Houston's Alley Theatre, which was severely impacted when Hurricane Harvey made landfall August 25, is currently in recovery mode, working to restore administrative and artistic facilities, provide assistance to its artists and staff, and find other venues for its new season.
Hurricane Harvey left the Alley's Neuhaus Theatre, adjacent Mitchell Lobby, prop storage, and basement dressing rooms with water damage. The theatre’s electrical systems suffered severe damage and are offline. The theatre’s Long Lobby and Hubbard Theatre, however, did not suffer any damage.
“We’re still assessing the damage Harvey inflicted upon the Theatre; it’s heartbreaking to see the destruction,” said Dean Gladden, managing director of the Alley Theatre, in a statement. “But the Alley team, like all Houstonians, are rallying together so that we can get back to producing theatre for this great city.”
The Alley’s 2017–2018 season will proceed with the world premiere of Rajiv Joseph’s Describe the Night at a different location. Beginning September 15, performances will play the Quintero Theatre, located at 3351 Cullen Blvd. on the University of Houston campus.
The Alley’s second world premiere of the season, Lawrence Wright’s Cleo, is proceeding with rehearsals. A venue for performances is currently in discussion.
The Alley administrative offices and box office remain closed, and online ticketing is currently unavailable. Patrons with existing tickets to Describe the Night and Cleo will be contacted when normal business operations resume.
Many of the Alley Theatre’s staff members suffered personal loss and damages from the storm. The theatre has set up a tax-deductible Employee Flood Assistance Fund to support these staff members. Visit AlleyTheatre.org for more information or text ALLEYSTAFF to 41444 to donate.
