Nina Vance
Encyclopedia
Nina Eloise Whittington Vance (1914–1980) was the founder
and first artistic director
of the Alley Theatre
in Houston
, Texas
, United States
. She received awards and recognition, both nationally and internationally, for her work and contribution to the theater community.
. She was a direct descendant of Green DeWitt and Benjamin Beeson.
She attended Texas Christian University
, receiving her B.A.
in 1935, and pursuing post-graduate studies at Columbia University
, the American Academy of Dramatic Arts
and postgraduate work in theater at the American Academy of Dramatic Art, Columbia University, and the University of Southern California
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 66.
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
.
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, 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.
In the 1947, Vance and some friends decided to start a theatre group. She mailed out over 200 postcard
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 and Smith in downtown Houston
. The Alley is now one of the nation's leading regional repertory theatres and one of the oldest resident theatres in the United States
.
invited her to serve on his advisory committee to the National Cultural Center (now the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts), 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 Soviet theatre in Moscow
, while touring the Soviet Union
at the invitation of the Soviet Ministry of Culture and the U.S. Department of State. She received numerous other awards, including the Matrix Award of Theta Phi, the Outstanding Alumni Award of Texas Southern University
and the Houston Y.W.C.A.
Woman of the Year Award.
After Vance died in 1980, the Alley was officially renamed "The Nina Vance Alley Theatre" in her honor.
Entrepreneur
An entrepreneur is an owner or manager of a business enterprise who makes money through risk and initiative.The term was originally a loanword from French and was first defined by the Irish-French economist Richard Cantillon. Entrepreneur in English is a term applied to a person who is willing to...
and first artistic director
Artistic director
An artistic director is the executive of an arts organization, particularly in a theatre company, that handles the organization's artistic direction. He or she is generally a producer and director, but not in the sense of a mogul, since the organization is generally a non-profit organization...
of the Alley Theatre
Alley Theatre
The Alley Theatre is a Tony Award-winning indoor theatre in Downtown Houston, Texas, and hosts two stages. The "Hubbard" is the main stage with seating for 824; the more intimate "Neuhaus" seats 310. Nine towers and open-air terraces give the Alley Theatre a castle-like quality. Inside, a staircase...
in Houston
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. 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, TexasYoakum, Texas
Yoakum is a city in DeWitt and Lavaca Counties in the U.S. state of Texas. The population was 5,731 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Yoakum is located at ....
. She was a direct descendant of Green DeWitt and Benjamin Beeson.
She attended Texas Christian University
Texas Christian University
Texas Christian University is a private, coeducational university located in Fort Worth, Texas, United States and founded in 1873. TCU is affiliated with, but not governed by, the Disciples of Christ...
, receiving her B.A.
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
in 1935, and pursuing post-graduate studies at Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
, the American Academy of Dramatic Arts
American Academy of Dramatic Arts
The American Academy of Dramatic Arts is a fully accredited two-year conservatory with facilities located in Manhattan, New York City – at 120 Madison Avenue, in a landmark building designed by noted architect Stanford White as the original Colony Club – and in Hollywood, California...
and postgraduate work in theater at the American Academy of Dramatic Art, Columbia University, and the University of Southern California
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
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 66.
Early career
Vance began her career by teaching drama and speech at Jefferson Davis High SchoolDavis High School (Houston)
Jefferson Davis High School is a secondary school located at 1101 Quitman in the Near Northside neighborhood of Northside, Houston, Texas with a ZIP code of 77009. It was named after Jefferson Davis, the only president of the Confederate States of America....
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
Margo Jones was an influential American stage director and producer best known for launching the American regional theater movement and for introducing the theater-in-the-round concept in Dallas, Texas. In 1947, she established the first regional professional company when she opened Theatre ’47 in...
.
After Jones left Houston, Vance was asked to teach acting classes for the Jewish Community Center
Jewish Community Center
A Jewish Community Center or Jewish Community Centre is a general recreational, social and fraternal organization serving the Jewish community in a number of cities...
, but instead she offered her services as a director of plays. Although she was raised Presbyterian, 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
Postcard
A postcard or post card is a rectangular piece of thick paper or thin cardboard intended for writing and mailing without an envelope....
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 and Smith in downtown Houston
Downtown Houston
Downtown Houston is the largest business district of Houston, Texas, United States. Downtown Houston, the city's central business district, contains the headquarters of many prominent companies. There is an extensive network of pedestrian tunnels and skywalks connecting the buildings of the district...
. The Alley is now one of the nation's leading regional repertory theatres and one of the oldest resident theatres in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Awards and honors
In 1959, The Ford Foundation awarded Vance her first director's grant. The following year, President John F. KennedyJohn F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
invited her to serve on his advisory committee to the National Cultural Center (now the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts), and Secretary of State
United States Secretary of State
The United States Secretary of State is the head of the United States Department of State, concerned with foreign affairs. The Secretary is a member of the Cabinet and the highest-ranking cabinet secretary both in line of succession and order of precedence...
Dean Rusk
Dean Rusk
David Dean Rusk was the United States Secretary of State from 1961 to 1969 under presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson. Rusk is the second-longest serving U.S...
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 Soviet theatre in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
, while touring the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
at the invitation of the Soviet Ministry of Culture and the U.S. Department of State. 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 University is a historically black university located in Houston, Texas, United States....
and the Houston Y.W.C.A.
YWCA
The YWCA USA is the United States branch of a women's membership movement that strives to create opportunities for women's growth, leadership and power in order to attain a common vision—to eliminate racism and empower women. The YWCA is a non-profit organization, the first of which was founded in...
Woman of the Year Award.
After Vance died in 1980, the Alley was officially renamed "The Nina Vance Alley Theatre" in her honor.