Cypress, Texas

Cypress Stage is the only theater in the whole world slated to stage Gloria: A Life, the only play in the whole world about Gloria Steinem.

Cypress Stage’s logo…emblem…seal? does that majestic name justice. Google Earth on the other hand brings us back to Google’s earth. For some reason when I typed in Cypress, TX it took me right to the streetview:

Google’s view from the road is my other trusted photo archive. I absolutely believe and trust that the dominant visual in Cypress is large and low churches and schools on a large and flat green and beige landscape. Bright. I like it.

Exit this intersection and go back to the map and you learn that Cypress is Northwest Houston.

Cypress Stage has booked the black box theater in the local high school for the first 3 weekends of October. Tickets start at Pay-What-You-Can ($10) for Thursday, October 1st’s preview, then $15 (student), $30 (senior) and $35 tickets for the remaining 6 evening performances and final matinee on Sunday, October 18th.

Again. Google Earth dealing out solid unadorned truths. When you put in the high school it takes you straight to this streetview and doesn’t put the school’s name in the upper left, just ’Texas’. Yes. I suppose that building has Texas as its primary category, followed by its school function.

Gloria: A Life is Cypress Stage’s debut show!

This theater did not exist last year! Houston theater veterans Jayne, Ron and Marcy decided that theater folks’ 7th decade is the right one to found a theater…! Jayne founded another company to serve seniors with daytime performances in public spaces and senior living communities; Marcy is the co-artistic director of a children’s theater; and this will be the 5th time Ron artistic directs a local Houston theater. They all seem to be actor, director, producer do-it-all-types.

They selected this show to be their opener at the beginning of the summer.…3 weeks before opening Gloria passes. What was that rehearsal like? A character lives inside your head full-time when you are working on a show. If Gloria Steinem is lingering on earth at all right now, she is doing it in Cypress, TX.

Let’s go. I’ll buy the tickets. October 1 -17.

If the photos folks uploaded to Google Earth’s Cypress page are accurate, we can probably get there by boat: