Utah Shakespeare Festival Receives $10,000 NEA Grant

National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Acting Chairman Joan Shigekawa announced today that the Utah Shakespeare Festival is one of 886 nonprofit organizations nationwide to receive an NEA Art Works grant. The Festival is recommended for a $10,000 grant to support the world premiere adaptation of Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility.

The grant will support the artistic team and artists of Sense and Sensibility. J.R. Sullivan and Joseph Hanreddy were commissioned to adapt Jane Austen's beloved novel in 2011 after they successfully adapted Austin's Pride and Prejudice, which was produced at the Festival in 2010 and has been produced in many other regional theatres. This adaptation will encompass a company of 18 actors and will be a fully realized show.

NEA Acting Chairman Shigekawa said, "The NEA is pleased to announce that the Utah Shakespeare Festival is recommended for an NEA Art Works grant. These NEA-supported projects will not only have a positive impact on local economies, but will also provide opportunities for people of all ages to participate in the arts, help our communities to become more vibrant, and support our nation's artists as they contribute to our cultural landscape."

"We were thrilled to receive the news that our new adaptation of Jane Austen's novel Sense and Sensibility has been awarded an NEA grant for 2014," said Development Director Jyl Shuler. "This NEA award is important to the Festival not only for its monetary value, but what it adds to the Festival's reputation and visibility on the national theatre scene."

Art Works grants support the creation of art that meets the highest standards of excellence, public engagement with diverse and excellent art, lifelong learning in the arts, and enhancement of the livability of communities through the arts. The NEA received 1,515 eligible applications under the Art Works category, requesting more than $76 million in funding. Of those applications, 886 are recommended for grants for a total of $25.8 million. For a complete listing of projects recommended for Art Works grant support, please visit the NEA website at arts.gov.

Tickets are on sale for the Festival's 53rd season, which will run from June 23 to October 18, 2014. The eight-play season includes Shakespeare's Measure for Measure, The Comedy of Errors, Henry IV Part One, and Twelfth Night. The season will also include the world premiere adaptation of Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility written by Joseph Hanreddy and J. R. Sullivan, Stephen Sondheim's Into the Woods, Steven Dietz's adaptation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes: The Final Adventure, and Boeing-Boeing by Marc Camoletti. For more information and tickets visit www.bard.org or call 1-800-PLAYTIX.

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