NAMT Receives $25,000 Grant from Doris Duke Charitable Foundation

The National Alliance for Musical Theatre (NAMT) announced that the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation has granted $25,000 to support NAMT's next strategic plan. In addition to the Doris Duke grant, NAMT also received funding from Kenneth and Marleen Alhadeff Charitable Foundation ($10,000) and Stacey Mindich Productions ($5,000). The National Alliance for Musical Theatre, whose mission is to help producers and writers in the creation, development, and production of new musicals, will build on the success of the last plan, which resulted in the launch of the National Fund for New Musicals in 2009. The Fund has already awarded 17 grants to not-for-profit theatres across the country.

NAMT Executive Director Kathy Evans said, "We are incredibly honored to receive a grant for the first time from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation. Their generosity is instrumental in providing our Board and membership the unique opportunity to assess our organization, as we celebrate the 25th anniversary of the founding of NAMT. We plan to discover and implement concrete ways that we can build on the success of our Festival of New Musicals, National Fund for New Musicals, and other programs that support producers and writers."

Ben Cameron, the Program Director for the Arts of Doris Duke Charitable Foundation said, "Every study of the performing arts underscores the importance of musical theatre to audiences across the nation. Now, with the challenges to the arts posed by the economy, technology and changing audiences, organizations need to consider the future and engage in planning. We are delighted to support the National Alliance for Musical Theatre in its planning efforts and hope that the end result proves of benefit not only to NAMT itself but to the larger musical theatre field as well." The mission of the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation is to improve the quality of people's lives through grants supporting the performing arts, environmental conservation, medical research and the prevention of child abuse, and through preservation of the cultural and environmental legacy of Doris Duke's properties.

NAMT is also very grateful to the following organizations who provide major support:

Ann Palmer Foundation, ASCAP Foundation Irving Caesar Fund, BMI Foundation, Dubose and Dorothy Heyward Memorial Fund, The Dramatists Guild Fund, National Endowment for the Arts, New York State Council on the Arts, The Rodgers and Hammerstein Foundation, and The Shubert Foundation.

NATIONAL ALLIANCE FOR MUSICAL THEATRE (NAMT)

Founded in 1985, the National Alliance for Musical Theatre (NAMT) is a national service organization dedicated exclusively to musical theatre. NAMT's mission is to nurture the creation, development, and production of new musicals and to provide a forum for musical theatre professionals to share resources. Our 150+ members, located throughout 35 states and abroad, are some of the leading producers of musical theatre in the world and include theatres, developmental organizations, higher education groups, presenting companies, and independent producers. Last season, NAMT members cumulatively staged over 15,000 performances attended by 11 million people. NAMT has presented its annual FESTIVAL OF NEW MUSICALS since 1989. The Festival makes "a major impact on the world of musical theatre," according to American Theater Magazine, bringing together leading theatre producers and musical theatre writers. NAMT's other programs include conferences, new works summits, and a granting initiative, the National Fund for New Musicals, which supports the development and production of new musicals. For more information, visit www.namt.org.