Alley Theatre Receives a National Endowment for the Arts Big Read Grant

Alley Theatre 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.