HOUSTON, TX

Beth Lipton

Statistics Comparison
Cost of Living (Natl. Avg = 100) Overall Food Housing Utilities Transportation Health People Population City Area Density Male/Female (% of population) Married/Single (% of population) Demographics (% of population) White Black Asian American Indian Hispanic Other Religion (% of population) Percent Religious Catholic Baptist Methodist Jewish Eastern Muslim Voting (% of population) Democratic Republican Economics Unemployment Rate (% of pop.) Economics Houston 80 89 46 96 96 97 2,099,451 627.8 mi2 3,501 50.2/49.8 38.2/61.77 50.51 23.74 6.02 0.71 1.76 19.01 58.40 18.44 16.29 4.68 0.53 0.63 2.86 50.450 48.820 7.50 Houston OKC 86 92 65 85 101 97 579, 999 621.2 mi2 956 49/51 46/54 62.70 15.06 4.02 3.54 71.92 14.68 72.50 8.78 27.85 13.29 0.17 1.93 0.31 41.590 58.410 5.70 OKC NYC 169 119 299 135 108 112 8, 175, 133 468.5 mi2 27, 012 47/53 35/65 44.00 25.55 12.70 0.70 5.26 17.04 51.58 25.54 3.19 0.79 11.51 0.18 3.80 79.430 19.990 9.80 NYC

Recent Job Growth (% of growth for the yr. 2012) Sales Taxes (state, county, and local) Income Taxes (state, county, and local) Housing Median Home Cost Homes Owned (% of population) Homes Rented (% of population) Property tax rate (per $1K of home value effective tax rate) Crime (least = 1, greatest = 10) Violent Crime Property Crime Climate Rainfall (in.) Snowfall (in.) Precipitation Days Sunny Days Avg. July High Avg. January Low Comfort (humidity and temperature; higher = better) Health (worst = 0, best = 100) Air Quality Water Quality Superfund Sites Physicians per capita Transportation Commute Time (minutes) Auto (alone) (% of population) Carpool (% of population) Mass Transit (% of population)

1.93 8.25 0.00

0.49 8.38 5.50

0.56 8.38 10.12

$144,000 39.80 47.88 $20.09

$99, 400 53.49 36.12 $8.56

$466, 200 28.56 63.69 $6.88

8 7 51.4 0.1 80 204 93 45.8 24

7 7 30.2 2.9 63 231 92 24.1 27

6 3 46.4 23.6 113 224 86 25.8 45

15.8 37 11 269 30.4 73.17 14.2 4.81

57.4 53 20 400 22.2 82.19 11.31 0.73

22.3 40 20 246 45.5 21.48 5.17 57.59

*All statistics are taken from Sperlings Best Places (www.bestplaces.net) from 2012 surveys

Transportation

 Useful

websites include: o http://www.ridemetro.org o http://www.houstontx.gov/abouthouston/exploringhouston.html

Traffic is

generally heavy, and especially heavy through rush hour, after big events, and

sometimes on Fridays and Saturdays. Houstons mass transit is not particularly convenient for the layout of the city, so many people drive their own cars despite the traffic. There is an HOV lane system with an option for solo drivers to pay a toll to use them.
Light Park A

rail is available, in conjunction with Houstons METRO bus service.

& Ride service is available for long-distance commutes.

Tunnel System downtown is an underground, air-conditioned walking system that connects

businesses so that pedestrians may commute on foot around downtown Houston without having to face the typically hot and oppressively-humid Houston weather.

Additional Facts (from Sperlings)

Nicknamed Houstons Ranked

Space City, Houston is famously home to NASAs Johnson Space Center.

overall cost of living is 11.10% less than the national average.

#2 in Most Irritation Prone Cities; ranked #4 in Riskiest Places for Natural

Disasters; ranked #6 in Hurricane Hotspots; ranked #9 in Most Congested Cities (sinus, not population);

Artistic Opportunities: Theater

Many of

Houstons theaters audition for their seasons at a summer unified audition hosted by

the Houston Arts Alliance (https://www.facebook.com/theallianceauditions). Companies that attended the 2013 audition included Equity and non-equity contemporary companies, childrens theatre, classical theatre companies, opera, and educational and community theatres of repute.
Important

websites and one-stop theatrical databases:

o Houston Arts Alliance: http://www.houstonartsalliance.com o Arts Hound: http://www.artshound.com/home4 o Theatre Port: http://www.theatreport.com/

