June 1, 2004

It’s summertime at the University of Houston, and while many consider the campus a ghost town this time of year, a host of activities will bring many back to UH.

Festivals, art exhibits, workshops — just to name a few — will breathe life back into UH this summer beginning June 1.

The Children’s Theatre Festival (CTF) kicks off its 26th season with “The Wolf and the Foolish Kids,” which Carolyn Boone, associate professor of theatre, promises will delight children and adults.

“Expect to see goats rapping and singing country-western tunes,” she said.

Colorful costumes and vibrant set designs — not to mention a talented cast — will make this production a perfect season opener.

CTF performances will continue through June 11 at Lyndall Finlay Wortham Theatre.
Also scheduled for the festival are “Aesop’s Fables,” which will run June 18 - July 2 and “The New Adventures of Pinocchio,” which will run July 16 - Aug. 1.

For more information, call the School of Theatre at (713) 743-2929.

For aspiring engineers, the Cullen College of Engineering will host the 28th Science, Engineering, Communication, Mathematics Program Enhancement (SECME) Summer Institute June 20 - July 1. SECME is an alliance to help underserved high schoolers prepare to study engineering in college. Teachers, counselors and students from across the country will come to UH to participate in workshops and seminars.

For the art enthusiast, Blaffer Gallery, The Art Museum of the University of Houston, will host the Houston Area Exhibition beginning June 26. Presented every four years since the museum’s founding in 1973, the exhibition is a citywide celebration honoring Houston’s art community and the region’s eclectic mix of established, unknown and emerging artists.

“This juried exhibition provides a rare opportunity for all artists to have their work presented in a museum setting,” said Claudia Schmuckli, Blaffer’s public relations director.

Blaffer Gallery is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday – Friday and from 1 to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. All exhibitions are free and open to the public.

Celebrating 30 successful years, the Houston Shakespeare Festival has grown into one of the most popular local festivals. This year, the two-week engagement at the Miller Outdoor Theatre will be no exception.

Two of William Shakespeare’s most celebrated plays, “Macbeth” and “Taming of the Shrew,” will be staged for this year’s festival. Performances begin at 8:30 p.m. and are free and open to the public.

The Houston Shakespeare Festival began in 1975 when Sidney Berger, School of Theatre director, met with university administrators and Miller Theatre Advisory Council members to enlist support for a two-production season of Shakespeare’s works to be staged at the theatre. In addition to a budget appropriation, UH provides rehearsal space, offices, and scene and costume shops, as well as personnel in the areas of administration, development and public relations for the fest.

“Our audiences continue to flourish, hungering, I believe, for language with which to articulate our deepest needs, memories and joys, reflecting our troubled times,” said Berger, who also founded CTF. “We are a gifted age which, despite huge advances in the sciences, medicine, etc., still reads newspaper headlines announcing wars, savagery, hunger and a clear disregard for the value of human life in this continuingly shrinking planet.”

For more information, please call the Miller Outdoor Theatre Box Office at (713) 284-8352.

If the theatre and the museum aren’t exactly your remedies for the summertime blues, maybe a hearty portion of shredded beef, glazed carrots and rice pilaf will be your cure. The Conrad N. Hilton College of Hotel and Restaurant Management will host its summer International Dinner Series beginning June 8. A varied menu — all compiled and prepared by the college’s students — will feature cuisines from around the world.

Dinners are from 5 to 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays through July 20.

For more information, please call (713) 743-2555.

After dinner, enjoy a relaxing dip in the pool at the Campus Recreation and Wellness Center (CRWC). From 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. on June 11 and July 16, Family Night at Leisure Pool will promise an evening of fun and games.

Members of the facility also can take advantage of exercise classes. From yoga to kickboxing to step, the center leaves no excuses for those needing variety in their exercise program.

For more information, please call CRWC at (713) 743-PLAY(7529).

Leticia Vasquez,
Lvasque5@central.uh.edu