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American Theatre Wing announces recipients of National Theater Company Grants

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, PLEASE

AMERICAN THEATRE WING ANNOUNCES RECIPIENTS OF
NATIONAL THEATER COMPANY GRANTS

THEATRES TO BE HONORED AT
LUNCHEON IN NEW YORK CITY ON OCTOBER 24, 2011

New York, NY (October 3, 2011) – The American Theatre Wing has announced the recipients of its 2011 National Theatre Company Grants. This year’s recipients are: Buntport Theater Company (Denver, CO), FUSION (Albuquerque, NM), Mo’olelo Performing Arts Company (San Diego, CA), Pig Iron Theatre Company (Philadephia, PA), Rude Mechanicals (Austin, TX), Synchronicity Theatre (Atlanta, GA), TheatreSquared (Fayetteville, AR), TimeLine Theatre (Chicago, IL), Transport Group (New York, NY), Watts Village Theater Company (Los Angeles, CA). The companies will be celebrated at a private luncheon on October 24th, 2011 in Manhattan.

Grants for the 2011 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.

“For the second year in a row, our national grants committee was astounded by the breadth and depth of the work being done by non-profit theatre companies around this country. Vetting close to seventy companies, we were amazed that, just like last season, the final ten $10,000 awardees covered the entire span of the United States. From Philly and New York to Fayetteville, Albuquerque and Watts, CA., theatres were selected for their uniqueness, courage, creativity and inspiring programs developing new works, outreach and education,” said Lucie Arnaz, Chair of the grants committee. “It's thrilling to me to prove, once again, that great theatre isn't just on Broadway between 40th and 50th streets, but that Broadway is a road that is 3,000 miles long.”

“This is one more indication of the exciting energy that we are all feeling at the Wing,” said Theodore S. Chapin. “I congratulate this year’s 10 recipients and Lucie for her leadership of the grants committee.”

“The National Theatre Company Grants Program allows the Wing to shine a light on companies doing innovative and artistically excellent work in cities and towns of all kinds all across the country,” Heather Hitchens added. “We at the Wing are very proud to provide crucial support to these companies in recognition of their outstanding work to advance the art form of theatre.”

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 some $3 million dollars over the past 54 years. For more information on the ATW’s National Theatre Company Grants, visit: americantheatrewing.org/grants/. The application period for 2012 grants will open in the spring of next year.

The American Theatre Wing (Theodore S. Chapin, Chairman of the Board of Trustees; Heather Hitchens, Executive Director) is best known as the creator of the Antoinette Perry “Tony” Awards®, which it presents annually with The Broadway League. In addition to the media programs “Downstage Center,” “In The Wings,” “Working in the Theatre,” and a host of other online resources, The Wing sponsors many activities, all dedicated to recognizing excellence and supporting education in theatre. These programs include the Theatre Intern Group, a career development program for young professionals; SpringboardNYC, a two-week college-to-career boot camp for young performers moving to NYC; and the Jonathan Larson® Grants, given annually to honor emerging composers, lyricists and book writers. Visitors to americantheatrewing.org can listen to, watch or download from ATW’s extensive media collection, and learn more about all of its programming for students, aspiring and working professionals, and audiences who want to learn more about the making of theatre.

For more information about all of the American Theatre Wing programs, go to americantheatrewing.org. ATW can be followed on Facebook.com/TheAmericanTheatreWing and Twitter.com/TheWing and additional, unique video can be found at YouTube.com/AmericanTheatreWing .

Bios

Buntport Theater Company is a vibrant ensemble of six people located in Denver, Colorado. Intent on creating innovative and affordable entertainment, the company writes and produces each production. Each piece grows from a collaborative process, relying on the combined skills of the whole ensemble. Known for unusual adaptations and quirky original comedies, Buntport seasons are packed, debuting several new full-length productions in addition to a variety of less traditional programming. Buntport describes its work as “on the fringe of traditional theater while remaining super accessible.”

FUSION incites, celebrates, and inspires community through the art of story telling. It is dedicated to professional excellence, the awakening of a new audience, and the inspiration of children. FUSION produces new plays and fresh stagings of classic plays that speak to modern audiences of unique and diverse demographics. Currently, FUSION is the only professional producing theatre company in the state of New Mexico.

Mo`olelo Performing Arts Company is a community-focused, socially-conscious, Equity theater company. Its missions are to create new theatrical works based on research within various communities, produce lesser-known works by master and contemporary playwrights, and educate youth in all areas of theater. Mo`olelo is the Hawaiian word for story and reflects the vision to tell powerful stories that are as diverse as the islands of Hawaii.

Founded as an interdisciplinary ensemble, Pig Iron Theatre Company is dedicated to the creation of new and exuberant performance works that defy easy categorization. Pig Iron calls itself a “dance-clown-theatre ensemble.” Individual pieces have been called “soundscape and spectacle,” cabaret-ballet,” and “avant-garde shadow puppet dessert-theatre.” Constantly devising new work and touring, the company has a hard time sitting still.

Rude Mechanicals is an ensemble-based company located in Austin, Texas committed to the collaborative creation of brave new works for the stage, the development of new voices in the theatre, and to forming alliances with other artists locally, nationally, and internationally. Rude Mechs has created a mercurial slate of original theatrical productions that represents a genre-defying cocktail of big ideas, cheap laughs, and dizzying spectacle. What these works hold in common is the use of play to make performance, the use of theaters as meeting places for audiences and artists, and the use of humor as tool for intellectual investigation.

Synchronicity Theatre activates communities toward social change through powerful, transformative theatrical experiences. Synchronicity supports women artists, forges long-term and effective community partnerships, and develops new work. Synchronicity's work bridges the line between art and social action. Founded in 1997 by four women dedicated to collaboratively bringing challenging, meaningful theatre to Atlanta audiences, Synchronicity now produces a full five play season and presents community outreach and education programing.

TheatreSquared is Northwest Arkansas’s regional theatre, producing professional work that is challenging and heartfelt, intimate and entertaining. TheatreSquared believes that theatre—done well and with passion—can transform lives and communities. It envisions a theatre that thrives as an essential, cultural, educational and economic component of our community—of the Ozarks, of America, and of the world.

In the midst of its 14th season, TimeLine Theatre is a professional theatre located in Chicago with a rapidly growing audience and donor base from Chicago and its suburbs. TimeLine Theatre is dedicated to presenting stories inspired by history that connect with today’s social and political issues .The collaborative artistic team produces provocative theatre that engages, educates, entertains and enlightens. TimeLine’s artistic goals start and grow from the stage – where live performance intimately connects people and illuminates ideas and issues.

Transport Group is an off-Broadway theatre company in New York City that stages new works and reimagines revivals by American writers with visually progressive productions of emotionally classic stories to explore the challenges of relationships and identity today. The company aims to transport audiences, and since its founding in 2001, has staged seven plays and eight musicals, including seven world premieres and eight revivals.

Watts Village Theater Company (WVTC) is a multicultural urban company that seeks to inspire its community with an appreciation of all cultures through new works about contemporary social issues. Also, since 1996, WVTC has been a leader in providing acting and theatrical performance workshops for at-risk youth in Watts and South Los Angeles.

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