HartBeat Ensemble Receives National Grant for Staff Expansion

Just as HartBeat Ensemble's Co-Founding Director sets off to Boston University for Directing Training, the ensemble begins a New Generations Program grant.

The grant is administered by the Theater Communications Group, a national organization whose mission is to support and connect not-for-profit American theater. Funded by The Doris Duke Charitable Foundation and The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the New Generations Program grant will allow HartBeat ensemble to expand the role of Community Liaison and use new technologies to analyze its demographic data. Both of these steps will allow HartBeat to expand its audience.

The grant has allowed HartBeat to promote their part-time Youth Play Institute Director, Cindy Martinez, to a full-time Community Outreach Director position starting October 1st. Ms. Martinez has been working alongside HartBeat for several years and is excited about taking on this new position. Ms. Martinez says, "I have big shoes to fill and with confidence I look forward to expanding HartBeat's partnership base." Previous to Ms. Martinez, former Community Outreach Director Eliztaicha Marrero conducted over 500 hours of community outreach and built over 80 community partnerships. HartBeat looked to schools, religious communities, cultural and social organizations, neighborhood revitalization groups, community organizers, non-profits, unions and other professional organizations and municipal agencies for potential partnerships. HartBeat is still working with the over 80 partners that were established from last year.

HartBeat's artistic practices give voIce To those who have been excluded from mainstream theater due to race, gender, economic status or social philosophy. The words and concepts of the plays derive from interviews with residents of the Greater Hartford community. The interviews HartBeat conducts prior to creating a new work celebrate the rich history and diverse make-up of the Hartford region, as well as provide critical viewpoints that are unique to marginalized communities. Within the Ensemble and staff, 60% are women, and 38% are a race other than white. Several Ensemble members and staff are multi-lingual and two are native Spanish speakers. HartBeat is also a multi-generational organization and emphasizes multi-racial casts and dual-language and dialogue.

The expansion of the Community Liasion's role is well-timed for the ensemble, as one of its core members is leaving the city for educational opportunities. Steve Ginsburg, the Co-founding Artistic Director of HartBeat Ensemble, will take a three-year leave of absence in order to pursue his MFA in Theater Directing from Boston University. The program's website states that "students are prepared for substantive careers, either as resident or free-lance directors, with special emphasis on understanding the American regional theatre and other not-for-profit artistic venues." He has been working with HartBeat ensemble for eight years.

The New Generations Program is funded by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation and The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and is administered by Theatre Communications Group. The mission of the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation (www.ddcf.org) is to improve the quality of people's lives through grants supporting the performing arts, environmental conservation, medical research and the prevention of child maltreatment, and through preservation of the cultural and environmental legacy of Doris Duke's properties. The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation (www.mellon.org) is a private philanthropic institution. The foundation's Performing Arts program focuses on achieving long-term results by providing multi-year grants to leading organizations in the disciplines of music, theater, and dance. Theatre Communications Group (TCG), the national organization for the American theatre, exists to strengthen, nurture and promote the professional not-for-profit American theatre. Its programs serve nearly 700 member theatres and affiliate organizations and more than 12,000 individuals nationwide (www.tcg.org).

For more information on HartBeat ensemble please visit www.hartbeatensemble.org, or call (860) 548-9144.

Photo Credit: Jean Molodetz

 

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