HOUSTON: The Alley Theatre announced yesterday that longtime artistic director Gregory Boyd will retire, effective Jan. 11. Boyd has led the theatre since 1989. James Black, an acting company member of the Alley, will serve as interim artistic director.

“Leading this extraordinary theatre company in this wonderful city for over a quarter century has been an artistic dream fulfilled,” said Boyd in a statement. “With the marvelous efforts of the artists, staff, and board, we created a state of the art theatremaking complex with performance, production, and administration all in a brilliant, expansive space that welcomes theatregoers in a unique and exciting way. The Alley’s achievements have been a great source of satisfaction for me and I look forward to new achievements to come in the next era.”

In 2016, Boyd signed a five-year contract with the Alley, good through 2020-21. But the Alley’s press release yesterday said that Boyd, who is 66, planned to retire in the fall of 2017, postponing that move in the wake of Hurricane Harvey, which caused more than $10 million worth of damage to the theatre.

Under Boyd’s leadership, the Alley won a special Tony Award in 1996. Its productions have toured to 40 cities across America, and landed on Broadway. Boyd has directed more than 40 productions at the Alley. Black, who will serve as interim artistic director, has been an Alley acting company member since 1987, and has been involved in more than 100 productions.