Tickets on Sale Now for the Hobby Center’s Houston Is Inspired 2025-2026 Residences

Single Tickets and Three-Show Ticket Packages Available

(Houston, TX) – The Hobby Center for the Performing Arts, for the first time, swung the doors wide open for artists and arts organizations across Houston to apply for its annual Houston is Inspired initiative. Broadening the city’s cultural fabric and embodying the iconic idea that Houston is Inspired, The Ensemble Theatre | CJ Emmons, [Jk] Creativ, and Silambam Houston have been carefully selected as the 2025-2026 season residency recipients. Single tickets as well as three-show ticket packages on sale now and are available at thehobbycenter.org. Launched in 2023-2024, Houston is Inspired is a signature Hobby Center program that celebrates and amplifies the work of local artists and organizations through week-long residencies, offering access to the Hobby Center’s premier spaces, professional production support, and marketing resources. The first two seasons featured curated partnerships, but with the introduction of an open application process, the Hobby Center took another meaningful step toward creating equitable access to Hobby Center partnerships and representing the full scope of Houston’s arts community. “We were honored to receive 52 applications from across the Greater Houston area, reflecting a powerful range of artistic voices, creative visions, and community-centered ideas,” said Deborah Lugo, Vice President of Programming and Education at the Hobby Center. “Each application was reviewed by a panel of local arts leaders and the Hobby Center team and thoughtfully considered based on artistic excellence, community connection, readiness, and how the residency will further their creative work. The high quality of the submissions in this inaugural cycle made the selection process both inspiring and challenging, as we carefully weighed many compelling and worthy projects.” The initiative is designed to spotlight Houston’s vibrant creative landscape, supporting authentic work that reflects the city’s rich cultural diversity. Selected artists and organizations for the 2025-26 Season will receive comprehensive production, administrative and promotional support including a $20,000 stipend to help fund the creation and development of their performance. They will receive five days of full access to Zilkha Hall comprised of the stage, dressing rooms, technical equipment, and production staff for rehearsals, tech and final performance. Additionally, a marketing investment from the Hobby Center alongside a project-specific promotional plan will be created and executed in partnership with the artist/organization. On this season’s recipients Lugo said, “These selected artists and organizations beautifully embody the guiding principles of the Houston Is Inspired series: community, celebration, and Houston. We’re proud to honor milestones like the Ensemble Theatre’s 50th anniversary and Silambam’s 25th—two institutions that have become cultural cornerstones in our city. This series also showcases artists nurtured in Houston who are shaping the arts on a national scale, while amplifying the rich diversity of cultures and histories that define our community. Though each production is distinct, together the series weaves a powerful narrative of Houston’s innovative spirit and creative essence.” Each week-long residency is valued at over $60,000 in support of the project. Participating artists from this past season have praised the program’s impact. “From leadership to crew, every person involved during our recent inclusion in the Houston is Inspired initiative was consistently supportive, efficient, and kind in carrying out their responsibilities,” said Dr. Jason Oby, Artistic Director of the Houston Ebony Opera Guild. “The Hobby Center's professionalism and care made the entire residency a smooth and stress-free experience.” Applicants must be a Houston-based performing artist or organization and demonstrate readiness to present a 90–120-minute performance in Zilkha Hall. To learn more about program eligibility and the application process, visit TheHobbyCenter.org. The Hobby Center Presents Houston Is Inspired 2025-2026 Season Public Performances: Dec. 12, 2025 | The Ensemble Theatre | CJ Emmons - I'm Freaking Talented CJ Emmons’ one-man show takes the audience through his 23-year career in Hollywood with storytelling, comedy, and singing. From waking up on tour with Bobby Womack to sharing laughs and popcorn with Patti LaBelle, his journey spans from his humble Houston upbringing to conquering Britain's Got Talent and becoming a worldwide star. This show is the very definition of why he is Freaking Talented. Celebrating 10 years as the principal singer of Dancing with the Stars, CJ has worked with Mariah Carey, Celine Dion, Patti LaBelle, Bobby Womack, Usher, and others. He co-produced the Whitney Houston Tribute at the BET Awards and earned an Emmy nomination for his vocals on HBO's "We're Here." His Grammy-nominated song "Maybe If I Cared" is available on all music platforms. Jan. 30, 2026 | [Jk] Creativ | Our Road Home Our Road Home is an interactive rhythmic production created and directed by native Houston artist Jakari Sherman. Through layered rhythmic storytelling - spoken, rapped, preached, and sung - the work honors the communal labor and ingenuity that built spaces of freedom across time. The body is the central instrument of music and movement in Our Road Home, affirming that the power to create and preserve freedom resides within us. The percussive tradition of stepping, as well as drumming and vocal textures combine to highlight the agency of those who claimed their autonomy. Inspired by the legacy of Houston’s Freedmen’s Town, the work asks: Once freedom is gained, how do we live in it, preserve it, and pass it on when the pull of bondage lingers near? Our Road Home is part of a broader initiative exploring “freedom as a way of life”. It seeks to examine and exhibit freedom beyond a fight and invites audiences to imagine what it looks like to live and thrive in liberation. The shift from resistance to restoration opens space for imagination, healing, and speculative futures. The work premiered at the Bethel church historic site to commemorate the 160th anniversary of Freedmen’s Town, and the Hobby Center’s expanded production shares this important work with Houstonians and visitors of all ages. May 1, 2026 | Silambam Houston | Kāvya: Poetry in Motion Kāvya: Poetry in Motion is an original Silambam Houston presentation, born from the vision of Artistic Director Lavanya Rajagopalan. This evocative production masterfully interweaves music, dance, and poetry to illuminate a profound truth: that despite separations of culture, language, and time, fundamental human emotions serve as an intrinsic unifying force for humanity. The production's rich textual landscape features poetry spanning centuries and continents, from the mystical verses of 13th-century Sufi poets and concise beauty of 17th-century Japanese Haiku to the diverse voices of 19th to 21st-century Gaelic, Estonian, Dutch, Spanish, and English literature. These poetic expressions are seamlessly integrated with a musical score that traverses a wide spectrum of classical and contemporary genres, all brought to life through the expressive movements of a range of Indian classical dance genres. TICKETS: Single tickets start at $20. Three-show packages start at $51 and are available at thehobbycenter.org. Patrons can become a “Hobby Center Insider” by signing up at thehobbycenter.org/news/stay-connected where they receive perks such as access to purchase tickets before the public on sale.