From the momentous to the mundane, 75 facts about Alley Theatre in its 75th year

In celebration of the institution’s semisesquicentennial , we dug through history books, archives and documents to unearth some wonderful details about the theater company through the years.

4. And on Oct. 7, 1947, more than 100 postcard recipients met Vance to discuss a new theater company. The group assembled in a small dance studio at the end of a long alleyway. “It was all very democratic. You paid a dime and became a voting member,” Vance5. When Rita Cobler, a founding member, saw the narrow alleyway to the studio, she suggested the troupe name itself “The Alley.” The name stuck. “In the excitement, I didn’t mind it much that night,” Vance.

16. A set of old elevator doors were repurposed as gates which opened onto the alleyway. Those gates now reside on the third floor of the Alley’s current building at 615 Texas Avenue. They’re located near the elevators.17. The arena stage at the renovated fan factory would serve as the model for the Alley’s Neuhaus Theatre in Downtown Houston.

21. Some longtime members quit and several board members reigned. One actress said it was natural that some members resented the decision. “It left a gap in their lives,” she said. “I think rather than self-aggrandizement Nina simply thought of the Alley as a theater that needed to keep moving ahead. I think there were thresholds in her life when she realized that one goal had been achieved and another was waiting.”23.

30. In 1961, Secretary of State Dean Rusk appointed Vance to the Advisory Committee on the Arts, part of the the U.S. Advisory Commission on International Education and Cultural Affairs.31. In 1962, Vance acquired a gift of land from the Houston Endowment and a $2.1 million grant from the Ford Foundation to build a new theater. To secure the grant, however, the Alley had to raise an additional $900,000 locally from at least 15,000 Texans.33.

42. To celebrate the new building, Houston Mayor Louie Welch proclaimed the entire week “Alley Theatre Week.” 46. In 1977, Vance was one of eight American directors invited by the U.S. Department of State and the Russian Ministry of Culture to observe Russian Theatrical production in Moscow and Leningrad.48. Upon her death Alley Board President announced that the building would be renamed the Nina Vance Alley Theatre.50. In 1980, upon the death of Vance, managing director Iris Siff took over the Alley’s management and artistic operations.

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