Alley Theatre:
11th Annual Deck the Trees . . . A Season of Giving
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On November 24, 2017, the Alley Theatre celebrated its reopening after Hurricane Harvey. Combining two special events, the Alley reopened its doors with its 11th Annual Deck the Trees. This year’s theme was A Season of Giving.
Mayor Sylvester Turner, Artistic Director Gregory Boyd, and Alley Board President, Butch Mach joined patrons, donors, and guests for an exciting tree-lighting countdown. It culminated with the lighting of over 50 beautifully decorated trees and wreaths, filling the lobby with Christmas splendor.
Co-chairs Roger Aksamit, Maria Wyckoff Boyce, and Mark Allen Smith welcomed over 250 donors and guests who also attended a private pre-performance and countdown reception. Dinner was held in the Texas Room, the first event in the theatre’s reopened space.
Mr. Mach greeted the sold-out crowd with the words, “We’re back.” He expressed his thanks to the tree sponsors, including Occidental Petroleum, and made note of the fact that this year’s celebration boasted more trees than ever before. He also shared the welcome news that the funds raised from the event were triple those of previous years.
Mayor Sylvester Turner added that it’s been a special year for Houston. He emphasized the fact that he wanted to join in on the Deck the Trees celebration because, “the theater district represents the soul of our city.” Ending his remarks with the words, “the show still must go on,” Mayor Turner began the countdown. The lighting of the holiday trees was met with loud applause and cheers from the crowd, which filled all three levels of the theatre.
The uplifting event was followed by a performance of A Christmas Carol: A Ghost Story of Christmas in the Hubbard Theatre. Artistic Director Gregory Boyd took the stage and shared the story of how the Alley staff and artists all came together with spirit and strength to regenerate the theatre and recreate the play.
Deck the Trees raised over $330,000. The generous amount will help support the recovery efforts of the Alley as well as sustain the theatre’s educational and artistic programing. The holiday trees will be on display until January 2, 2018, and the play will run until December 30, 2017.
For more information, please visit alleytheatre.org.
Guests: Carmen and Butch Mach, Oscar Brown and Sarah Morgan, Laura Bellows, Michele and Dheeraj Verma, Patty Hubbard and Ford Nelson, and Gregory Boyd.
About Alley Theatre
One of the country’s leading nonprofit theatres, the Alley Theatre is a nationally recognized performing arts company. Led by Artistic Director Gregory Boyd and Managing Director Dean R. Gladden, the Alley is home to a resident company of actors. Its diverse repertoire features innovative productions of the classics, neglected modern plays, and premieres. Alley All New, the initiative to commission and develop new work year round, features the Alley All New Festival, which presents workshops and readings of new plays and musicals in process every season. A recipient of the Regional Theatre Tony Award, the Alley has taken productions to Broadway; various American cities; and international cities, including Berlin, Paris, and St. Petersburg, throughout its 70-year history.