Since 1947, when Nina Vance first declared “Houston, This is Your Theatre”, Alley Theatre has been a cornerstone of Houston’s flourishing arts community and one of the largest professional nonprofit theatre companies outside of New York City.
Working out of a tiny studio on Main Street, Nina captured the imagination of a city and led a grassroots campaign to create a theatre that would embody the dynamic, cultural vitality of Houstonians and their love of the arts. Since then, the Alley has been awarded the Tony Award for Outstanding Regional theatre, the Pulitzer Prize for one of its premieres, and the Texas Medal of Arts Award.
After Hurricane Harvey in 2017, the Board of Directors approved a capital/endowment campaign entitled the Vision for the Future Campaign. The quiet phase of the campaign was rolled out in 2018 and passed during the pandemic. After the pandemic, the quiet phase continued until our public phase began on June 24, 2024.
In 2022, Alley Theatre received its largest contribution in its history in the form of a $25 million challenge grant from the Meredith J. Long family. Meredith served as Chairman and later Chairman Emeritus of the Alley Theatre Board for 31 years beginning in 1989.
Nina Vance
Cornelia and Meredith J. Long
When this gift is matched, it will successfully conclude the Alley’s $80 Million Vision for the Future Campaign. It will meet its objectives of doubling the size of its Endowment, pay off all the losses not covered by insurance from Hurricane Harvey, provide a 10-year investment into the Artistic Investment Fund to ensure the national quality of the artistic product, and provide cash and operating reserves.
By supporting the Vision for the Future Campaign, you ensure the artistic legacy of Alley Theatre—from technical innovations to inspired performances by world renowned actors. Every contribution will have double the impact as it will be matched dollar for dollar by the largest challenge grant in Houston.
Alley Theatre Endowment
To double the current endowment to provide enhanced operating support.
Artistic Investment Fund
To ensure the Alley’s national status as one of America’s flagship theatres through innovative work using new technologies, producing plays of scale with large casts, and by being an incubator for and producer of new plays.
Hurricane Harvey Recovery Fund
To cover the $20 million Hurricane Harvey loss and mitigation expenses to protect the building from future flooding.
Capital and Operations Reserve Funds
To create a $5 million building fund to be used for equipment purchase, care, and repair of the buildings and create a $5 million opportunity reserve for cash flow and emergencies.
OBJECTIVE:
To more than double the current endowment to provide enhanced operating support
$31,000,000
At the heart of this campaign is the Alley Endowment Fund which serves to fund the Alley’s Resident Acting Company, maintain the extraordinary quality of productions, promote and premiere original and new works, and maintain community-wide access to the plays.
A healthy endowment is crucial to the Alley’s long-term viability.
A very important consideration for the Alley is that it is the only Houston Theatre District institution that owns its own building. That means that the Alley has borne the total cost of the Theatre’s operations, maintenance, and renovation as well as damages from Tropical Storm Allison and Hurricane Harvey. The endowment will not only support the artistic mission of the theatre but also provide ongoing funds to operate the Meredith J. Long Theatre Center.
Photos: Todd Waite in Sherlock Holmes and The Case of The Jersey Lily, The Cast of The Servant of Two Masters, Mia Pinero and Ellen Harvey in Ken Ludwig’s Lend Me A Soprano
OBJECTIVE:
To ensure the Alley’s national status as one of America’s flagship theatres through innovative work using new technologies, producing plays of scale with large casts, and by being an incubator for and producer of new plays
$19,000,000
On November 1, 2018, the announcement was made. Rob Melrose was joining the Alley Theatre as its fourth Artistic Director in 72 years. Rob Melrose has a bold vision of the dramatic arts and comes with a strong desire to build on the Alley’s reputation and take it to new heights. With an appreciation of the great works of the theatre from Shakespeare to Miller, Rob sees every play through a lens that asks “How do we produce theatre using today’s technology to reach out to a more diverse and expanded audience base?”
The Artistic Investment Fund is about producing larger cast shows, reflecting the diversity of our community, embracing new technological techniques, and producing new works that will stir the hearts and minds of Alley audiences year after year.
The Artistic Investment Fund will provide $1.5 million dollars each year for a period of ten years in order to support Rob Melrose’s vision for Innovation and production quality. It also provided $4 million to create a new family-friendly version of A Christmas Carol which was first produced in 2023.
Photos: The Cast of Agatha Christie’s The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, Elizabeth Bunch in The Servant of Two Masters
OBJECTIVE:
To fund $20 million in damages from Hurricane Harvey and mitigation to protect the building against future flooding at the 500 year flood level plus three feet
$20,000,000
On August 27, 2017, the Alley Theatre was hard hit by Hurricane Harvey. Approximately 5 million gallons of water rushed through an air-intake vent on the Alley’s elevated driveway into the basement. Flood waters reached the 10 foot level of the recently renovated Mitchell Lobby and Neuhaus Theatre at the tunnel level, plus it reached 15 feet in height of the new basement dressing rooms and bathrooms. Water also destroyed the Theatre’s 10,000 square foot prop storage space in the basement and over 76,000 props were destroyed.
OBJECTIVE:
Capital reserve to maintain the facility over the next decade and operating reserve for cash flow and unexpected difficult times
$10,000,000
Capital reserves are needed to maintain our state-of-the-art facilities and replace equipment as needed over the next ten years.
Cash reserves are necessary to manage through uncontrollable revenue dips, economic downturns or natural disasters. Best practices are to keep three months of cash on hand.
