American Theatre Wing Announces 2010 National Theatre Company Grants

The American Theatre Wing has announced the 10 recipients of its 2010 National Theatre Company Grants, who are the first group of theatres receiving ATW support following its revision of its long-standing theatre company grants program. This year's recipients are: 1812 Productions (Philadelphia, PA), About Face Theatre (Chicago, IL), Boise Contemporary Theater (Boise, ID), Company One (Boston, MA), Curious Theatre Company (Denver, CO), The Flea Theater, Inc. (New York, NY), Profile Theatre (Portland, OR), Silk Road Theatre Project (Chicago, IL), Synetic Theater (Arlington, VA), and Triad Stage (Greensboro, NC). The companies will be celebrated at a private luncheon at the Intercontinental Hotel Times Square on Monday, October 25th.

Grants for the 2010 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.

Grants Committee Chair Lucie Arnaz commented, "In a bold departure from our past grants giving program, the Wing decided to use our limited resources to bring national attention and acknowledgment to what we feel are some of the most inspiring and innovative theatre companies on our national landscape. Fewer grants for more money on a wider scale. It's a very exciting concept."

"The Board of Trustees of The Wing embraced our new granting program as a clear declaration of the organization's commitment to theatre across the country, not just here in New York," added Theodore S. Chapin, Chairman of the Board of Trustees.

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, this year marks a significant change in the 53-year granting history 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 53 years. For more information on the ATW's National Theatre Company Grants, visit: americantheatrewing.org/grants/. The application period for 2011 grants will open in the spring of next year.
"These grants are an affirmation of the fine work of these growing companies," said Howard Sherman, Executive Director of the American Theatre Wing, "and, we hope, may have the added benefit of drawing more attention to them--from artists, from the press, and from other funders."

The American Theatre Wing (Theodore S. Chapin, Chairman of the Board of Trustees; Howard Sherman, 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 .

1812 Productions (Jennifer Childs, Artistic Director; Kate Tejada, Managing Director) is dedicated to entertaining, educating and exploring a variety of issues through the medium of comedy. It is committed to supporting and hiring local theatre professionals, and to making its productions accessible to the diverse general public with particular focus on the greater Philadelphia region. www.1812productions.org

About Face Theatre (Bonnie Metzgar, Artistic Director; Aurelia Fisher, Managing Director) was founded to create exceptional, innovative and adventurous plays to advance the national dialogue on gender and sexual identity and to challenge and entertain audiences in Chicago, across the nation, and around the world. About Face is committed to innovation, artistic excellence and community transformation, and sustains its core values through three programming arms: its award-winning main stage season; its ambitious new works program; and its nationally recognized education programs. www.aboutfacetheatre.com

Boise Contemporary Theater (Matthew Clark, Artistic Director; Helene Peterson, Managing Director) was founded in 1997, and creates, produces, and presents vibrant and dynamic professional theater that illuminates enduring themes while exploring contemporary issues and ideas. www.BCTheater.org

Company One (Shawn LaCount, Artistic Director; Sarah Shampnois, Managing Director), Theatre in Residence at the Boston Center for the Arts, redefines the typical theatrical experience by developing, producing, and promoting socially relevant plays and innovative educational programming that appeal to, represent and include Boston's diverse urban communities. Since its inception in 1999, Company One has been instrumental in bringing socially and politically relevant theatre to the Boston area. www.CompanyOne.org

Curious Theatre Company's (Chip Walton, Artistic Director; Sarah Benvenuti, Managing Director) mission is to engage the community in important contemporary issues through provocative modern theatre. As one of only two full-time professional theatres in Denver County, one of Curious' organizational goals is to develop a middle tier of professional theatre in Denver through the compensation of artists for their work, including local union and non-union actors. www.curioustheatre.org

The Flea Theater, Inc. (Jim Simpson, Artistic Director; Carol Ostrow, Managing Director) seeks to raise the standards of Off-Off-Broadway for artists and audiences alike, proving that the spontaneity and surprise of downtown performance need not come at the cost of consistent and high-quality programming. Since 1996, The Flea has committed itself to the creation of artistic opportunity and the establishment of safe and welcoming conditions on both sides of the footlights. This has allowed The Flea to premiere hundreds of new works, discover dozens of new voices, and garner important accolades and awards, www.theflea.org

Profile Theatre's (Jane Unger, Artistic Director; Matthew Jones, Managing Director) mission is to celebrate the playwright's contribution to live theatre. Each year, Profile produces a season of plays devoted to a single playwright, allowing the audience to explore, in-depth, the playwright's full range of vision, talent, and artistry. Profile is one of only two companies in the country to focus on a single playwright each year. www.profiletheatre.org

Silk Road Theatre Project (Jamil Khoury, Artistic Director; Malik Gillani, Managing Director) showcases playwrights of Asian, Middle Eastern, and Mediterranean backgrounds, whose works address themes relevant to the peoples of the Silk Road and their Diaspora communities. Through the mediums of theatre, video, education, and advocacy, they aim to deepen and expand representation in American culture. www.srtp.org

Synetic Theater, Inc. (Paata Tsikurishvili, Artistic Director; Salma Qarnain, Managing Director) is based in Arlington County and is the DC metro-area's premier physical theater company -- fusing drama, mime, movement, and dance -- with a mission of enriching and advancing theater arts in the nation's capital, as well as building a national presence. www.synetictheater.org

Triad Stage (Preston Lane, Artistic Director; Richard Whittington, Managing Director) is guided by core values of artistic risk, excellence, community, learning, inclusion, collaboration, rejuvenation, partnerships, impacting North Carolina and fostering a unique Southern voice. Triad Stage seeks to strengthen community, provoke dialogue and delight audiences. Triad Stage strives to envision a new American theater rooted in its community while engaged with the world. www.triadstage.org