TheatreSquared has received a $50,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts to support its annual Arkansas New Play Festival, the organization announced this week.
The award is one of 958 grants for arts projects totaling over $27.1 million to be distributed by the NEA as part of the first round of fiscal year 2024 grants.
“The NEA is delighted to announce this grant to TheatreSquared, which is helping contribute to the strength and well-being of the arts sector and local community,” said National Endowment for the Arts Chair Maria Rosario Jackson, PhD. “We are pleased to be able to support this community and help create an environment where all people have the opportunity to live artful lives.”
The Arkansas New Play Festival is TheatreSquared’s annual celebration of new works for the stage. Each year, T2 brings playwrights, directors, dramaturgs, and actors together to workshop new plays as part of the annual event, led by dirctor of new play development Dexter J. Singleton. TheatreSquared celebrated 15 years of Arkansas New Play Festival events last year.
“Highlighting and uplifting new works has been vital to TheatreSquared’s mission, and our ability to produce new works through the Arkansas New Play Festival has been deeply enriching,” T2 Executive Director Shannon A. Jones. “We are thrilled to be able to continue the work of giving space for artists to create, collaborate, and hone their craft while connecting with audiences in Arkansas and beyond.”
