In its first 50 years, the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) awarded more than $5 billion in grants to recipients in every state and U.S. jurisdiction, the only arts funder in the nation to do so. Today, the NEA announced awards totaling more than $27.6 million in its first funding round of fiscal year 2016, including an Art Works award of $15,000 to The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis toward the production of Satchel Paige and the Kansas City Swing this spring.
The Art Works category supports the creation of work and presentation of both new and existing work, lifelong learning in the arts, and public engagement with the arts through 13 arts disciplines or fields.
NEA Chairman Jane Chu said, "The arts are part of our everyday lives - no matter who you are or where you live - they have the power to transform individuals, spark economic vibrancy in communities, and transcend the boundaries across diverse sectors of society. Supporting projects like the one from The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis offers more opportunities to engage in the arts every day."
"We are grateful for this grant from the NEA," said Steven Woolf, artistic director of The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis. "This generous commitment will allow us to present an exciting new show at the highest possible level."
Satchel Paige tells the story of the charismatically dominant Negro League pitcher - a true American original. In 1947, Jackie Robinson had broken baseball's color barrier, while Paige and his Negro League All-Stars were barnstorming against their white counterparts in the Majors. It was baseball by day and jazz by night as the impassioned and devoted players tried to find their place in a country on the verge of change.
The Rep's production will bring this vibrant era to life, spotlighting the sport and the music that formed the heartbeat of a booming postwar America. The show runs March 16 to April 10, 2016 at the Loretto-Hilton Center for the Performing Arts.
To join the Twitter conversation about this announcement, use #NEAFall15. For more information on projects included in the NEA grant announcement, go to
arts.gov.
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