The Ensemble Theatre

[2] The Ensemble Theatre is a non-profit organization founded by George Hawkins in 1976 as a touring company that rehearsed in a church basement.

[2] In 2003, the company was awarded $250,000 from the Houston Endowment Inc., with which it retired its original capital campaign debt and made some improvements to the facility.

This celebration included the presentation of an award to American actor and director Danny Glover, as the 2006 "Lifetime Achievement" honoree.

[4] The Ensemble building, with its glass-enclosed lobby, hosts three stages located in the heart of Midtown, where a METRORail stop bears its name, Ensemble/HCC station, an honor shared with the nearby Houston Community College ("HCC").

Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright August Wilson has visited the Ensemble, and influential dramatist Ntozake Shange has directed the troupe.