Alley Theatre Receives $25 Million Matching Grant

Butch Mach, Alley Theatre Board Chair and Chairman of The Alley Theatre Vision for the Future Campaign, has announced that the Tony Award-winning Alley Theatre received a $25 million matching grant from an anonymous donor as part of the $80 million Alley Vision for the Future Campaign. This is the largest gift in the 75-year history of the Alley. In recognition of this gift, the 615 Texas Avenue Theatre Building will be named Meredith J. Long Theatre Center in honor of the Theatre's longtime Chairman Emeritus who passed away on June 3, 2020.

"We are so honored to be receiving such a generous anonymous gift," stated Butch Mach. "Meredith Long played a major part in the Alley's history as a former Board President, capital campaign co-chair, champion of new work and our Resident Acting Company. Naming the building after him is a well-deserved tribute."

"This benevolent gift allows the Alley to flourish for decades to come," says Alley Theatre Board President Kenneth P. Kades. "With this gift as part of the Alley Vision for the Future Campaign, the Alley will continue its mission to inspire and enchant lives with theatre that is at the highest level of artistic excellence."

Meredith Long served on the Alley Board for 31 years where he co-chaired two of the largest fund-raising campaigns in the Theatre's history at the time. The first campaign raised $25 million to support the renovation after Tropical Storm Allison in 2001 and created the 75,000 square-foot Alley Center of Theatre Production. The second campaign raised $56 million primarily for the renovation of The Alley Theatre Building which opened in 2016. Mr. Long also served on the Board of The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the Museum of Fine Arts Houston, and the Texas Heart Institute.

The Alley Vision for the Future Campaign supports the Alley's endowment, artistic initiatives, building repairs after Hurricane Harvey, and provides reserve funds for the Theatre. The campaign is chaired by Butch Mach and has raised $54.5 million to date. Once this challenge grant is met, the Alley will successfully complete its $80 million goal.

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