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HOUSTON― Wortham Theater Center received a special birthday gift for turning 25 – a new look. In celebration of its 25-year anniversary, Wortham Center has a new logo that reflects a  quarter-century of elegance and sophistication.

On May 9, 1987, the curtains parted for the first time to a full house and became the home of Houston Ballet and Houston Grand Opera.

“With our new logo, we tried for something simple and elegant – and a little more modern, because of the great future that lies ahead for the Wortham,” said Houston First President  and  CEO Dawn Ullrich. Houston First is a local government corporation responsible for the management and operation of more than 10 city-owned buildings, including the Wortham. 

“The new logo is much like the Wortham itself – distinctive and grand but not too overstated, and ready to serve the community for many years to come,” Ullrich said.

Judson Design of Houston created the new logo.

Built at the height of the 1980s oil bust, Wortham Center was funded entirely by the private sector. The building is the legacy of the late Gus S. Wortham, founder of American General Insurance Company, whose foundation contributed $20 million to the capital campaign for its construction. The Cullen Foundation and the Brown Foundation donated $7.5 million and $6 million, respectively. 

Since opening in 1987, the Wortham has entertained more than 8 million people and served as the backdrop for social galas, civic meetings, corporate and group events, and other functions benefiting the community.

Contacts: John Harris 713-853-8109 (o) 832-588-8492 (m)

June 1, 2011

-- The City of Houston’s Convention & Entertainment Facilities Department (CEFD) is consolidating with the Houston Convention Center Hotel Corporation to create a new entity that will operate Worthan Theater Center and several other major municipal venues.

Houston City Council voted today to place the facilities under the new organization called Houston First Corporation, effective July 1.

In addition to Wortham Center, CEFD venues include the George R. Brown Convention Center, Jones Hall, Jones Plaza, Miller Outdoor Theatre, Theater District Parking, Sesquicentennial Park, Root Memorial Square, and several smaller parks and performing arts facilities.

Mayor Annise Parker said the new structure will have a positive impact that will be felt for years.

"Long term, there will be operational efficiencies to be realized as a result of this consolidation, and the Houston First management team will be able to avail themselves of business practices that will make it easier to maintain and improve these facilities," Mayor Parker said.

Richard J. “Ric” Campo will chair Houston First’s nine-member board. Campo is chairman and CEO of Houston-based Camden Property Trust, one of the nation's largest multifamily Real Estate Investment Trusts. Dawn Ullrich, currently director of CEFD, will serve as president.

"Fortunately, we won't be reinventing the wheel here,” Campo said. “Each of these facilities already has an experienced management team in place. The role of the Houston First board, as I see it, is to look for opportunities to fine-tune operations.”

Campo says that the consolidation with HCCHC, which already operates the Hilton Americas-Houston, will allow venues such as Wortham Center to benefit from the $30 million annual cash flow brought by the hotel.

April 18, 2011

-- Houstonians arriving for a night on the town have one less thing to worry about as they reach their destination in downtown Houston: Do I have enough cash to pay for parking?

That’s because a credit/debit card acceptance system has been installed in the Theater District Parking garage for use during events. The goal is to provide greater convenience for those using the parking complex that serves Wortham Center, Jones Hall and other downtown venues.

Previously, cards were not accepted when the garage was operating in “event” mode, and patrons had to pay cash at the entrances. (In event mode, payment is required in advance to promote faster exiting after the show.) Now, however, those entering the garage enjoy the option of making credit or debit card payments. (Patrons may still pay the flat $7 fee with cash upon entry.)

“Many of our event parkers are season ticket-holders, and they use the garage regularly,” said Mario Ariza, deputy director of the Convention & Entertainment Facilities Department, which manages Theater District Parking. “They tell us they appreciate the convenience of no longer fumbling for cash or having to make a stop at an ATM beforehand. Now it’s just a quick swipe – no signature is required – and they’re in.”

Theater District Parking currently has six card-processing terminals in use at garage entrances and the use of “plastic” has shortened the entry process, Ariza said.

On days when the garage is not in event mode, those using the garage do not pay in advance and pay an hourly rate upon exiting. In these instances, credit and debit cards are acceptable forms of payment at the cashier booths.

July 26, 2010

-- Small performing arts groups and their patrons may now purchase tickets to events online, thanks to a new ticketing system established by the City of Houston Convention & Entertainment Facilities Department.

The new system means patrons may now purchase tickets online for many events at the Wortham Theater Center and eventually Jones Hall. Resident companies of Jones Hall and Wortham Center (Houston Ballet, Houston Grand Opera, Houston Symphony and the Society for the Performing Arts) will continue to sell their own tickets.

“We designed this as an added convenience not just to the smaller arts groups that use our facilities, but also to their patrons,” said Dawn Ullrich, director of the Convention & Entertainment Facilities Department, the city department that operates the two theaters. “Before now, some of these groups sold tickets online themselves, and some preferred to sell them only on the phone or at the box office on the day of their event. Now people can buy tickets through our facilities for any of the smaller arts groups, online or in person. So it will be much easier to get tickets to their events.”

The city is using Tessitura Software, provided by the Tessitura Network, to handle the ticketing. Houston joins about 300 organizations in six countries in using the software, which Tessitura calls “the premier arts and cultural enterprise product.” They include The Metropolitan Opera, New York City Center, John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Santa Fe Opera and many others.

The first event to use the new system was Dance Houston on May 22 at Cullen Theater at the Wortham.

“The Wortham's ticketing service was very flexible in fitting our needs and allowed our staff more freedom to focus on the quality of our program,” says Andrea Cody, director of Dance Houston.

June 7, 2010

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Visitors to downtown Houston can learn about some of its best-known (and little-known) landmarks with free self-guided tours this summer. Two tours are available by using a mobile phone and three others via iPod.

Downtown Mobile Info, or DMI, the newest of the tours, begins at Wortham Center, but users can begin at any juncture by dialing 713-300-0892 and following the prompts. Signs at each of the 26 stops help guide the way, and there's a tour map at www.houstondmi.org. The tour is considered “intelligent” because visitors only hear the introduction once, on the first call, and the message isn't repeated at each stop.

Organized by the city Convention & Entertainment Facilities (CEF) Department, the one-hour tour focuses on the Theater District and points along Buffalo Bayou such as Sesquicentennial Park, the “Seven Wonders” pillars, Sabine Promenade, the “bayou bubble,” Buffalo Bayou Art Park and Jamail Skate Park.

Sam Houston Park downtown, home of nine historic structures, also has its own mobile phone tour. As with DMI, visitors call a number and follow the prompt for each stop. There's a stop with a small sign for each of the structures, which include the oldest log cabin in the Houston area and the oldest house in Houston still found at its original location. See http://www.heritagesociety.org/hours.html for more information.

“With these tours, visitors can explore as much or as little of downtown as they choose, and all they need is a mobile phone. Or they can hear the tours again at home later, just by calling the phone number,” said CEF Director Dawn Ullrich. “It's a fun way to check out downtown with your family or with visitors.”

Three other downtown tours – a more extensive downtown walk, a Museum District tour and a Discovery Green tour – are available for download to an iPod or MP3 player or as a podcast on iTunes. Or visitors can rent iPods at the visitors' center inside Houston City Hall, at Discovery Green and inside the George R. Brown Convention Center. There's more information and a map at http://www.downtownhouston.org/guidedetail/audio-walking-tours/. These tours are offered by the Downtown District along with the city's CEF Department.