PlayMakers Rep Celebrates Grants from Mellon Foundation and NEA

PlayMakers Repertory Company is celebrating the award of several significant national grants in support of upcoming projects and productions.

PlayMakers is the professional theater company based in the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

A new $250,000 grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation of New York City will allow three more theater ensembles to develop new works through residencies in Chapel Hill over the next three years with PlayMakers providing artistic, technical and administrative support.

In 2010, the Mellon Foundation first recognized PlayMakers with a $200,000 grant to underwrite a program of three annual residencies. Pig Iron Theatre Company (Philadelphia) and Siti Company and The TEAM (both New York City), the ensembles-in-residence under the inaugural program, have taken their creations, incubated at PlayMakers, on to continued development and performances around the world.

The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) has recognized PlayMakers with two grants.

The first, a $45,000 "Art Works" grant, will support the theater's 2013-2014 Mainstage finale, the Stephen Sondheim musical "Assassins," and accompanying community outreach activities. "Art Works" grants support the creation of art that meets the highest standards of excellence, public engagement, lifelong learning, and the strengthening of communities through the arts. PlayMakers' production of "Assassins" will be performed April 2-20.

The second, a $25,000 grant also from the NEA and in partnership with Arts Midwest, will support PlayMakers' production and educational programs for "The Tempest." The award is part of the "Shakespeare for a New Generation" program, which supports Shakespeare productions and related educational activities by professional theater companies. PlayMakers will present the Bard's towering drama Nov. 2-Dec. 8 in rotating repertory with "Metamorphoses," Mary Zimmerman's modern reimagining of Ovid's classic myths.

"We're thrilled to receive these new grants from the Mellon Foundation and NEA," said PlayMakers producing artistic director Joseph Haj. "It is a terrific honor to be acknowledged by prestigious national funders for the work we are doing here at PlayMakers and the impact we are having in our community."

For information on PlayMakers' 2013-2014 season, visit www.playmakersrep.org or call (919) 962-PLAY (7529). Subscription packages and tickets to individual productions are now on sale.

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