For the second year in a row, Tennesse Theatre Company rented the Cullen Performance Hall to perform shows for visiting local elementary school students. Busloads of school children from across the Houston area came to the university to see the day-long fairy tale performances.

The Tennesse Theatre Company is a non-profit professional touring organization that performs for students at different venues across the country to show K-12 students first-hand the process of putting on a production and what it entails.

The company tours the United States and when visiting Houston, reserves Cullen Performance Hall for the Houston stop on the tour.

“Houston area schools come out to watch them perform and [the theatre company] invite them to not only see what it looks like to be a part of the production, but also to learn life skills and life lessons,” said Erin Shelly, Cullen Performance Hall Front of House Manager. “Last year they did Aesop’s Fables. This year, they did Little Red Riding Hood with the Three Little Pigs.”

In 2023, the company’s performances brought 1,300 students and the second performance 1,200. This year, Cullen Performance Hall welcomed 1,333 students to the Tennessee Theatre Company’s first performance and 1,627 in its second.

This is just one of many examples of the types of rental events in Cullen Performance Hall, which on average sees about 70 events each year with about 30,000 attendees, who visit campus, many for the first time.

Additionally, Cullen Performance Hall will be home to nine UH commencement ceremonies this spring.  Event coordination for the venue by Cullen Performance Hall staff includes participation by key campus stakeholders, including Parking and Transportation Services, UH Police Department, UH Dining Services, UH Fire Marshal’s Office, and Facilities and Construction Management.