Revels Houston is a community-based performing arts organization committed to the preservation of multi-cultural traditions through family-oriented seasonal productions, celebrations, and educational outreach programs.

History of Revels | Revels Houston Board and Staff
Revels and the Winter Solstice | Lord of the Dance
The Morris Dancers and Mummers Plays

Revels interactive performances feature the song, dance, musical, and storytelling traditions of different and diverse cultures. We blend these elements into seasonal celebrations that demonstrate how differing cultures throughout the ages are fed by the same great river of myth, story, and song.

Professional singers, dancers, and musicians and community members young and old join together to form the cast and chorus of Revels Houston’s productions. Each year, a different country or culture is the focus of our December production. We are truly multicultural – in both the content of our production as well as the diversity of our performers.

Revels is a living tradition that bonds all participants -- audiences, performers, and volunteers -- together as companions in celebration. Revels comes from the community, for the community.

We are proud to be one of twelve Revels companies throughout the United States. Revels, Inc. is headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where it all began.

Revels Houston Inc. was incorporated in 1990 under the law of the state of Texas as a non-profit organization. It is affiliated with Revels, Inc. based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, which was founded in 1970 by John Langstaff to promote public education, understanding, and appreciation of traditional music, dance, drama, and ritual through the medium of participatory theater and communal celebration. All Revels organizations share Revels' artistic resources but are established as separate not-for-profit entities with independent boards.

Revels Houston Board and Staff

Revels' productions are held each year in Cambridge, Mass.; Houston, Texas; New York City; California (in the San Francisco Bay area); Washington, D.C.; Philadelphia; Hanover, New Hampshire; Seattle/Tacoma, Portland, Oregon, and Boulder, Colorado.

Revels Traditions

While each show is focused on the music and traditions of a different culture, there are certain Revels traditions that are part of each Revels performance. One tradition is the incorporation of Morris dances and a Mummers play in the production. Another is to end the first act with the singing of, and dancing to, The Lord of the Dance. This involves both the members of the cast and the audience, who dance their way out of the theater.

Revels provides a link from our present time and place to other times and cultures, and demonstrates the common elements that unite all of humanity. To “revel” is a verb; reveling is not just a performance, nor is it passive watching. By inviting all present to participate, we break down the barriers between audience and players.

Join the Revels community and become a “reveler” by watching a performance, singing in our chorus, volunteering, or becoming a sponsor.