Childsplay To Receive $15k Grant From The National Endowment for the Arts

Childsplay has announced it has been approved by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) to receive a Grants for Arts Projects award of $15,000.

This grant will support the theatre's production of The Hula-Hoopin' Queen, Childsplay's co-commission with Imagination Stage in Bethesda, MD. This grant is one of 1,251 Grants for Arts Projects awards totaling nearly $28.8 million that were announced by the NEA as part of its first round of fiscal year 2023 grants.

"The National Endowment for the Arts is proud to support arts projects in communities nationwide," said NEA Chair Maria Rosario Jackson, PhD. "Projects such as this one with Childsplay Theatre strengthen arts and cultural ecosystems, provide equitable opportunities for arts participation and practice, and contribute to the health of our communities and our economy."

"We are so grateful to the NEA for continuing to support new and exciting work for young audiences. This beautiful new play by Gloria Bond Clunie is a joyous celebration of family, community, and hula-hooping!" said Dwayne Hartford, Childsplay Artistic Director.

The Hula-Hoopin' Queen is based off of the book by Thelma Lynn Godin (a reading by Oprah Winfrey is available here). This new play, specifically created for young audiences, is set to debut in Maryland in February 2023 before its Arizona debut in April at the Herberger Theater Center.

Kameeka is confident that today she will finally beat her rival, Jamara, and become the Hula-Hoopin' Queen of 139th Street. But then Mama reminds her that today is their neighbor Miz Adeline's birthday, and Kameeka has a ton of chores to do to get ready for the party they are hosting. Kameeka is so preoccupied with thoughts of victory that she accidentally ruins Miz Adeline's birthday cake, and has to confess to her that there won't be a cake for her special day. And Miz Adeline loves chocolate cake. But to Kameeka's surprise it turns out she also loves something else - hula hooping!

The Hula-Hoopin' Queen is a charming celebration of family and community ties. Set in Harlem, this intergenerational story shows the importance of staying young at heart.


Childsplay, Inc. is a nonprofit theatre company of professional, adult artists who perform for and teach young audiences and their families. The mission of Childsplay is "to create theatre so strikingly original in form, content or both, that it instills in young people an enduring awe, love and respect for the medium, thus preserving imagination and wonder, the hallmarks of childhood which are keys to the future. For more information, visit https://www.childsplayaz.org.

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