Denver Center for the Performing Arts Receives $125,000 Grant from Doris Duke Charitable Foundation

The Denver Center for the Performing Arts (DCPA) Theatre Company has announced that they are the recipients of a $125,000 grant from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation to support their upcoming World Premiere production of Benediction.

"We are honored that the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation has selected the Theatre Company for this generous grant," said Kent Thompson, Producing Artistic Director. "These funds will directly support the World Premiere production of Benediction which will finish the trilogy of plays based on the novels of Kent Haruf. The grant also designates funds to commission playwright Eric Schmiedl for his next play-his 5th at the Theatre Company. We are thrilled to have the resources to continue our long-term commitment to this gifted playwright."

The purpose of the grant, which is through the foundation's new Theatre Commissioning and Production Initiative, is to support the commissioning and production of a new work by an American playwright and to help the Theatre Company nurture their relationship with that same playwright through the commissioning of an additional new work.

"We are thrilled to support the DCPA Theatre Company in their exciting, ongoing collaboration with Eric Schmeidl," said Ben Cameron, Doris Duke Charitable Foundation Program Director for the Arts. "Through this new larger initiative, the foundation aims to help address the historically poor compensation of playwrights, to encourage long-term relationships between theaters and writers, and to support the production of plays that serve theaters' nonprofit missions, even if such plays do not have immediate commercial appeal."

Benediction runs January 30 through March 1, 2015 in the Space Theatre at the DCPA.

Hailed a "masterful look at the end of life" by The Denver Post, this adaptation of Kent Haruf's best-selling novel transports us to the high plains of Colorado. The final chapter of Haruf's remarkable trilogy, Benediction is a powerful drama about three souls searching for meaningful connections despite separation, loneliness and the race against time.

About The Doris Duke Charitable Foundation

The mission of the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation is to improve the quality of people's lives through grants supporting the performing arts, environmental conservation, medical research and child well being, through the preservation of the cultural and environmental legacy of Doris Duke's properties. DDCF's Arts Program focuses its support on contemporary dance, jazz and theatre artists, and the organizations that nurture, present and produce them. For more information, please visit www.ddcf.org.

About The Denver Center for the Performing Arts

The Denver Center for the Performing Arts (DCPA) is a not-for-profit theatre organization dedicated to creating unforgettable shared experiences through beloved Broadway musicals, world-class plays, educational programs and inspired events. The DCPA is one the nation's most active theatre companies, offering more than 30 plays and musicals year-round that engage and inspire audiences of all ages and interests.

The Theatre Company is helmed by Producing Artistic Director Kent Thompson and is currently in its 36th season.