AMERICAN THEATRE WING ANNOUNCES RECIPIENTS OF 2018 NATIONAL THEATRE COMPANY GRANTS
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AMERICAN THEATRE WING
ANNOUNCES RECIPIENTS OF
2018 NATIONAL THEATRE COMPANY GRANTS
New York, NY (October 22, 2018) – The American Theatre Wing (Heather Hitchens, President & CEO) has announced the recipients of its 2018 National Theatre Company Grants. This year’s four Initial Support recipients are: Cardinal Stage (Bloomington, IN), Flint Repertory Theatre (Flint, MI), Local Theater Company (Boulder, CO), and The Wilbury Theatre Group (Providence, RI). The Second-Time Support grant recipients are the following six companies: Boise Contemporary Theater (Boise, ID), Boston Court Pasadena (Pasadena, CA), New Jersey Repertory Company (Long Branch, NJ), North Carolina Stage Company (Asheville, NC), Red Bull Theater (New York, NY), and Silk Road Rising (Chicago, IL). The prestigious grants totaling $100,000 will be presented on Monday, November 12th at a private event.
Initial Support grants for the 2018 cycle in the amount of $10,000 each will be distributed for general operating support to these companies which, according to grant guidelines, have been in operation at least five, but not more than fifteen years, have articulated a distinctive mission, cultivated an audience, and nurtured a community of artists in ways that strengthen and demonstrate the quality, diversity, and dynamism of American theatre.
This year marked the third cycle of the Second-Time Support grants. These grants for the 2018 cycle in the amount of $10,000 each will be distributed for general operating support to companies who have already received the National Theatre Company Grant in grant cycles occurring between 2010 and 2017. It is the American Theatre Wing’s hope to provide additional support for companies who plan to advance their work in a significant way and have a strategic goal to build the organization’s capacity to continue to innovate and create a more dynamic American Theatre and have described an actionable plan to achieve that goal.
“The quality of work these ten companies have exhibited is deeply inspiring. From Asheville to Pasadena, and everywhere in-between, they have demonstrated that arts matter in local communities, expanding the dialogue between our neighbors and connecting us to one another,” said Marva Smalls, Chair of the National Theatre Company Grants committee.
“The American Theatre Wing is so proud to be supporting these ten exceptional theatre companies. They are creating outstanding theatrical work in diverse communities large and small all across the country. Through this work they continue the theatre’s long tradition of creating dialogue, provoking thought, educating, and bringing people together. We need this now more than ever before,” said Heather Hitchens, President of the American Theatre Wing.
The American Theatre Wing has long shown its dedication to not-for-profit theatres through its Theatre Company Grants Program. After many years during which eligibility was restricted to New York City companies, 2010 marked a significant change in the granting of The Wing, resulting from extensive review by the organization’s Board of Trustees. The ATW Grants have distributed over $3 million dollars over the past 60 years. For more information on the ATW’s National Theatre Company Grants, visit: http://americantheatrewing.org/program/national-theatre-co-grants/. The application period for 2019 grants will open in the summer of next year.
ABOUT THE AMERICAN THEATRE WING
One hundred years ago, on the eve of America’s entry into World War I, seven suffragettes—all women of the theatre—came together to form The Stage Women’s War Relief. A century later, the spirit and vision behind the founding of American Theatre Wing remains a touchstone for all we do. The Wing continues to champion bravery, with a focus on developing the next generation of brave artists. We envision an American Theatre that is as vital, multi-faceted, and diverse as the American people.
The Wing’s programs span the nation to invest in the growth and evolution of American Theatre. We provide theatre education opportunities for underserved students through the Andrew Lloyd Webber Initiative, develop the next generation of theatre professionals through the SpringboardNYC, Theatre Intern Network, and SwingSeats programs, incubate innovative theatre across the country through the National Theatre Company Grants, support emerging musical theatre songwriters through the Musical Theatre Songwriting Challenge (co-presented with the NEA) and the Jonathan Larson® Grants, and illuminate the creative process through the Emmy-nominated “Working in the Theatre” documentary series. In addition to founding the Tony Awards®, which are co-presented with The Broadway League, the American Theatre Wing co-presents the Obie Awards®, Off Broadway’s Highest Honor, with The Village Voice.
Visitors to AmericanTheatreWing.org can gain inspiration and insight into the artistic process through the Wing’s extensive media collection, and learn more about its programming for students, aspiring and working professionals, and audiences. Follow the Wing on Twitter and Instagram @TheWing, and on Facebook.com/TheAmericanTheatreWing.
COMPANY MISSION STATEMENTS
Boise Contemporary Theater (Boise, ID) inspires their community to examine their perspectives and better understand themselves, each other, and the world around them by creating thought-provoking stories of the human experience. The company’s vision is to be the place people choose for transformational experiences, and be recognized as an irreplaceable driver of the arts and culture in Boise and beyond. In all aspects of what they do, from the rehearsal room to the audience experience, from committee meetings to our relationships with the City of Boise and the American Theater as a whole, Boise Contemporary Theater values Collaboration, Respect, Challenge, Gratitude, and Celebration.
