Alley Theatre Exhibit Spotlights Nina Vance
A new exhibit at the University of Houston Libraries illuminates the life of visionary Alley Theatre founder Nina Vance, and provides a contextual history of the theatre’s rise to prominence.
In 1947, Vance mailed 214 penny postcards bearing the question, “Do you want a new theater for Houston?” Soon, the Alley Theatre was born.
Nina Vance | Photo from the Nina Vance Alley Theatre Papers, UH Special Collections
From the exhibit:
From its modest beginnings in a dance studio on Main Street, to a converted fan factory on Berry Avenue, to a state-of-the-art building downtown, the road to becoming the nationally recognized theatre it is today was paved with talent, generosity, and hard work. The woman behind it all remained the same, Nina Vance. As the theatre’s founder and artistic director for more than thirty years, Vance was a guiding force for the theatre and worked tirelessly to see it become a Houston institution.
The exhibit features programs, photographs, articles, correspondence, and other memorabilia from the UH Special Collections Nina Vance Alley Theatre Papers.
Visitors are invited to view Nina Vance and the Alley Theatre: A Life’s Work at the MD Anderson Library starting October 25, 2014 through May 8, 2015. The exhibit opens concurrently with the 100th anniversary of Vance’s birth.
For more information, contact Catherine Essinger 713-743-2337, and Stacey Lavender, 713-743-9605.