Nina Eloise Whittington Vance (1914–1980) was the

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and first

artistic director An artistic director is the executive of an arts organization, particularly in a theatre or dance company, who handles the organization's artistic direction. They are generally a producer and director, but not in the sense of a mogul, since the ...

of the Alley Theatre in

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

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. She received awards and recognition, both nationally and internationally, for her work and contribution to the theater community.

Biography

Nina Vance, the only child of Calvin Perry and Minerva (DeWitt) Whittington, was born on October 22, 1914, in

Yoakum, Texas Yoakum is a city in Lavaca and DeWitt counties in the U.S. state of Texas. The population was 5,908 at the 2020 census. History The area was sparsely settled until a townsite was laid out with the construction of the San Antonio and Aransas P ...

. She was a direct descendant of Green DeWitt and Benjamin Beeson. She attended

Texas Christian University Texas Christian University (TCU) is a private research university in Fort Worth, Texas. It was established in 1873 by brothers Addison and Randolph Clark as the Add-Ran Male & Female College. It is affiliated with the Christian Church (Disciples ...

, receiving her B.A. in 1935, and pursuing post-graduate studies at

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

, the

American Academy of Dramatic Arts The American Academy of Dramatic Arts (AADA) is a private performing arts conservatory with two locations, one in Manhattan and one in Los Angeles. The academy offers an associate degree in occupational studies and teaches drama and related art ...

and postgraduate work in theater at the American Academy of Dramatic Art, Columbia University, and the

University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in C ...

before moving to Houston in 1939 to work as a high school teacher. She was married to Milton Vance, an attorney, but the childless marriage ended in divorce. Nina Vance died on February 18, 1980, in Houston at the age of 65.

Early career

Vance began her career by teaching drama and speech at Jefferson Davis High School and San Jacinto High School. She also taught private acting classes on the side and, by 1941, was acting herself with the Houston Little Theatre and the Houston Community Players, a group headed by

Margo Jones Margo Jones (December 12, 1911 – July 24, 1955), nicknamed the "Texas Tornado", was an American Theatre director, stage director and Theatrical producer, producer, best known for launching the American regional theater movement and for introduc ...

. After Jones left Houston, Vance was asked to teach acting classes for the Jewish Community Center, but instead she offered her services as a director of plays. Although she was raised

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...

, she stipulated that the participants in her Players Guild could be of any religious denomination. Vance directed over a dozen productions for the Players Guild between 1945 and 1947, and following the innovative lead of Margo Jones, her troupe performed in the round in places like the Rice and Lamar hotels. When the Players Guild disbanded, she and her group of theater enthusiasts were without a home.

The Alley Theatre

In the 1947, Vance and some friends decided to start a theatre group. She mailed out over 200

postcard A postcard or post card is a piece of thick paper or thin cardboard, typically rectangular, intended for writing and mailing without an envelope. Non-rectangular shapes may also be used but are rare. There are novelty exceptions, such as wood ...

s inviting artists and potential sponsors to join a theatre company to be located off a Houston alleyway, and at the group's first meeting over 100 people interested in a new amateur theatre for Houston attended. The group voted on a name for the company, and the Alley Theatre was born. In 1968, the Alley Theatre moved to its present home, on the corner of Texas Avenue and Smith Street in downtown Houston. The Alley is now one of the nation's leading regional

repertory theatre A repertory theatre is a theatre in which a resident company presents works from a specified repertoire, usually in alternation or rotation. United Kingdom Annie Horniman founded the first modern repertory theatre in Manchester after withdrawing ...

s and one of the oldest resident theatres in the

Awards and honors

In 1959, The Ford Foundation awarded Vance her first director's grant. The following year, President

John F. Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), often referred to by his initials JFK and the nickname Jack, was an American politician who served as the 35th president of the United States from 1961 until his assassination i ...

invited her to serve on his advisory committee to the National Cultural Center (now the

Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (formally known as the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, and commonly referred to as the Kennedy Center) is the United States National Cultural Center, located on the Potom ...

), and Secretary of State Dean Rusk appointed her to the U.S. Commission on International Education and Cultural Affairs, the only woman to so serve. In addition, Vance was one of only seven American directors to attend contemporary

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theatre in

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, while touring the

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at the invitation of the

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and the

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. She received numerous other awards, including the Matrix Award of Theta Phi, the Outstanding Alumni Award of

Texas Southern University Texas Southern University (Texas Southern or TSU) is a public historically black university in Houston, Texas. The university is one of the largest and most comprehensive historically black college or universities in the USA with nearly 10,000 ...

and the Houston

Y.W.C.A. The Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA) is a nonprofit organization with a focus on empowerment, leadership, and rights of women, young women, and girls in more than 100 countries. The World office is currently based in Geneva, Swi ...

Woman of the Year Award. After Vance died in 1980, the Alley was officially renamed "The Nina Vance Alley Theatre" in her honor.

References

External links

The Alley Theatre
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vance, Nina Eloise Whittington People from Houston 1914 births 1980 deaths History of Houston Texas Christian University alumni Northside High School (Houston) alumni