Gish Picks: Week of August 27, 2008


Welcome to this week's "Gish Picks", where I highlight family-oriented cultural events, products or services. Please note that I "highlight" these events, but I don't know if they are appropriate for your particular children, so choose wisely based on age, maturity and interests. I know many of you go to events based on GISH PICKS recommendations; PLEASE remember to tell the organization that you are there because of us. Word-of-mouth like yours helps our business to grow. In the same spirit, please also feel free to share GISH PICKS with friends and families. Do you have something you would like to promote on Gish Picks? Advertisers can promote family-friendly events, products or services to Houstonians all over the city and the surrounding area who are active parents, involved citizens and great shoppers. We love doing this community service and want to keep it free for our readers but in order to justify the hours spent researching, writing and designing this newsletter, we need advertising support. If you'd like to learn more, please click below. Now, GO FIND FUN!

ENJOY FAST-PACED DRAMA OVER LABOR DAY.

Living Art Studio Theatre (LAST) presents "Speed Theater 6" starting this Sunday, August 31 with a "Writers Workshop" from 5-8pm -- original 10-minute plays will be written during this time period. Directors will then meet with writers Monday morning (10-11am) to discuss their concepts and take the plays to performance. All actors will be cast at call in the morning and will begin working with their directors. Each group will have 4 hours to rehearse the plays (starting at 11:30am) in preparation for the performance that evening.

LAST welcomes playwrights, directors or actors -- but you'll need to email or phone them in advance to be considered. The format will involve children, teens and adults, with two performances on Labor Day -- the early show for general audiences and the later one for mature subject matter. The show for families is from 4-4:45pm at the Plymouth United Church, 5927 Louetta Road in Spring.

Living Art Studio Theatre is a newly-organized non-profit in Spring that will host various arts-related companies and individuals. They plan to offer classes for all ages and abilities in acting, voice, music, dance, visual arts, and yoga. The venue will also house performances, exhibits from teaching and visiting artists, a costumer’s shop, a meeting space, and a library. LAST will be home to a resident company comprised of actors from the nationally acclaimed Troupe d’ Jour as well as local talent developed in their ongoing studio classes.

For more information, call 281.734.8314 or log onto www.livingartstudiotheatre.org.

MAIN STREET THEATER HOSTS THEIR ANNUAL "KIDS ON STAGE (KOS) OPEN HOUSE" THIS SATURDAY, AUGUST 30.

To kick off the 2008-2009 season, Main Street Theater’s "Kids On Stage" program welcomes kids and families to a fun-filled time at Chelsea Market at 4617 Montrose Boulevard from 11am-1pm. In this free “mini-fair,” "Kids On Stage" teachers will take over the theater with activities like mask-making, puppetry, dance games, costume dress-up, and improvisation; kids and parents will be free to move from one activity to the next as they wish. There will also be information on "Out of This World", their theme for this season in which kids will encounter characters and settings beyond those they meet in everyday life.

KOS offers acting, rehearsal and performance, stage combat, and improvisation classes for children of all ages; their fall semester starts September 6. Its program has been designed to spark a lifelong appreciation of theater by encouraging young people to participate in all aspects of play production, from movement and monologues to stagecraft and theater history.

For more information, call 713.524.9196 or log onto www.mainstreettheater.com.

JOIN ME AT OUR “HAPPY BIRTHDAY HOUSTON FAMILY DAY” THIS SATURDAY, AUGUST 30.

The "Family Day" will take place from 10am-2pm at the Downtown Aquarium at 410 Bagby Street and there will be major discounts on exhibits (only $5/each) and day passes (only $10/each) in honor of Houston’s founding on the same day in 1836. Kids can learn about Houston’s history while enjoying activities provided by the Weather Museum, the Fire Museum and Buffalo Bayou Partnership. Sandra Lord of Discover Houston Tours will be offering complimentary historic tours of Market Square Park and will have “Discover Houston: A Self-Guided Tour of Allen’s Landing and Buffalo Bayou” available for purchase.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY HOUSTON" is an annual celebration of our city’s founding on August 30, 1836 by brothers John Kirby Allen and Augustus Chapman Allen, with assistance from Augustus’ wife, Charlotte Allen. The 2008 event was organized by Gish Creative and is a city-wide, community-based program that includes exhibits, lectures, and family activities. The mission of “HAPPY BIRTHDAY HOUSTON 2008” is to elevate public awareness about the importance of preserving Houston’s historical and cultural heritage which will enhance the attitude, understanding and connection of all Houstonians to our city.

