Houston Black Theatre Week Honors... 2026

Part of the 4th Annual Houston Black Theatre Week, November 8–15, 2026 at The DeLUXE Theater, this production embodies this year’s theme: Rooted in Culture, Alive Through Story.

Houston Black Theatre Week presents CUZ/(iN).

Written and produced by Harold JAY Trotter of 1989 Dreams Productions.

There’s family. There’s friends. And then there’s cuz. What starts as a birthday celebration and a long-overdue Cousins Night quickly turns into a night of old stories, music, drinks, family traditions, unresolved tension, and a few truths nobody planned on telling.

Set over one unforgettable night, CUZ/(iN) is a funny, heartfelt look at family, chosen family, and the people who know exactly how to love you, embarrass you, challenge you, and remind you where you come from. Because blood may make you related, but what really makes somebody family?

This performance is a reading.

Part of the 4th Annual Houston Black Theatre Week, November 8–15, 2026 at The DeLUXE Theater, this production embodies this year’s theme: Rooted in Culture, Alive Through Story.

Houston Black Theatre Week presents Serial Killers: The Crucifixion of the Black Man in America.

Experience this powerful story in one unforgettable evening during the HBTW One-Act Showcase. This special Houston Black Theatre Week presentation brings Serial Killers: The Crucifixion of the Black Man in America, produced by Nikki Luellen of Nikki El Films & Theatre. Your ticket includes admission to both one-act performances for a night of bold storytelling, distinct perspectives, and independent Black theatre on one stage.

Part of the 4th Annual Houston Black Theatre Week, November 8–15, 2026 at The DeLUXE Theater, this production embodies this year’s theme: Rooted in Culture, Alive Through Story.

Houston Black Theatre Week presents What Lies Behind This Hospital Bed.

Written and produced by LaQuandra Gray of Unique 97.

Loosely based on a true story in the early 2000's. The show is about a young woman who has been hit with a terminal illness who goes on a journey to find out how she got into the situation she’s in and how to navigate the rest of her life after diagnosis. Lyza goes through all 5 stages of an individual suffering from an Illness/ Grief :Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression/Guilt, and lastly, Acceptance.

Part of the 4th Annual Houston Black Theatre Week, November 8–15, 2026 at The DeLUXE Theater, this production embodies this year’s theme: Rooted in Culture, Alive Through Story.

Houston Black Theatre Week presents Are You Blue, Mr. Ryder?
Written and produced by Rashanique the Writer of Brown House Productions LLC, with Executive Producers Rod and Qiana Taylor of Taylor Theatre Company.

Set in 1901 on the day of the annual Blue Vein Ball, Are You Blue, Mr. Ryder? follows Alfred Benoit Ryder, a formerly enslaved man who has built a life defined by education, success, and social status. But when a woman from his past arrives searching for the husband she once knew, Ryder is forced to confront the identity he left behind and the true cost of acceptance.

Part of the 4th Annual Houston Black Theatre Week, November 8–15, 2026 at The DeLUXE Theater, this production embodies this year’s theme: Rooted in Culture, Alive Through Story.