ExxonMobil Discovery Series: Pick Me Last

Introducing 5th Graders to the World of the Performing Arts

Arts Partner: The Ensemble Theatre
Directed by Steve Scott

Pick Me Last is a fun, fast-paced, and high energy show with a multitude of interesting characters written by the award-winning playwright Idris Goodwin. The play promotes showing kindness and acceptance to people who are different than you and it celebrates diversity. Ten-year-old Wes is a regular kid who hears music in his mind to drown out the noise of his home, and always gets picked last to play games on the playground. When Wes’s best pal Chavonne learns about The Butterfly Effect, she puts a plan in place that just might cause a chain reaction leading to getting herself picked last at recess, therefore causing Wes not to be last for the first time ever. Joined by Sigmund Freud, Elon Musk and others popping in and dropping knowledge, Chavonne embarks on a quest to advocate for Wes, but soon learns that the problem she is trying to fix, may not be the one that needs solving.

In the 2024-2025 school year, the Hobby Center is excited to present a diverse range of free educational field trips to Hobby Center’s Zilkha Hall with the goal of serving 5th grade students in Houston. Through this TEKS-aligned series, 5th grade students are introduced to dance, music and/or theater in ways that are engaging, fun and further their learning and belonging.

Learn More about the Hobby Center’s educational programming and future opportunities for all Houston school districts.

This project is supported in part by an award from the Houston Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs and Mid-America Arts Alliance.

About The Ensemble Theatre

Influenced by the African American Theatre movement of the 1960s & 70s, George Hawkins founded The Ensemble Theatre in 1976 in Houston, TX. Today, The Ensemble Theatre benefits a multicultural audience that is diverse in age, income, ethnicity and culture. The mainstage season consists of six productions, ranging from classic to contemporary works. The Celebrating the Creative Journey series offers an expanded repertoire of artistic programing and projects. Serving more than 30,000 youth throughout Houston, The Ensemble Theatre’s Touring Education Department provides educational workshops, artist-in-residence experiences and live performances for students both off-site and at the theatre.