Houstonians know how to throw a bash. Whether it’s the annual Freedom Over Texas Fourth of July celebration or one of the dozens of food festivals that happen every year, the city loves putting on a party that celebrates its diversity and great big heart.

Among these beloved soirées was the annual Theater District Open House. The event brought together the eight arts organizations that call the downtown Theater District home, opening their doors to show audiences everything they had to offer. The district includes venues like the Alley Theatre, the Hobby Center for the Performing Arts, Jones Hall, and the Wortham Theater Center, and sprawls across 17 city blocks that also house restaurants, bars, coffee shops, hotels, and parks.

Like so much that became a casualty of the pandemic, Theater District Open House went on hiatus five years ago. But it returns on March 10—just in time for spring break—with a whole new focus. It’s still completely free, and while registration is encouraged, it’s not mandatory.

In prior years, the open house celebrated the start of the new arts season; attendees would be offered a host of ticket promotions in addition to performances and behind-the-scenes glimpses at what it takes to make performing arts happen in the city. For the last few years, though, Houston Theater Week, which offers online buy-one-get-one-free ticket specials but no in-person performances and activities, has served as the season’s kickoff instead. This new iteration of Theater District Open House can promote the city’s performing arts partners without tying itself to a sales pitch.

“We launched Theater Week because people were unable to gather together,” says Meg Booth, chair of the Houston Theater District Board of Directors and president and CEO of Performing Arts Houston. “Now that we can again, we heard from Houston First that people wanted more robust spring break programming, and we felt this would allow us to offer that.”

This year Houstonians of all ages will once again be able to flock to downtown and check out an array of offerings from the Alley Theatre, Dacamera, Hobby Center for the Performing Arts, Houston Ballet, Houston Grand Opera, Houston Symphony, Theatre Under the Stars (TUTS), Performing Arts Houston, and more. The afternoon of family-friendly entertainment includes performances, hands-on activities like dance classes and crafts, on-stage photo ops, and backstage tours, concluding with a 21-and-up happy hour at the Alley Theatre.

“I’m excited to do this with my kids,” says Craig Hauschildt, executive director of the Theater District. “There’s an opportunity to get up on stage and have your photo taken in the spotlight, which I think is awesome for anyone of any age.”

The day’s goings on represent the depth and diversity of programming in the Theater District. Houston Grand Opera’s Opera to Go will perform pieces from Mo Willems’s Bite-Size Operas series. There’s a lecture on the Alley’s current play, The Glass Menagerie. Audiences can watch selections from the Houston Ballet’s Sleeping Beauty or take a multigenerational movement class led by the organization. Expect performances from the Kinder High School for the Performing and Visual Arts chamber music piano trio and jazz combo, Mercury Chamber Orchestra, the Houston Symphony, and the Houston Contemporary Dance Company. There’s even a stage combat demonstration on the Alley’s Hubbard Stage.

Composers in Dacamera’s Young Artist Program will write 10-second compositions for individual audience members on demand, which will then be performed by the organization’s violinists. TUTS will have three different performances at the open house, along with a preview of its summer camp.

“Theater District Open House is a fantastic opportunity to welcome our community into the world of theater and ignite a passion for the performing arts,” says Dean R. Gladden, managing director of the Alley Theatre. “Guests will get a rare behind-the-scenes look at how we bring stories to life... It’s a hands-on, immersive experience that invites Houstonians to connect with the magic of live performing arts and see the creativity, talent, and dedication that make it all possible.”

Houston has a theater district to be proud of. In terms of seating capacity, it’s often quoted as second only to Broadway. Houston is also one of only a handful of cities to have major, world-class home companies dedicated to opera, theater, ballet, and a symphony. Collectively, the organizations in the Theater District contribute to Houston’s thriving arts economy, which generates $1.3 billion annually for the city.

It’s not unusual on a Friday evening to catch operagoers in formal wear walking across the Wortham Theater Center’s Fish Plaza on their way to see shows as diverse as Seared, a play where the cast cooked live on stage at the Alley, coached beforehand by Theodore Rex chef Justin Yu; or a performance of Baroque music on seventeenth-century period instruments by Ars Lyrica; or even a colorful Folklorico ballet from a renowned international company presented by Performing Arts Houston.

Just down the street, theatergoers step off the MetroRail’s Green Line on Rusk or Capitol Streets, heading into the Hobby Center for a blockbuster musical from TUTS or a touring Broadway show. But world-class performances like these accomplish so much more than simply helping Houston’s bottom line.

“The arts create a sense of hope and point of beauty that humanity can be capable of such things. The real point of Open House is to throw open all of the doors,” says Booth, adding that Jones Hall, the Hobby Center for the Performing Arts, and the Wortham Theater Center are all owned by the City of Houston and are for all Houstonians. “Everyone should be as comfortable in those living rooms as they are in their own living rooms.”