIEW ALL EVENTS >
80 acre Houston-area estate with two ponds listed for $11.5 million
Imagine acres of green vistas, tree-lined paths and the privacy that comes with a personal oasis. That's S Lazy S Ranch , set on 80 acres at 8502 Stansberry Road in Wallis. It's for sale for $11.5 million, listed by Rachel Hrncir with Martha Turner Sotheby's International Realty. Gated and fenced, this is a remarkable property meant for living, working, and entertaining, with exceptional indoor and outdoor spaces.
Top Live Theater & Performing Arts in Houston This Week: August 10 to 16, 2026
Festivals + Events Current + Upcoming Events Arts + Culture Music Theater + Dance Insights Top Live Theater & Performing Arts This Week Top Things This Week NobleMotion Dance kicks off its 2026-27 season with "Chant" on stage at MATCH. | Photo courtesy of NobleMotion Dance See the latest performing arts productions and theater happenings opening across Houston from Monday, August 10 to Sunday, August 11, 2026.
Houston museum devotes 2027 exhibit to Black magazine photographers
Printed magazines may not hold a place of prominence in today’s online world, but these periodicals were the lifeblood for news for more than a century. Life, Look and Colliers were household names that featured the work of Ernest Hemingway, Martha Gellhorn, and Ray Bradbury (among others). In the Black community, Ebony, Essence, and Jet, employed writers such as Langston Hughes and Maya Angelou. And one of their defining features was photography.
Plan Your Weekend: August 6 to 9, 2026
Festivals + Events Current + Upcoming Events This Weekend Insights Top Things This Week The free "Horizon" is on display until early September at Avenida Houston by Discovery Green. | Photo courtesy of Avenida Houston Find the perfect things to do in Houston over the weekend with events and more to do in our 365 Houston Weekend Guide for Thursday, August 6 to Sunday, August 9, 2026. Get this list in your inbox every week and sign up for free. Want to add your event?
Ex-NBA star's resort-style Houston home hits market for $11.99 million
The Los Angeles Laker’s Nick Van Exel generated excitement on the court, with his deep three pointers and All-Star status. The home he used to own at 3201 Noble Lakes Lane in Houston is no slouch in the stat department, either. Sprawling across almost 21,000 square feet within Royal Oaks Country Club, it’s a four-level, resort-style experience that is currently on the market for $11.99 million.
Top Live Theater & Performing Arts in Houston This Week: August 3 to 10, 2026
Festivals + Events Current + Upcoming Events Arts + Culture Music Shows Theater + Dance Insights Top Live Theater & Performing Arts This Week Top Things This Week Queensbury Theatre's production of the "Mean Girls" musical debuts on Thursday. | Photo courtesy of Queensbury Theatre See the latest performing arts productions and theater happenings opening across Houston from Monday, August 3 to Sunday, August 10, 2026.
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