Lawrence Wright's CLEO Premiere Moved to Spring as Alley Theatre Recovers Post-Harvey

The Alley Theatre is moving forward with the 2017-2018 season and announces new spring dates for Cleo by Lawrence Wright, Satchmo at the Waldorf, Steve Martin's Picasso at the Lapin Agile, Holmes and Watson, and The Cake.

"Hurricane Harvey's impact is continuing to affect the Alley, but we are very glad that we have been able to re-schedule the premiere of Cleo later in the Spring, and especially excited to go forward with the original dates for the premiere of Describe the Night at the Quintero Theatre at UH, beginning September 15," said Gregory Boyd, Alley Theatre's Artistic Director. "Alley staff has worked miracles in revising our Spring calendar, in order not to lose any productions in our subscription season. And we know too how supportive all our patrons and audiences have been during challenging times - that gives us great energy going forward."

Flooding from Hurricane Harvey damaged the Theatre's electrical systems. These provide power to both stages, and are currently offline. The Alley's production center is also without power, and designers, artisans, and staff have not been able to complete the production work on Cleo which would have allowed us to keep the original October 2017 opening date. Cleo will shift to the Spring, beginning April 6, 2018 and running through April 29 in the Hubbard Theatre at the Alley.

Additionally, due to the flood damage in the Neuhaus Theatre and the time required to renovate this space, The Santaland Diaries, normally performed in the Neuhaus, will not be produced this season. The first production in the Neuhaus will be Lover, Beloved: An Evening with Carson McCullers in February 2018.

In order to accommodate the new dates for Cleo, Satchmo at the Waldorf, Picasso at the Lapin Agile, Holmes and Watson, and The Cake will shift their performance dates.

As previously noted, Rajiv Joseph's Describe the Night has moved to the University of Houston's Quintero Theatre and will begin performances September 15.

New dates and production information for the season will be posted online at alleytheatre.org.

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Check out an updated 2017-2018 Alley season schedule below:

World Premiere
Describe the Night
By Rajiv Joseph
Quintero Theatre at University of Houston
Previews Begin: September 15, 2017
Opening: September 20, 2017
Press Opening: September 28, 2017
Close: October 15, 2017

A Christmas Carol - A Ghost Story of Christmas
By Charles Dickens
Hubbard Theatre at the Alley Theatre
Previews Begin: November 17, 2017
Open: November 19, 2017
Close: December 30, 2017

The Great Society
By Robert Schenkkan
Hubbard Theatre at the Alley Theatre
Previews Begin: January 26, 2018
Open: January 31, 2018
Close: February 18, 2018

World Premiere
Lover, Beloved: An Evening with Carson McCullers
Based on the works of Carson McCullers
Written and Performed by Suzanne Vega
Songs by Duncan Sheik and Suzanne Vega
Neuhaus Theatre at the Alley Theatre
Previews Begin: February 9, 2018
Open: February 14, 2018
Press Opening February 21, 2018
Close: March 11, 2018

Satchmo at the Waldorf
By Terry Teachout
Hubbard Theatre at the Alley Theatre
Previews Begin: February 23
Open: February 28
Close: March 18
Hubbard Theatre

World Premiere
Cleo
By Lawrence Wright
Hubbard Theatre at the Alley Theatre
Previews Begin: April 6, 2018
Open: April 11, 2018
Press Opening: April 18, 2018
Close: April 29, 2018
Hubbard Theatre

Picasso at the Lapin Agile
By Steve Martin
Hubbard Theatre at the Alley Theatre
Previews Begin: May 11, 2018
Open: May 16, 2018
Close: June 3, 2018
Hubbard Theatre

The Cake
By Bekah Brunstetter
Neuhaus Theatre at the Alley Theatre
Previews Begin: June 1, 2018
Open: June 6, 2018
Close: July 1, 2018

Holmes and Watson
By Jeffrey Hatcher
Hubbard Theatre at the Alley Theatre
Previews Begin: June 22, 2018
Open: June 27, 2018
Close: July 22, 2018

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All subscribers and current ticket holders will be mailed new tickets for scheduled shows. Patrons with tickets to The Santaland Diaries will be contacted by a member of the Box Office staff to discuss options including donating the value of the tickets to the Alley Theatre Recovery Fund. For any questions, email boxoffice@alleytheatre.org.

The Theatre is grateful for the kind notes of concern from many people and organizations around the country. Many of the Alley Theatre's staff members have suffered personal loss and damages from the storm. The Theatre has set up a tax-deductible Employee Flood Assistance Fund to support these staff members who have dedicated their lives to bringing great theatre to Houston and the nation. Please visit www.alleytheatre.org for more information or text ALLEYSTAFF to 41444 to donate. To donate to the Alley Recovery Fund to help the Theatre recover and rebuild after devastating flooding text ALLEY to 41444. To view images of the Theatre's damage, click HERE.

The Alley Theatre, one of America's leading not-for-profit theatres, is a nationally recognized performing arts company led by Artistic Director Gregory Boyd and Managing Director Dean R. Gladden. Home to a Resident Company of actors, the Alley creates a wide-ranging repertoire and innovative productions of classics, neglected modern plays, and premieres. Alley All New, the initiative to commission and develop new work year-round, features the Alley All New Festival each season presenting workshops and readings of new plays and musicals in process. Additionally, the Alley serves 80,000 students annually with award-winning education and community programs including in-school arts integration residencies, school tours and student matinees. A recipient of the Special Tony Award for Outstanding Regional Theatre, the Alley has brought productions to Broadway, 40 American cities including New York's Lincoln Center and internationally to London, Berlin, Paris, and St. Petersburg throughout its 71-year history.