will be presented to the
Alley Theatre
Houston, TX
Accepting the Award
Gregory Boyd
Artistic Director
Paul Tetreault
Managing Director
One of the oldest professional theatres in the country, the Alley Theatre was founded in 1947 by Nina Vance (recognized for popularizing the arena format) and other artists. The Alley grew to prominence during the next decade, when Brooks Atkinson dubbed it "a theatre of distinction". Known for estimable productions of American classics a 1959 production of The Iceman Cometh was considered an artistic breakthrough the Alley was among the first American theatres to produce Paul Zindel, Michel de Ghelderode and Alan Ayckbourn.
The Alley is the primary American home for visionary director Robert Wilson where, in the past five years, he has staged such notable work as Hamlet:, a Monologue, Danton's Death and When We Dead Awaken... It also acts as the secondary base for Edward Albee, who has directed his own works at the theatre, including the American premiere of his The Marriage Play.
Last season, the Alley staged the most satisfying production in its history, Michael Wilson's long-running chamber version of Angels in America. In collaboration with London's Moving Theater, it also introduced Vanessa Redgrave's dazzling Antony and Cleopatra and Colin Redgrave's aesthetically-related Julius Caesar.
Under the artistic direction of Gregory Boyd, the Alley also develops new musicals, including Jekyll and Hyde, which has toured the country and is heading for Broadway.
