NVA Receives $15,000 Grant For DESERT ROCK GARDEN

New Village Arts has been approved for a $15,000 Grants for Arts Projects award to support our upcoming world premiere production of DESERT ROCK GARDEN by Roy Sekigahama. This project is among 1,073 projects across America totaling nearly $25 million that were selected during this first round of fiscal year 2021 funding in the Grants for Arts Projects funding category.

"The National Endowment for the Arts is proud to support this project from New Village Arts," said Arts Endowment Acting Chairman Ann Eilers. "New Village Arts is among the arts organizations across the country that have demonstrated creativity, excellence, and resilience during this very challenging year."

DESERT ROCK GARDEN is a fictionalized historical story of a young orphan and an older gardener who forge a friendship in the Topaz Relocation Center during World War II. Originally produced as part of NVA's Final Draft New Play Festival, this heartfelt and moving piece will premiere at New Village Arts in early 2022, directed by Albert Park.

Playwright Sekigahama says of DESERT ROCK GARDEN, "I've seen several plays and movies about the Japanese-American's internment during WWII but none of the stories emphasized the life-changing friendships which developed. My play is fictional, but based on true events with a sprinkling of my father's anecdotes. I'm hoping that audiences will recognize the absurdity of interning children under the pretense of national security. I am grateful that NVA is taking a chance on this unconventional way to look at this historic event."

For updates as they arise, visit www.NewVillageArts.org.