Tony Randall Theatrical Fund Offers Ten 2009 General Operating Support Grants

This year The Tony Randall Theatrical Fund has expanded its giving guidelines beyond financial support for the production of a single classic play with The 2009 Tony Randall Theatrical Fund General Operating Support Grants, awarded to ten passionate, resourceful theatrical organizations that have continued to fulfill their artistic missions despite financial constraints.

"With the economy in recession and many non-profit theater companies struggling to cope with unexpected losses in funding, we felt that the Tony Randall Grant could do the greatest good by awarding General Operating Support Grants to a number of outstanding theater companies facing budget shortfalls. While this is a new direction in our foundation's giving guidelines, we do plan to return to our traditional format ($100,000 for the production of a classic play) in the future." Heather Randall

Recognized for consistently producing innovative, artist-driven work that is redefining the theatrical experience of the next generation of theater-goers., this year's largest grants were awarded to The Civilians, Elevator Repair Service, and LAByrinth Theater Company.

Repertorio Espanol was the sole recipient of our mid-sized grant. This company has provided New Yorkers with access to an extensive repertoire of high-caliber Spanish-language theater for 41 years.

Grants were also awarded to The Atlantic Theatre Company, Classic Stage Company, The Flea Theater, The New Group, Signature Theatre Company, and Vineyard Theatre. We wanted to honor these companies for demonstrating sustained artistic excellence and organizational strength.

In its third year, previous Tony Randall Theatrical Fund grants recipients included Red Bull Theatre Company, New York Theatre Work Shop, The Actor's Center, The Actors' Fund of America, Berkshire Theatre Festival, Brooklyn Academy Of Music, The Drama League, Elysium Between Two Continents, Ethical Culture Foundation, Guggenheim Museum, Manhattan Theatre Club, Martha Graham Dance Company, Neighborhood Playhouse School of Theatre, New Victory Theatre, New York International Ballet Competition, Paper Bag Players, Raleigh Charter High School, Rent 10, Starworks Foundation, VOICE Experience Foundation, Voice Foundation.

For more information on the Tony Randall Theatrical Fund and the Tony Randall Grant please visit the web site at www.tonyrandalltheatricalfund.org.