Eleven Theater Ensembles Receive National Theater Project Awards

Fifteenth round of grantmaking brings support to date over $19.5M

Breaking Wave Theatre Company's "Fu’una’s Lament:" (from left to right): Joyce Torres, Shannon Dean San Nicolas, Shannon Q. Iriarte, Hannah Elmore, Jayna Shoda Meyer | photo by Steph Balagot

(Boston, MA) The New England Foundation for the Arts (NEFA) announces the 11 recipients of the National Theater Project Creation and Touring awards, as well as the 13 recipients of Artist Development awards, totaling nearly $1.6 million in support to the field. This is the final round of these two grants in their current forms. 

“This cohort of artists and projects is breathtaking,” said Quita Sullivan, senior program director for theater at NEFA. “The selection of these ensembles continues NTP’s goals of supporting artists who represent all of America in the many gorgeous and not-so-gorgeous ways it exists. The storytelling ranges from Indian Boarding Schools to the legacy of Japanese internment camps, to the concerns of U.S. territories, to the limits of our bodies. The ensemble of NTP advisors, so integral to the success of the NTP process, went above and beyond to make this last round of Creation and Touring grants a spectacular representation of the work being created in communities across this country. I am so grateful for their work.”

The National Theater Project (NTP) promotes the development and touring of artist-led, ensemble, and devised theater works. In addition to essential funding, NTP galvanizes a national network of producing theaters, presenters, and ensembles. Since the first round of NTP grants in 2010, NEFA has infused more than $19.1 million into the field through the program. To date, 119 new theater works have been supported through Creation and Touring grants; touring of those works has reached 44 states and Washington, DC, the Atlantic and Pacific U.S. territories, and international U.S. military bases. NTP projects have toured in-person and virtually to large and small arts presenters, tribal communities, military bases, universities, nonprofit organizations, regional theaters, and festivals. 

“With the support of NTP’s funding partners, NEFA has created and nourished a devised and ensemble theater ecosystem. We celebrate these grantees and how they have collectively envisioned projects speaking to society’s deepest hopes and dreams for our shared humanity through creativity and compelling storytelling. We look forward to the next iteration of this work, building on the solid foundation and strong networks created by the program staff, advisors, and the grantees,” said NEFA’s executive director, Harold Steward. 

“NTP continues to serve a community of theater makers who are critical to our national performing arts ecosystem,” said Stephanie Ybarra, program officer for Arts and Culture at the Mellon Foundation.  “We’re proud to partner with NEFA in support of this brilliant constellation of artists.”

“The National Theater Project’s support for the creation and touring of new work continues to create conditions for theater artists to shape the future of their field,” said Ashley Ferro-Murray, program director for the arts at the Doris Duke Foundation. “This cohort demonstrates how that self-actualization positively impacts broad communities. We are thankful for NTP’s vision and leadership with this work.”

NTP’s 12 Advisors selected this year’s projects – all first-time recipients - from another record-setting 150 preliminary applications (a 12% increase over last year’s record of 134) and narrowed to 24 full proposals. The NTP model pairs each of the finalists with an Advisor to support the final application process. 

This year, Creation and Touring grant recipients are each awarded a total of $120,000, which includes a general operating support grant of $10,000. The eleven recipients and projects are:

Project descriptions, images, and more are included in each grantee’s listing in the NEFA grantee directory. Presenters interested in bringing these works to their community can find tour coordinator contact information for each project in their directory listing. 

In front of screens with projections of each of the actor's headshots, three performers stand. Two women and a man, who holds a microphone.
Crescent Moon Theater Production's "Hold On" | photo by Thatcher Hayward

NTP finalists who were not awarded the Creation and Touring grant will each receive an Artist Development Grant between $20,000 and $30,000, which is two to three times larger than prior years. In response to the wave of defunding, the NTP team decided to double the grant this year; NTP advisors requested a larger amount, up to three times on a sliding scale, which was embraced by the NTP team. The recipients of the amplified Artist Development award include:

NEFA’s National Theater Project is made possible with lead funding from the Mellon Foundation and with additional support from the Doris Duke Foundation. 

About NEFA

The New England Foundation for the Arts invests in artists and communities and fosters equitable access to the arts, enriching the cultural landscape in New England and the nation.  NEFA accomplishes this by granting funds to artists and cultural organizations; connecting them to each other and their audiences; and analyzing their economic contributions. NEFA serves as a regional partner for the National Endowment for the Arts, New England’s state arts agencies, and private foundations. Learn more at www.nefa.org.

CONTACT: Ann Wicks, 617-423-1390

 

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