TheatreSquared receives National Endowment for the Arts "Our Town" grant award
Highly selective grant program will support creative placemaking at NWA's professional theatre
NORTHWEST ARKANSAS — July 15, 2015 — National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Chairman Jane Chu today announced that Northwest Arkansas’s professional theatre has been selected for a significant, $100,000 grant as part of its Our Town initiative, supporting creative placemaking in American communities. This highly competitive award will allow TheatreSquared (T2) to explore its long-term role as an arts-based contributor to the downtown entertainment district and within Fayetteville’s 2025 City Plan.
“TheatreSquared demonstrates the best in creative community development,” said Chairman Chu. "Through Our Town funding, arts organizations continue to spark vitality that support neighborhoods and public spaces, enhancing a sense of place for residents and visitors alike."
“We’re delighted to be selected for this prestigious grants program—another mark of Northwest Arkansas’s remarkable growth into a vibrant community with arts at its core,” said T2 Executive Director Martin Miller. “Our founding vision states that ‘theatre, done well and with passion, can transform lives and communities.’ This major grant will help us to advance that vision as an integral part of our town and home region.”
Nationally, 69 Our Town grantees were selected out of a pool of nearly 300 applicants. For more information on the Our Town program, and case studies of more than 70 past participants, visit arts.gov/exploring-our-town or follow #NEAOurTown15 on Twitter.
TheatreSquared is Northwest Arkansas’ professional regional theatre, offering an intimate live theatre experience for 30,000 patrons each year in its 175-seat space and in schools throughout the state. In 2011, TheatreSquared was recognized by the American Theatre Wing, founder of the Tony Awards, as one of the nation’s ten most promising emerging theatres. TheatreSquared has experienced remarkable growth in recent seasons, expanding its audience tenfold in the past five years. The theatre recently released its Vision 2017 report with its priorities supported by a three-year, $1.03 million grant. For further information or press tickets, contact TheatreSquared at (479) 445-6333 or visit theatre2.org.
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Major funding for the TheatreSquared Season 10 is provided by The Walton Family Foundation, Inc.; and by the Arkansas Arts Council, an agency of the Department of Arkansas Heritage and the National Endowment for the Arts.
Major marketing support for TheatreSquared Season 10 is provided by the Fayetteville Advertising and Promotions Commission. Media sponsors include NWA Media, Fayetteville Flyer, CitiScapes, KUAF, Cox Communications, KNWA and Mailco USA.