Q&A with SPA Visionaries Christina & Troy Porter

BY JORDAN DRUM

Q: How did you first get involved with SPA?

A: As an adult, my involvement with Society for the Performing Arts started with romancing Christina, my wife. We met March 15, 2007, at a progressive dinner with an organization called Eight Friends Out. After we got married, I was looking for ways to continue dating my wife, so I bought tickets to see Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in March 2009. I was still trying to impress her. As our commitment to each other grew so did our commitment to SPA in many ways. SPA had become such a positive force in our lives that we started volunteering with the Education and Community Engagement Committee and even helping during Theater District day. We eventually decided to become Visionary members in 2012.

Q: Why do you believe it’s important to support the arts?

A: It’s important to support the arts because the arts give individuals an opportunity to experience their world in a new way or to see the world from someone else’s perspective. The arts push one’s horizon beyond the mundane or the routine to consider that something more is possible. I, Troy, served for six years as chair for the Urban Enrichment Institute (formerly known as the Fifth Ward Enrichment Program), and I used this opportunity to expose a group of young boys of color to SPA with the intention of showing that these areas of society can be open to them as well. The arts also can create a meditative feeling or calmness within an individual. A perfect example are the fourteen abstract paintings hanging at the Rothko Chapel. I, Troy, serve as the current Rothko Chapel chair elect and I constantly urge people to visit this sacred art space to disconnect and to find their breath. In such a busy world, we are all more receptive to the universe’s message when we can stop and be still for five minutes. Art can be the vehicle to take us there.

Christina and I are fortunate enough through education and professional opportunities to enjoy the arts in such an intimate way. As the Global Estimating Manager of Capital Projects for Chevron Phillips Chemical Company and Christina as a speech therapist and owner of Porter Therapy, we want to do our part to give back and support the total art economy - meaning the valets, the restaurants, hotels, and the nonprofit operations. Most importantly, to support the artists to help ensure they will be here tomorrow. These artists show so much courage; many times, putting their art and their messages above profits and security in ways we could never imagine. Many times, the arts have the ability to bring all parts of society together. Whether we like it or not, many common spaces outside of work can seem rather segregated. Work, for some, is one of the few places where people are interacting with someone different than themselves. We’ve made such great friends with other couples and individuals that I can’t say we would’ve met otherwise.

Q: Why do you support SPA in particular?

A: This answer can be summed up with two words: Diversity and People. We support SPA specifically because it is the only performing arts organization that offers such diverse programs: contemporary dance, magic shows, comedy, puppet theatre, and author interviews. We truly enjoy this intentional mix of live performances within each season and from the past or upcoming seasons. We support SPA specifically because of the diversity of artists that are showcased each season: Alvin Ailey, tango dancing, Taiwanese dance theatre, Algerian hip-hop dance, and contemporary ballet. I was asked to serve on the Strategic Planning Committee in the 19/20 Season and this was my first chance to learn the process in which acts are chosen. SPA has done a great job of providing a balance of acts that I believe appeal to many people who make up the most diverse city in the nation: Houston.

During that conversation, Meg asked if SPA has exhausted all possible ways to find artists. This type of reflection created the 21/22 Season local commissioned pieces. When we look at the art pieces commissioned for the 21/22 season, we applaud the courage Meg has shown to spotlight not only artists from Houston but also artists whose messages will stir conversation, even create uncomfortable feelings, but ultimately an eye-opening experience for the viewer, which is good. Believe me, Christina and I drove home reflecting on the messages from the performances. I, Troy—being from a community that has been fighting for equal exposure of different perspectives— must say “thank you” to Meg and the SPA staff for being so courageous. This was not easy in this environment. Last, we support SPA in particular because of the people who make it all happen. We see on average six to eight shows each season, so we spend many hours together with the SPA staff. Our friendship with each of the staff members has deepened over the years such that we feel like we are a part of the SPA family. If you are looking for a way to get involved in our community, in a program that not only supports the arts but also promotes community involvement and education around diversity and equality then I say look at SPA. Whether it involves going to a show, getting involved in one of their activities, or simply making a donation; I would like for you to consider SPA.

Q: Do you have an artistic background?

A: Christina smiled when she saw this question because I do. I consider myself to be quite the storyteller. That comes out when entertaining friends with stories about our vacations and when, in the early 2000s, I was a full-time professional magician. Part of being a magician is telling a story using magic as the plot or sub-plot. My parents thought I was nuts, but that’s okay. When I think of SPA, my artistic talents are another example of life coming full circle. I didn’t want to grow to be an old man and regret never trying. Back in the late '70s, Doug Henning, the famous magician, performed at Jones Hall through SPA. I can’t say that I was conscious of being a magician as a teenager, but I have to believe that exposure helped me perceive my world in a much broader perspective, which in many ways comes back to our earlier discussion about the importance of the arts in our lives.

Q: What’s one of your favorite SPA performances?

A: Obviously, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. The dance, the presentation, and the story are why we never miss them when they come to Houston. We were both blown away with Manual Cinema. They took puppet theatre to another level; beyond anything we had ever seen. Manual Cinema was like a glass of wine someone introduced you to while on vacation and you’ve not been able to find the wine back at home. Manual Cinema is special, one-of-kind, and unforgettable. We hope they can come back to Houston soon. We have to add Jeff Goldblum to this list of favorites. Unexpectedly, I had recently read a story about him and his jazz band playing every Thursday night at a club that very month. He was so much fun. A guy even proposed to his girlfriend and Jeff helped with the ask. The guy was so nervous and the audience, along with Jeff, was encouraging him to just ask. That was so much fun. During the cast party here, Jeff sang to Christina while we took pictures with him.

Q: What are you most looking forward to this season?

A: We are looking forward to Alvin Ailey and Neil Gaiman. Ailey because we have a shared history, and they get our bodies and minds moving. We believe Neil Gaiman will be as engaging as Margaret Atwood’s interview from the 18/19 Season. Listening and learning from great authors like Gaiman and Atwood makes me a better storyteller.

2019 Gala. Photo by Wilson Parish