FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Monday, June 29, 2020 ALANA HORTON at 612.238.8001 [email protected] Arts Midwest Announces 2020-2021 Shakespeare in American Communities Grants $1.17 Million Will Support Virtual and In-Person Shakespeare Programming for Youth during the COVID-19 Pandemic MINNEAPOLIS, MN - Arts Midwest today announced the recipients of $1.17 million in Shakespeare in American Communities grants, with $1 million going to professional theater companies partnering with schools, and $170,000 going to organizations partnering with facilities in the juvenile justice system. Now in its 18th year, Shakespeare in American Communities is a theater program of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with Arts Midwest. By providing grants to theater companies that produce Shakespeare’s works, the program supports high-quality productions and educational activities in middle schools, high schools, and juvenile justice facilities throughout the United States. In response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, these performances and educational events may take place virtually or in person between August 1, 2020, and July 31, 2021. “Many of Shakespeare’s plays were written during a plague. Major works like Macbeth, Antony and Cleopatra, The Winter’s Tale and The Tempest were created in a time of extreme difficulty and adversity.” said Christy Dickinson, Arts Midwest’s senior program director. “The goal of Shakespeare in American Communities has always been to help Shakespeare’s works come alive for students, allowing young people to develop social and emotional skills important to their success. We’re proud that this work continues despite the challenges of this year, thanks to our theater companies who are pivoting their programming to help students connect with Shakespeare, teaching artists, and actors in new ways.” Since the program’s inception in 2003, Shakespeare in American Communities has introduced more than three million middle and high school students to the power of live theater and the masterpieces of William Shakespeare. The program has supported more than 13,100 performances and 51,000 related educational activities at more than 11,000 schools and juvenile justice facilities in 4,500 communities in all 50 states, plus the District of Columbia. One hundred and twenty-seven theater companies and organizations across the United States have taken part in the program, presenting 34 of Shakespeare’s 37 total plays. Activities will include the following projects: Colorado Shakespeare Festival’s (Boulder, CO) Shakespeare and Violence Prevention program combines Shakespeare in live performance with research on bullying and school violence. Professional actors will perform a stripped-down version of Much Ado About Nothing, directed by Artistic Director Timothy Orr. The company will gather actors in August and September for an in-person staging, employing social distancing and heightened safety measures, which will be filmed and shared with schools. The filmed production will be accompanied by real-time virtual educational workshops with teaching artists aimed to help students practice strategies for preventing violence and bullying in their schools. Nebraska Shakespeare (Omaha, NE) will present their 15th season of Shakespeare on Tour featuring a production of Macbeth. This tour will use a hybrid of live and filmed performances by professional actors accompanied by workshops that will help students expand their comprehension of the text, broaden their vocabulary, and build communication skills. If a completely virtual program is necessary, the company will conduct a real-time, virtual pre- and post-show opportunity for students to interact with actors and ask questions. The Texas Shakespeare Festival (Kilgore, TX) will bring an abridged production of Much Ado About Nothing and Hamlet to schools throughout the state as part of their Roadshow Tour. Along with the performance, related educational activities will include their Activating Shakespeare Workshop, post-performance talkback with actors, and study guide and lesson plan that meets the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills Standards. Selected Companies and Organizations The following 40 theater companies and organizations have been selected to participate in the program for 2020- 2021. The full list can be found on the Arts Midwest website. A Noise Within Pasadena CA Actors’ Shakespeare Project Charlestown MA African-American Shakespeare Company San Francisco CA Alley Theatre Houston TX American Players Theatre Spring Green WI Aquila Theatre Katonah NY Atlanta Shakespeare Company Atlanta GA Barter Theatre Abingdon VA Cal Shakes Berkeley CA Chicago Shakespeare Theater Chicago IL Colorado Shakespeare Festival Boulder CO Delaware Shakespeare Wilmington DE Denver Center for the Performing Arts Denver CO Great Lakes Theater Cleveland OH Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival Cold Spring NY Idaho Shakespeare Festival Boise ID Kentucky Shakespeare Louisville KY Lantern Theater Company Philadelphia PA Marin Shakespeare Company San Rafael CA Montana Shakespeare in the Parks Bozeman MT Nashville Shakespeare Festival Nashville TN Nebraska Shakespeare Omaha NE Olney Theatre Center for the Arts Olney MD Oregon Shakespeare Festival Ashland OR Orlando Shakes Orlando FL Park Square Theatre Company St. Paul MN Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival Center Valley PA PlayMakers Repertory Company Chapel Hill NC Red Bull Theater New York NY Seattle Shakespeare Company Seattle WA Shakespeare & Company Lenox MA The Shakespeare Center of Los Angeles Los Angeles CA Shakespeare Notre Dame Notre Dame IN Shakespeare Behind Bars Macatawa MI Shakespeare Dallas Dallas TX Shakespeare Festival St. Louis St. Louis MO Shakespeare Theatre Company Washington DC The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey Madison NJ Tennessee Shakespeare Company Memphis TN Texas Shakespeare Festival Kilgore TX Theater at Monmouth Monmouth ME Theatre for a New Audience Brooklyn NY Theatreworks Colorado Springs CO Utah Shakespeare Festival Cedar City UT Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum Topanga CA # # # Arts Midwest believes that creativity has the power to inspire and unite humanity. Based in Minneapolis, Arts Midwest grows, gathers, and invests in creative organizations and communities throughout the nine-state region of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. One of six nonprofit United States Regional Arts Organizations, Arts Midwest’s history spans more than 30 years. For more information, visit artsmidwest.org. .