Houston will read and celebrate “Their Eyes Were Watching God”
HOUSTON, TX—Alley Theatre is pleased to announce it is one of 62 organizations nationwide selected to receive a 2024-2025 NEA Big Read grant. The grant of $20,000 will support a community reading program in February and March focusing on Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston. An initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with Arts Midwest, the NEA Big Read broadens our understanding of our world, our communities, and ourselves through the power of a shared reading experience.
“It will be wonderful having so many people experience the beautiful writing of Zora Neale Hurston in her novel Their Eyes Were Watching God,” shares Alley Theatre Artistic Director Rob Melrose. “This is the first big project for our new Community Engagement and Inclusion Specialist Russell Boyd who is already making a tremendous difference at the Alley. I’m eager for Houston to get to know Russell and for all the good things he has in store ahead!”
“Their Eyes Were Watching God is a powerful story that embodies the resilience, beauty, and unique lived experiences of many Black Houstonians, especially Black women,” shares Alley Theatre Community Engagement & Inclusion Specialist Russell Boyd. “I’m excited to collaborate with local Black-owned organizations and creatives to bring community-centered, arts-based education programs to our communities—especially the Black community, whose history, talents, and heritage are integral to Houston’s arts, education, and legacy. I look forward to the Alley’s journey in building authentic grassroots relationships and celebrating the transformative power of storytelling to uplift Houston’s Black communities while honoring the unforgettable Zora Neale Hurston.”
Alley Theatre’s NEA Big Read is a city-wide exploration rooted in the power of storytelling. This program uses Hurston’s work as a lens to engage Black communities around themes of resilience, self-discovery, empowerment, and the preservation of cultural heritage. The Alley will collaborate with partners across Houston to host events that amplify Black voices and experiences through literature, art, and community dialogue. Artists will guide participants to explore Houston’s Black community’s challenges, triumphs, and rich history.
“The NEA Big Read brings the transformative experience of reading to an entire community,” said Maria Rosario Jackson, PhD, chair of the National Endowment for the Arts. “This year’s grantees, including Alley Theatre, are taking themes off the page and using creative programming to navigate difficult topics, explore new perspectives, and strengthen bonds between neighbors.”
The NEA Big Read offers a range of titles that reflect many different voices and perspectives, aiming to inspire meaningful conversations, artistic responses, and new discoveries and connections in each community. The main feature of the initiative is a grants program, managed by Arts Midwest, which annually supports dynamic community reading programs, each designed around a single NEA Big Read selection.
“Using the captivating power of literature, NEA Big Read events unleash the creative spirit that resides within all of us,” said Torrie Allen, President and CEO of Arts Midwest. “We’re thrilled to support the work of grantees across the nation, including the Alley, as they inspire conversations and artistic expressions through shared reading experiences.”
Alley Theatre will partner with The Ensemble Theatre, Esurient Arts, Freedmen’s Town Museums Houston of the Rutherford B.H. Yates Museum, Inc., Houston Public Library, Kindred Stories, Kefita Coffee, and various schools throughout Houston.
Visit alleytheatre.org/NEA-Big-Read-2025 for a full calendar of workshops, discussions, and events.
ABOUT ALLEY THEATRE:
Alley Theatre, one of America’s leading nonprofit theatres, is a nationally recognized performing arts company led by Artistic Director Rob Melrose and Managing Director Dean R. Gladden. The Alley is committed to developing and producing theatre that is as diverse as the Houston community. The Alley produces up to 11 plays and nearly 400 performances each season, ranging from the best current work and classic plays to new plays by contemporary writers. Home to a full-time resident company of actors and expert artisans in all theatre crafts, the Alley engages theatre artists of every discipline – actors, directors, designers, composers, playwrights – who work on individual productions throughout each season as visiting artists.
Alley Theatre performs at the Meredith J. Long Theatre Center which is comprised of two state-of-the-art theatres: the 774-seat Hubbard Theatre and the 296-seat Neuhaus Theatre. The Alley reaches over 200,000 people each year through its performance, education, and community engagement programs.
ABOUT NEA BIG READ:
Since 2006, the National Endowment for the Arts has funded more than 1,800 NEA Big Read programs, providing more than $25 million to organizations nationwide. In addition, NEA Big Read activities have reached every Congressional district in the country. Over the past 15+ years, grantees have leveraged more than $57 million in local funding to support their NEA Big Read programs. More than 6 million Americans have attended an NEA Big Read event, over 100,000 volunteers have participated at the local level, and over 40,000 community organizations have partnered to make NEA Big Read activities possible. For more information about the NEA Big Read, including book and author information, podcasts, and videos, visit arts.gov/neabigread.
ABOUT THE NATIONAL ENDOWMENT OF THE ARTS:
Established by Congress in 1965, the National Endowment for the Arts is an independent federal agency that is the largest funder of the arts and arts education in communities nationwide and a catalyst of public and private support for the arts. By advancing equitable opportunities for arts participation and practice, the NEA fosters and sustains an environment in which the arts benefit everyone in the United States. Visit arts.gov to learn more.
ABOUT ARTS MIDWEST:
Arts Midwest supports, informs, and celebrates Midwestern creativity. We build community and opportunity across Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, Wisconsin, the Native Nations that share this geography, and beyond. As one of six nonprofit United States Regional Arts Organizations, Arts Midwest works to strengthen local arts and culture efforts in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts, state agencies, private funders, and many others. Learn more at artsmidwest.org
