The Doris Duke Charitable Foundation and Theatre Communications Group (TCG) have announced the eleventh round of recipients for the New Generations Program, a grant initiative originally designed by both organizations in collaboration with The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Five theatres and five individuals were awarded over $700,000 this round, with more than $13.5 million in grants awarded to over 220 theatres and individuals in eleven rounds of this program.
"TCG and the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation have enjoyed a long-standing partnership, providing resources to improve the sustainability of the national theater community" said Teresa Eyring, executive director of TCG. "The Future Leaders grants nurture exceptionally talented young leaders through mentorship, giving them the tools to be successful in the theater field. The Future Audiences grants help theaters explore new technologies as a means of engaging diverse audiences."
In Future Leaders, emerging leaders in all areas of theatre are mentored by accomplished theatre professionals at a host theatre. An award of $80,000 will be paid to the theatre in support of the 18-month mentorship with up to an additional $10,000 available to the mentee for student loan repayment, or to meet unique travel and legal expenses incurred if an international mentee is selected. In Future Audiences, theatres with a successful track record of reaching age-specific, culturally specific and/or underserved communities will receive a matching grant of up to $65,000 to support the development or expansion of technology focused initiatives aimed at cultivating a diverse audience. Up to 5,000 in additional funding will be available to help recipients transition out of the program.
"This has been a very successful partnership," said Ed Henry, president of the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation. "We are pleased to support the evolution of this program to nurture leadership talent and help tackle critical audience engagement challenges."
The five recipients in Round 11 of the Future Leaders objective are:
Cornerstone Theater Company's (Los Angeles, CA) artistic director Michael Garcés will mentor Ashley Walden while she serves as associate producer.
New York Theatre Workshop's (New York, NY) production manager Brian Garber and technical director Paul Bradley will mentor Jason Goedken, a former intern and freelance technician.
Roadside Theater's (Norton, VA) managing director Donna Porterfield will mentor Mark Kidd, a young professional.
San Diego Repertory Theatre (San Diego, CA) will mentor Herbert Siguenza, through residency, to prepare him to serve as an artistic leader or co-leader at a major regional theatre.
Underground Railway Theater's (Cambridge, MA) artistic director Debra Wise will mentor Megan Sandberg-Zakian. Ms. Sandberg-Zakian will work as associate artistic director and help create a Public Conversations Initiative during a time of transition for Underground Railway Theater.
The five recipients in Round 11 of the Future Audiences objective are:
The Foundry Theatre (New York, NY) will develop and utilize new media in an innovative program that deepens their community building with the low-income families of NYC's social justice sector.
New Paradise Laboratories (Philadelphia, PA) will construct a fully-realized, sustainable online performance platform that engages their audiences -- both live and online -- through audience-interactive performance, discussion, and artistic discovery.
The Theater Offensive (Boston, MA) will increase and diversify the use of technology and social media to engage LGBT audiences ages 14-29 from three target Boston neighborhoods.
Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company (Washington, DC) will technologically enhance their lobby in order to connect with, cultivate, and, ultimately, build the next generation of theatre audiences.
Youth Speaks (San Francisco, CA) will explore how to better utilize the online and mobile world as an artistic classroom and as a stage for theatre work and the spoken word.
New Generations Program applications were reviewed by an independent national selection panel comprised of Wendy C. Goldberg, artistic director national playwrights' conference, Eugene O'Neill Theater Center (Waterford, CT); Brian McCormick, assistant professor, The New School Media Studies Graduate Program (Brooklyn, NY); Randy Reyes, community liason and artistic associate, Mu Performing Arts (St. Paul, MN); Antonio Sonera, artistic associate, Miracle Theatre Group (Portland, OR); Adam Thurman, director of marketing, Court Theatre (Chicago, IL); Carlton Turner, co-artistic director, M.U.G.A.B.E.E. (Utica, MS); Shay Wafer, executive director, 651 Arts (Brooklyn, NY); Kim Whitener, producing director, HERE (New York, NY); Robert Wildman, director - performing arts management program, University of North Carolina School of the Arts (Winston-Salem, NC).
The New Generations Program is funded by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation and is administered by Theatre Communications Group.
Doris Duke Charitable Foundation's (www.ddcf.org) mission 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.
For 50 years, Theatre Communications Group (TCG), the national organization for the American theatre, has existed to strengthen, nurture and promote the professional not-for-profit American theatre. TCG's constituency has grown from a handful of groundbreaking theatres to nearly 700 member theatres and affiliate organizations and more than 13,000 individuals nationwide. TCG offers its members networking and knowledge-building opportunities through conferences, events, research and communications; awards grants, approximately $2 million per year, to theatre companies and individual artists; advocates on the federal level; and serves as the US Center of the International Theatre Institute, connecting its constituents to the global theatre community. TCG is North America's largest independent publisher of dramatic literature, with 11 Pulitzer Prizes for Best Play on the TCG booklist. It also publishes the award-winning AMERICAN THEATRE magazine and ARTSEARCH®, the essential source for a career in the arts. In all of its endeavors, TCG seeks to increase the organizational efficiency of its member theatres, cultivate and celebrate the artistic talent and achievements of the field and promote a larger public understanding of, and appreciation for, the theatre. For more information visit www.tcg.org.
