Houston’s Leading Gentlemen Dress to Impress at This Storied Theatre’s Big Night
Texans GM Emerges as the Unexpected Picture Star
By Catarina Williams //
Photography David Bray
What: Gentlemen’s Night for The Ensemble
Where: The Ensemble Theatre
PC Moment: Dressed to impress, some of Houston’s leading men in business, sports, banking, and law flocked to the Ensemble Theatre’s first ever Gentlemen’s Night. The evening served up a theatrical preview, paired with dining, cognac tasting, and power brokering. DJ SupaStar successfully set the scene upon the gents’ arrival. Hors d’oeuvres crafted by Ray’s Barbecue, Holley’s Seafood, and Phil & Derek were complemented by quaffs of D’Usse Cognac.
Event committee chair Angela Lee gave a warm welcome alongside honorary chair Rick Smith, general manager of the Houston Texans. Afterward, The Ensemble’s artistic director Eileen J. Morris introduced a teaser of the season’s finale show, Simply Simone, a musical tribute to the life of influential jazz artist Nina Simone. Ange Hillz painted a portrait of Smith to the tune of Simone’s “Flying High,” capping off the night with a visual component.
The party was the second in a series of fundraisers leading up to the theater’s upcoming black-tie gala commemorating its first four decades. Save the date: Saturday, August 19, at the Hilton-Americas, for Live it! Love it! Celebrate! The fête aims to bring in $1 million toward the theater’s annual $2 million operating budget.
Who: Gala co-chair Merele Yarborough, Ensemble executive director Janette Cosley, chef Mark Holley, Judge Bill Littlejohn, Keith McWilliams (whose wife, Shawntell McWiliams chaired the gala kickoff this spring), Warren Luckett, Lamar Smith, William Lee, Clifford Houston, Douglas Trimmer, Scott Thomas, Greater Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau’s John Rolfe, Castel Hibbert, Phil Batchelder, Chalres N. Coleman, Caesar Grantham, and Asomgyee Pamoja.
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