Feature: CRE Outreach Receives City, County, State, and Federal Funding in Support of Their Life Changing Programs: MARCHING ON Opens June 28

For the first time ever, CRE Outreach has been granted awards from every level of government in support of their life changing programs. This spring has been an exciting time programmatically, with expansions in services and the opening of our own theater, The Blue Door, in Culver City. This excitement has garnered increased financial support, with new grants from the city (Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs), the county (LA County Arts Commission), the state (California Arts Council), and the federal government (National Endowment for the Arts).

Government grants support projects that focus on the creation of art that meets the highest standards of excellence, public engagement with diverse and excellent art, lifelong learning in the arts, and the strengthening of communities through the arts. Grant applications for public dollars include a rigorous multi-layer review process, first from professionals in the field, second from the commissioners of the arts agency, and final approval coming from elected officials.

The process is intended to spread public dollars across electoral districts and across a variety of art forms and projects. Even more importantly, the focus of the grants is on increasing cultural equity-the notion that our arts organizations need to reflect our diverse communities and that grant dollars need to help increase the access to high quality arts experiences for underserved populations. CRE Outreach is proud to have received recognition of our mission via these funding streams, as we tirelessly work to provide a dedicated performing space for the voices and stories of people historically marginalized by society.

"We know that the arts play a significant and meaningful role in sparking vitality in communities of all sizes and shapes. We want to bring this country closer to a point when all communities are safe, lively, inclusive and economically vibrant. Every American deserves to call such a community home," said Jane Chu, Chair, National Endowment for the Arts. "Through the work of organizations such as CRE Outreach, NEA funding invests in local communities, helping people celebrate the arts wherever they are."

CRE Outreach's Artistic Director, Greg Shane, echoed Chairman Chu's passion: "We're thrilled to receive these government grants, which will help us continue to grow our programs and services. We want to thank our elected officials who realize that even a small investment in nonprofits can have a huge ripple effect locally. This public investment recognizes that the arts have the ability to unite, heal, and build communities. It is a public commitment to transforming lives."

Shane is directing CRE Outreach's next production, MARCHING ON, an original play written by and starring eight military veterans from Veterans Empowerment Theatre (VET), a group dedicated to presenting a first-hand view of the soldiers' experiences in their rawest form, unfiltered by press, political, or military censorship. This artistic journey brings veterans' personal stories to life from boot camp to returning home, highlighting the difficulty of transitioning back into society, exposing the inner turmoil of the lasting scars, both external and internal, endured from combat.

For one veteran, her transition unlocks memories that have been hidden away for years, another feels rejected because of the color of his skin, while others realize that, above all, family matters most. Though alone in their stories, these heroes come together as a unit as they search for the strength to keep marching on.

MARCHING ON features Veterans Empowerment Theatre (VET) members Josie Benford (AL Army National Guard), Irene Cruz (U.S. Marine Corps), Paul E. Johnson (U.S. Navy), Monty Montgomery (U.S. Air Force), Jefferson Reid (U.S. Army), Mason Vokes (Reno Air National Guard), Judith Welch (U.S. Army), and Carla Brame Wilkerson (U.S. Marine Corps).

A special engagement of MARCHING ON will take place in the Lovelace Studio Theater at the Wallis Annenberg Center for Performing Arts, 9390 N. Santa Monica Blvd, Beverly Hills, CA, 90210 on Thursday, June 28 and Friday, June 29, 2018 at 8pm. The play will continue its theatrical run July 13-22, 2018 at The Blue Door, 9617 Venice Blvd., Culver City, CA 90232 on Fridays and Saturdays at 8pm, Sundays at 3pm. Opened in April 2018, The Blue Door, CRE Outreach's new theater in Culver City.

Running time is 90 minutes with a 10-minute intermission. Single tickets are priced at $15. Tickets and information at https://creoutreach.org/event/marching-on/ including a preview video of the eight veterans sharing their stories in MARCHING ON.

For more information each of the government grant programs, please visit:

• LA Department of Cultural Affairs: https://culturela.org/current-grantees/
• California Arts Council: http://arts.ca.gov/programs/statemap_new.php?fiscal_year=2016-17
• LA County Arts Commission: https://www.lacountyarts.org/funding/organizational-grant-program/about-ogp/grantees
• National Endowment for the Arts: gov/news

Photo credit: Lynn Shane

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