Boston Court Pasadena (Pasadena, CA) is dedicated to creating and presenting works that are innovative, diverse, vital, and adventurous in an intimate setting. They produce plays that challenge both artist and audience, urging their artists to fearlessly and passionately pursue their unique voice and vision. Play selection encompasses a wide variety of genres with an emphasis on new works which are inherently theatrical, textually rich, and visually arresting. Each year, Boston Court Pasadena produces a season of more than 100 exciting performances in theatre and music, including an Emerging Artists Series and a New Play Reading Festival. They also showcase rotating visual art exhibits that complement the themes of their programming.
Cardinal Stage (Bloomington, IN) advances professional theatre in South-Central Indiana. They aim to cultivate a lifelong passion for the stage by offering diverse, high-quality productions in tandem with outreach and educational initiatives that contribute to the cultural and economic vibrancy of Bloomington and the surrounding region. They are recognized throughout the region for excellence in programming and community outreach from their state of the art performance facility, and in ten years, Cardinal Stage has grown into the largest arts organization in Bloomington. With a fully professional staff and an emerging national profile, they are a key contributor to the quality of life in South-Central Indiana.
Flint Repertory Theatre(Flint, MI) promises to empower, educate and enrich the city of Flint and surrounding communities with professional, highly imaginative, thought provoking theatre that is challenging, entertaining, and inspiring. For over 60 years, they served young people and their families as Flint Youth Theatre, and are extremely proud of the work they have done. The company has now expanded to serve all ages – the entire population of Flint, Genesee County and the surrounding areas – as Flint Repertory Theatre. Along with a professional season of diverse works, Flint Repertory Theatre continues to provide year-round education classes, camps and workshops for every grade level.
Local Theater Company (Boulder, CO) is a non-profit theater company specializing in original works of exceptional quality. They engage Colorado audiences through innovative performances that spark camaraderie, learning, and contemplation, and provide a resourceful environment for theater artists to take creative risks, and develop new work. The company’s programs are designed for audiences to explore culturally relevant stories, be stimulated and inspired to action, all while strengthening their creative community. They believe theater is a local experience. When you elect to enter an audience, you create a new community where, for that brief span of time, everyone is a local.
New Jersey Repertory Company (Long Branch, NJ) has a multifaceted mission which includes developing and producing new plays to make a lasting contribution to the American stage, enriching the cultural life of their community and acting as a catalyst for redevelopment, educating and inspiring young people in theater arts and playwriting, nurturing the work of writers from diverse backgrounds and building diverse audiences, and building a regional and national destination for the performing arts. New Jersey Repertory Company is committed to nurturing the work of not only established writers but new and unknown playwrights and has maintained an open-submission policy, receiving over 750 scripts each year from throughout the U.S. and around the world.
North Carolina Stage Company (Asheville, NC) is dedicated to creating theatre that is as consequential as it is entertaining and connecting people to plays that illuminate the shared human experience. They aim to create a community where every person experiences consequential, entertaining and exceptional theatre. North Carolina Stage Company’s dedication to artistic excellence and exploration includes their Education programming and Community Engagement, and they are proud to be the originators of the Catalyst Series, a program that financially supports other local arts organizations that do not yet have their own production space.
Red Bull Theater (New York, NY) brings rarely seen classic plays to dynamic new life for contemporary audiences. Their work unites a respect for tradition with a modern sensibility. Red Bull Theater is named for the rowdy Jacobean playhouse that illegally performed plays in England during the 12 years of Puritan rule, and was the first London theater to reopen after the Restoration. This bold spirit is central to their identity. With the Jacobean plays of Shakespeare and his contemporaries as their cornerstone, Red Bull Theater is New York City’s destination for dynamic performances of great plays that stand the test of time. The company also produces new works that are in conversation with the classics.
Silk Road Rising (Chicago, IL) is an art-making and art service organization that works to deepen understanding and shape conversation of Arab, Middle Eastern, Muslim, and South Asian cultures within the broader American community. Through storytelling and discourse, they challenge disinformation and promote a culture of continuous learning. Silk Road Rising’s theatrical productions, video plays, in-school arts education, and community engagement programs all share one goal: building multi-dimensional narratives that let us see our common humanity instead of the stereotypes and misperceptions that pull us apart.
The Wilbury Theatre Group (Providence, RI) makes the world a more compassionate place by challenging, provoking, and engaging their community in conversation through new works, reimagined classics and adventurous playmaking. They believe that theatre is an art form that should be accessible and representative of all peoples, and through their Main Series productions, New Work development programs, Education opportunities, and as producers of the Providence Fringe Festival FRINGEPVD, they create opportunities for civic discussion led by the most underrepresented members of their community. The Wilbury Theatre Group is idealistic, ambitious, and stubborn in their resolve that theatre can be a positive source for social good in the world.
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