San Antonio is changing in an exciting fashion.
In the words of former Mayor Henry Cisneros, Texas, and San Antonio specifically are at a moment of “ unprecedented and unstoppable growth.”
We’ve all become familiar with the story of cities, even within our own state, becoming victims of their own success.
- Skyrocketing home prices — where those born and raised one day can’t afford a home.
- An Economic boom → enjoyed mostly by outside corporate HQs — where the small business suffers and ultimately shutters its doors.
- It looks like Anywhere in the U.S.A., where the trends of the time, be it architecture, development, retail stores, or whatever else, devore the character of a city once uniquely its own.
I’m creating this show, Ensemble Texas, because I know San Antonio has the potential to do it differently. San Antonio can grow in a different, better way.
Imagine 5, 10, 15, 20 years from now,
- Our small businesses, restaurants, bookstores, music venues, coffee shops, etc., are thriving—not struggling to survive on the verge of becoming relics of the city’s past.
- Our green spaces, biodiversity, management of water, waste, and food, and tree canopy have greatly expanded and evolved and provide cooler temperatures, clean water and air, and abundant opportunities for recreation for all San Antonians, no matter their district boundaries.
- Where the spirit of the city sings louder, with a vibrant ecosystem that supports making art, music, theatre, and more because we have committed to being a city that believes nothing is more valuable than a unique and storied culture.
Ensemble Texas is a show about how (not if) San Antonio grows differently—rebuking the old models of growth at any cost and growth for growth’s sake. By exploring the environmental, economic, and cultural past, present, and future of this city, the region, and the state, this show connects San Antonians to a vision of growth for San Antonio’s sake.
While breaking news and divisiveness scream so loud that it can feel like all we hear—San Antonians need to hear the stories that teach, inspire, and energize but whisper of the people, places, and progress that have and will make for a more resilient, and thriving San Antonio.
This show is a conversation about how we address the challenges of the city’s past and present to capture and enjoy the opportunity for a more resilient, abundant, and even more storied future for all of San Antonio.
I’m Cory Ames, your host, and this show is Ensemble Texas.
More to come.
-Cory Ames
Founder & Host, Ensemble Texas