American Theatre Wing Reveals Recipients of 2015 National Theatre Company Grants

The American Theatre Wing has announced the recipients of its 2015 National Theatre Company Grants. This year's recipients are: 1st Stage (Tysons, VA), Bag&Baggage Productions (Hillsboro, OR), Boulder Ensemble Theatre Company (Boulder, CO), Congo Square Theatre Company (Chicago, IL), Kansas City Actors Theatre (Kansas City, MO), Mildred's Umbrella Theater Company (Houston, TX), The NOLA Project (New Orleans, LA), Portland Playhouse (Portland, OR), San Francisco Playhouse (San Francisco, CA), Serenbe Playhouse (Chattahoochee Hills, GA), Theater Alliance (Washington, D.C.), and Tipping Point Theatre (Northville, MI). The prestigious grants totaling $120,000 will be presented on Monday, September 21st at a private event.

Grants for the 2015 cycle in the amount of $10,000 each will be distributed for general operating support to these companies which, according to grant guidelines, have been in operation at least five, but not more than fifteen years, have articulated a distinctive mission, cultivated an audience, and nurtured a community of artists in ways that strengthen and demonstrate the quality, diversity, and dynamism of American theatre.

"These twelve theater companies have proven themselves integral to the fabric of their respective communities, and are furthering the national cultural conversation in exciting ways," said Marva Smalls, Chair of the National Theatre Company Grants committee.

"These grants are a perfect expression of the Wing's mission and we are delighted to have the opportunity to support these theater companies from coast to coast," commented Heather Hitchens, President of the American Theatre Wing. "By nurturing these organizations, we are helping to ensure that artists and audiences in communities large and small have access to great theater for years to come."

The American Theatre Wing has long shown its dedication to not-for-profit theatres through its Theatre Company Grants Program. After many years during which eligibility was restricted to New York City companies, 2010 marked a significant change in the granting of The Wing, resulting from extensive review by the organization's Board of Trustees. The ATW Grants have distributed over $3 million dollars during the past 59 years. For more information on the ATW's National Theatre Company Grants, visit: http://americantheatrewing.org/program/national-theatre-co-grants/. The application period for 2016 grants will open in the spring of next year.

The American Theatre Wing (William Ivey Long, Chairman, Board of Trustees; Heather Hitchens, President) is dedicated to advancing artistic excellence and nurturing theatre's next generation: on the stage, behind the scenes, and in the audience. For nearly a century, the Wing has pursued this mission with programs that span the nation to invest in the growth and evolution of American Theatre. Traditionally, the Wing has encouraged members of the theatre community to share their off-stage time and talent directly with the theatre audience at large--whether it was singing for the troops in the Stage Door Canteen of the 1940's, or sharing their stories on a podcast today. As the founders of The Tony Awards, the American Theatre Wing has developed the foremost national platform for the recognition of theatrical achievement on Broadway. Yet the Wing's reach extends beyond Broadway and beyond New York. The Wing develops the next generation of theatre professionals through the SpringboardNYC and Theatre Intern Network programs, incubates innovative theatre across the country through the National Theatre Company Grants, fosters the song of American theatre through the Jonathan Larson Grants, honors the best in New York theatrical design with the Henry Hewes Design Award, and illuminates the creative process through the "Working in the Theatre" program and media archive. Beginning last season, the American Theatre Wing has entered into a long-term partnership with The Village Voice to co-present The OBIE Awards, Off Broadway's Highest Honor. The 61st Annual OBIE Awards will be held in March 2016. Visitors to americantheatrewing.org can get inspired and gain insight into the artistic process through the Wing's extensive media collection, and learn more about its programming for students, aspiring and working professionals, and audiences.