NEA Awards Lookingglass Theatre Company $20,000 Art Works Grant for MOBY DICK

Lookingglass Theatre Company has been awarded a 2017 Art Works grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.

NEA Chairman Jane Chu has approved more than $30 million in grants as part of the NEA's first major funding announcement for fiscal year 2017. The $20,000 grant supports the presentation of Moby Dick at Lookingglass during the summer of 2017.

The Art Works category focuses on the creation of art that meets the highest standards of excellence, public engagement with diverse and excellent art, lifelong learning in the arts, and the strengthening of communities through the arts.

"The arts are for all of us, and by supporting organizations such as Lookingglass Theatre Company, the National Endowment for the Arts is providing more opportunities for the public to engage with the arts," said NEA Chairman Jane Chu. "Whether in a theater, a town square, a museum, or a hospital, the arts are everywhere and make our lives richer."

"As a theatre dedicated to creating new works, Lookingglass is always pleased when an organization like the National Endowment for the Arts wants to support and recognize that dedication. The NEA helped to bring the world premiere of Moby Dick to life in 2015 and we are honored to have merited the support of the NEA for its triumphant return to Lookingglass in Chicago after touring the nation. We're thrilled that the NEA recognized that Moby Dick has enthralled audiences with its unique Lookingglass brand of storytelling," said Executive Director Rachel Kraft.

With this award from the NEA, Lookingglass Theatre Company will present Ensemble Member David Catlin's award-winning adaptation of Herman Melville's Moby Dick at Lookingglass in the summer of 2017. Adapted and directed by Ensemble Member David Catlin, Moby Dick follows Ishmael's exile aboard Captain Ahab's whaler, The Pequod. Ishmael and crew are driven on by Ahab's ceaseless thirst to avenge himself against the leviathan. This visceral, immersive, physical re-telling of Moby Dick uses 15 multi-cultural, multi-disciplinary actors, production partners including The Actor's Gymnasium, and an impressive roster of theatrical artisans including fight choreographers and rigging specialists. For more information on Moby Dick, visit lookingglasstheatre.org.

For more information on projects included in the NEA grant announcement, visit arts.gov/news.

Inventive. Collaborative. Transformative. Lookingglass Theatre Company, recipient of the 2011 Regional Theatre Tony Award, was founded in 1988 by eight Northwestern University students. Now in its 29th season, Lookingglass is home to a multi-disciplined ensemble of artists who create story-centered theatrical work that is physical, aurally rich and visually metaphoric. The Company has staged 65 world premieres, received 116 Joseph Jefferson awards and nominations, and work premiered at Lookingglass has been produced in New York City, Los Angeles, Seattle, Berkeley, Philadelphia, Princeton, Hartford, Kansas City, Washington D.C., and St. Louis. Lookingglass original scripts have been produced across the United States. In February of 2016, Lookingglass received the MacArthur Award for Creative and Effective Institutions.

The Lookingglass Theatre in Chicago's landmark Water Tower Water Works opened in June 2003. In addition to developing and presenting ensemble work, Lookingglass Education and Community programs encourage creativity, teamwork and confidence with thousands of community members each year.

Lookingglass Theatre Company continues to expand its artistic, financial and institutional boundaries under the guidance of Artistic Director Heidi Stillman, Executive Director Rachel Kraft, Producing Director Philip R. Smith, Connectivity and Engagement Director Andrew White, General Manager Michele Anderson, a 25 member artistic ensemble, 23 artistic associates, an administrative staff and a dedicated board of directors led by Chairman John McGowan of CTC| myCFO (a part of BMO Financial Group) and President Nancy Timmers, civic leader and philanthropist. For more information, visit lookingglasstheatre.org.

Photo Credit: Liz Lauren