He was acting in a community production of “A Raisin in the Sun” — a black-authored play — when after the first performance the lights came on.

“Where are all the blacks?” he asked, shocked to see an all-white audience.

The revelation led House to find a way to get children like he once was — poor, “underserved” — interested in the arts through acting classes.

House had grown up poor, with a single mother, in Mississippi and Las Vegas.

He says it was through his own sheer determination that he was the first in his family to graduate from high school. He went on to an Army career, though as a young adult he also caught the acting bug.

He had a few small roles in his early 20s, including in the movie “Heat” with 1970s mega star Burt Reynolds.

In Texas, after the performance of “A Raisin in the Sun,” House approached the local Boys and Girls Club about offering free acting lessons to local children. The staff looked at him like he was crazy — these were kids who played pool and pickup basketball, not thespians — but gave him a room. House prepared fliers himself, handing them out all over town.

When he entered the classroom the first night, it was standing-room only.

“I was really shocked,” he said.

He asked everyone what kept them from enjoying theater. “Is it because you can’t afford it? Is it because you don’t know the arts?”

Both, was the response.

The classes caught on quickly, adults offered to volunteer and the program grew. H.O.U.S.E. Theatre Arts Group was born. (H.O.U.S.E. stands for “helping our underserved skills and education.”) House now has programs in Cary as well as Texas and Georgia. At times he’s been able to offer not only acting classes but Spanish lessons, music and visual arts.

And the kids learn more than creativity. House knows that children who are “underserved” have many challenges in life: poverty and often a lack of self-esteeem and positive role models.

“I tell parents the things not to do — do not invite men into your home and tell your kids this is their ‘uncle.’ Kids don’t know the difference,” he said. Raised by a single mom, he was often in those shoes.

House also makes sure kids’ grades are up to par before they can enroll in his programs.

H.O.U.S.E. TAG had a space in downtown Cary but the rent was raised.

House will be offering programs at Herb Young Community Center in January while he looks for new space.

He said all adult volunteers are screened with background checks. Class fees are based on what a family can afford.

He largely finances programs with his own money, earned from directing jobs.

House said he realizes some might question why affluent Cary needs such a program. He points to children who come from impoverished homes within walking distance of his program’s former downtown location. Children also come from throughout the Triangle. With its central location within the Triangle, “Cary is the perfect location for my organization,” he said.

Details
House Theatre Arts Group is offering acting classes at Herb Young Community Center beginning in January. For information visit housetag.org.