Cullen Theater at Wortham Theater Center

History

The Cullen Theater is the smaller of two halls inside Wortham Theater Center, which opened on May 9, 1987, after a privately funded campaign during Houston’s oil bust. Named for donors Lillie and Roy Cullen, the roughly 1,100-seat room shared the center’s launch with the larger Brown Theater; Performing Arts Houston presented Robert Wilson and David Byrne’s The Knee Plays in the Cullen. Designed by Morris Aubry Architects as part of the Gus S. Wortham complex, it is used for smaller opera and ballet, chamber music, recitals, and presentations by groups such as DACAMERA, Mercury, and Performing Arts Houston.