National Endowment for the Arts Announces 2009-2010 Shakespeare for a New Generation Grants

Department of Justice partnership supports Shakespeare projects for at-risk youth

April 23, 2009 

		Contacts: Paulette Beete 202-682-5601 beetep@arts.gov

Washington, DC -- The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) today announced that 37 nonprofit, professional theater companies will receive grants of $25,000 each to participate in Shakespeare for a New Generation from June 1, 2009-May 31, 2010. Part of the NEA's Shakespeare in American Communities initiative, Shakespeare for a New Generation targets middle and high school students, introducing young people to the power of live theater and the masterpieces of William Shakespeare. Managed by Arts Midwest, the program already has benefited more than one million students and their teachers with live performances and educational activities. The program also has provided employment to more than 1,200 theater artists, including actors, directors, stage managers, and scenic designers.

Six of the participating companies will receive additional grants of $10,000-20,000 as part of a partnership with the Coordinating Council on Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. These grants, which are supported by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), U.S. Department of Justice, will support performances and educational activities targeted to youth involved with the juvenile justice system.

"I am very pleased to be working in partnership with our colleagues at the Department of Justice to reach out to young people with this truly transformative theater project," said NEA Acting Chairman Patrice Walker Powell. "Shakespeare for a New Generation not only enriches the educational experience by bringing live theater performances to new and young audiences -- some of whom may grow up to have a career in theater -- but it also provides employment for today's theater artists."

Each of the 37 participating companies will present productions of Shakespeare plays with accompanying educational activities to at least 10 schools. These activities may include in-school residencies, workshops, or post-performance discussions.

Some of the projects for the 2009-2010 season are:

• Actors' Shakespeare Project (Somerville, Massachusetts) will work with metro Boston schools and facilities of the Department of Youth Services or Department of Social Services to create an extensive set of in-school, after-school, and performance activities for students and teachers around its upcoming productions of A Midsummer Night's Dream and Othello.

• Denver Center for the Performing Arts (Denver, Colorado) will train teachers in 10 metro area high schools with at-risk populations, conduct workshops in the schools, and bring 750 students to matinee performances of Othello.

• Georgia Shakespeare Festival (Atlanta, Georgia) will expand its professional tour production of Macbeth to 15 schools in underserved areas of Georgia, western North Carolina, and southeastern Alabama. Additional activities will include workshops for students and training for teachers.

• San Francisco Shakespeare Festival (San Francisco, California) will add 20 economically disadvantaged schools throughout the state of California to the 2009-2010 school tour of Hamlet, as well as adding post-show discussions and interactive educational activities. They also will partner with Civicorps Schools in Oakland, California, to serve court-adjudicated youth.

Please see the complete list of the 37 companies that have been selected to participate in Shakespeare for a New Generation for 2009-2010.

Including the newly selected companies, more than 80 of the nation's theater companies have taken part in the NEA's Shakespeare program since its inception. By June 2009, participating theater companies will have presented performances at 3,600 schools in 2,300 communities in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

To enhance the educational impact of Shakespeare for a New Generation, the NEA also has developed free, multimedia educational resource kits. To date, more than 65,000 toolkits have been distributed to classroom teachers. Included in the kits are a teacher's guide with lesson plans, a recitation contest guide, Fun with Shakespeare brochure with word games and trivia, a timeline poster, a CD, and two educational DVDs. These resources can be ordered free of charge from www.shakespeareinamericancommunities.org.

About the National Endowment for the Arts

The National Endowment for the Arts is a public agency dedicated to supporting excellence in the arts, both new and established; bringing the arts to all Americans; and providing leadership in arts education. Established by Congress in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal government, the Arts Endowment is the nation's largest annual funder of the arts, bringing great art to all 50 states, including rural areas, inner cities, and military bases. For more information, please visit www.arts.gov.

About Arts Midwest

Arts Midwest connects people throughout the Midwest and the world to meaningful arts opportunities, sharing creativity, knowledge, and understanding across boundaries. Arts Midwest connects the arts to audiences throughout the nine-state region of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. One of six non-profit regional arts organizations in the United States, Arts Midwest's history spans more than 25 years. For more information, please visit www.artsmidwest.org.

About the Coordinating Council on Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention

Established by the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act, the Coordinating Council on Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention is an independent body within the executive branch of the federal government. The Council's primary functions are to coordinate federal juvenile delinquency prevention programs, federal programs, and activities that detain or care for unaccompanied juveniles, and federal programs relating to missing and exploited children. The Attorney General serves as chair and the administrator of OJJDP as vice chair.

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