The Alley Theatre

http://www.alleytheatre.org; https://www.facebook.com/alleytheatre/ 615 Texas Avenue Houston, TX 7702 (713) 220-5700
Founded

over 60 years ago, the Alley hosts a company that performs eleven productions

throughout the season and auditions for additional cast members when needed.
Has

an annual audition in Houston, but casts from New York City as well on two stages: the 824-seat Hubbard Stage and the 310-seat Neuhaus Stage. a wide selection of works in a season including new plays, classics, and new by Artistic Director Gregory Boyd and Managing Director Dean Gladden

The theatre operates Typically presents

musical theater. The Alley also places an emphasis on new American works.
Currently directed

The Ensemble Theatre

http://www.ensemblehouston.com; https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Ensemble-TheatreHouston/77509157200 3535 Main Street Houston, TX 77002 (713) 520-0055
Founded

in 1976 to preserve African American artistic expression, The Ensemble Theatre is

a professional Equity house that also boasts its Performing Arts Education Program, and the Young Performers Program for youth from 6 to 17 years old.
The Ensembles

Mainstage Season regularly features six classical and six contemporary works

that address the African American experience. They especially highlight local and national playwrights.
Currently directed

by Artistic Director Eileen J. Morris and Executive Director Janette L.

Cosley.
Auditions

are posted on their website, but they also audition at the annual Alliance Audition.

Main Street Theater

http://www.mainstreettheater.com; https://www.facebook.com/pages/Main-Street-TheaterHouston/82455152215 2540 Times Boulevard Houston, TX 77005 (713) 524-3622

Founded

in 1975, Main Street Theatre is a professional Equity company that plays in two

theatrical spaces: the 250-seat theatre at Chelsea Market that hosts the MainStage classics and musicals as well as the youth theater program, and the original 92-seat theatre in University Village which offers a much more intimate theatre experience.
A

typical MainStage season includes classical and contemporary plays, as well as a musical. the direction of Executive Artistic Director Rebecca Greene Udden.

Currently under

Theatre Under the Stars

http://www.tuts.com; https://www.facebook.com/TheatreUnderTheStars 800 Bagby, Ste. 200 Houston, TX 77002 (713) 558-2600
Theatre

Under the Stars, currently housed in the Hobby Center for the Performing Arts, is a

professional Equity music theatre company founded in 1968. In addition to producing over 300 musicals, including local, national, and world premieres, Theatre Under the Stars hosts an education program for young people and presents the annual Tommy Tune Awards
The theatre auditions TUTS TUTS

every year in Houston, New York City, and Los Angeles.

has been a launching point for international tours. also has internships available for graduate students and BFA undergraduates. the direction of Artistic Director Bruce Lumpkin.

Currently under

Artistic Opportunities: Film, TV, and Commercial

The Houston

Film Commission (http://www.houstonfilmcommission.com) is a division of the

Greater Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau and helps to organize production information for the Houston area. The website posts casting calls and workshop notices and promotes Houston as a filming area.

 The Texas

Moving Image Industry Incentive Program, in addition to state sales tax

exemptions, provides tiered payments to companies filming in Texas on dollars spent in the state on production or in payment to Texas residents.
The Southwest

Alternate Media Project (http://www.swamp.org) is a society to promot[e] the

creation and appreciation of film, video, and new media by providing information and funding to filmmakers and hosting screenings and lecture series.
Worldfest

Houston (https://worldfest.org) is a long-running independent film festival and

competition, one of the largest in the world, in its 47th year.

There

are many media production companies that provide services to projects filming in recently shot in the Houston area include: Tree of Life (2011), Transformers: Dark of the

Houston, but there is little information to be found on currently-filming productions

Films

Moon (2011), Fast Food Nation (2006), and Friday Night Lights (2004).

SAG-AFTRA Franchised Agents

A+ Actors of Texas 6260 Westpark, Ste. 310 Houston, TX 77057 (713) 349-0000 http://www.aplusactors.com/ Neal Hamil Agency 7887 San Felipe, Ste. 110 Houston, TX 77063 (713) 789-1335 http://www.nealhamilagency.com/ Page.713 1535 West Loop South, #110 Houston, TX 77027 (713) 807-8222

http://www.page713.com Pastorini-Bosby Talent Agency 6300 West Loop South, #350 Bellaire, TX 77401 (713) 266-4488 http://www.pbtalent.com/

Sherry Young, Inc. 2620 Fountainview, Ste. 212 Houston, TX 77057 (713) 266-5800