For more information on the "Family Day", call 713.532.1173 or log onto the Downtown Aquarium website.

MARK YOUR CALENDARS NOW FOR INPRINT'S "COOL BRAINS! INPRINT READINGS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE" 2008-2009 SEASON.

"Cool Brains! Inprint Readings for Young People" features top children’s writers; this year's schedule includes:

Next Sunday, September 7
Newbery Honor, Printz Honor, and Sibert Honor winning children’s and young adult author Jack Gantos (I Am Not Joey Pigza)

Sunday, October 26
MacArthur “genius” Fellow and Caldecott Medal winning author/illustrator David Macaulay (The Way Things Work)

March 1, 2009
Newbery Honor and Caldecott Honor winning children’s and young adult author Jacqueline Woodson (After Tupac and D Foster)

May 3, 2009
National Book Award winning young adult novelist Sherman Alexie (The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian)

All "Cool Brains!" events are free of charge and are held on Sunday afternoons at 3pm (doors open at 2:15pm), at Zilkha Hall in the Hobby Center for the Performing Arts at 800 Bagby Street in the Houston Theater District. A book sale and signing will take place in the lobby after each presentation, providing audience members an opportunity to visit with the writers.

For more information, call 713.521.2026 or log onto www.inprinthouston.org.

IT'S TIME FOR THE ANNUAL "USED BOOK SALE" AT THE JEWISH COMMUNITY CENTER.

The JCC offers its last chance/one price day on used books this Sunday, August 31, from 10am-4pm. All books are five dollars a bag and bags will be provided. There is still a large selection of books to choose from, including fiction, mystery, nonfiction, young adult and chapter books. This is a great bargain for avid readers, book collectors or those who only read occasionally. All proceeds from the sale benefit the JCC’s senior adult programs. The sale is at the Jewish Community Center’s auditorium at 5601 S. Braeswood Blvd.

For more information, call 713.729.3200, ext. 3298 or log onto www.jcchouston.org.

Used Book Sale at the Jewish Community Center

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My goal is to serve as an information resource for Houston parents through my various endeavors, including:

GISH PICKS, which is online (www.thesummerbook.com/gishpicks_archive.html) and in print through the Houston Community Newspaper group (www.hcnonline.com);

THE SUMMER BOOK®: A GUIDE TO HOUSTON DAY CAMPS AND CLASSES FOR KIDS AND TEENS (www.thesummerbook.com) which comes out annually on March 1 and is sold at bookstores all over Houston, including Barnes and Noble and Borders; and

SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS, INTERACTIVE WORKSHOPS, PRIVATE CONSULTATIONS, AND ART PROGRAMS that cover topics such as summertime fun, passion-finding (for adults, children, and parents helping their children), marketing, historic preservation, art classes, and activism. All of these services can be tailored for any audience and budget.

The purpose of GISH PICKS is to help parents become aware of all the fun things they can do with their children in Houston and the surrounding area, so HAPPY TRAVELS! Please do give me feedback and ideas, as you are out there in the trenches also looking for interesting things for your family and I want to hear what you find. If you are having trouble getting to a website listed here, try hitting the “Ctrl” button and left-clicking on the web address, which should make it “live”.


Sarah Gish Gish Creative 1940-A Fountainview, PMB 116 Houston, Texas 77057 phone/fax: 713.532.1173 email: sarah@gishcreative.com web: www.gishcreative.com and: www.thesummerbook.com and: www.saveourlandmarks.org © 2008 Sarah Gish Designed by West of the World