Westport Country Playhouse Receives NEA Grant

Westport Country Playhouse has been awarded a $20,000 Art Works grant from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) for the autumn production of Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Lynn Nottage's "Mlima's Tale." Directed by Mark Lamos, the drama will run from October 1 - 19.

"These awards, reaching every corner of the United States, are a testament to the artistic richness and diversity in our country," said Mary Anne Carter, acting chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts. "Organizations such as Westport Country Playhouse are giving people in their community the opportunity to learn, create, and be inspired."

"Mlima's Tale" is a powerful, theatrical fable about a magnificent and beloved Kenyan elephant named Mlima hunted for his coveted ivory tusks. As traffickers maneuver the illicit ivory market, the animal's invincible spirit follows their path of desire, greed, crime, and corruption.

The Playhouse will offer several community engagement events in conjunction with the production of "Mlima's Tale" to facilitate dialogue around the topical issues the play addresses.

"NEA funding is crucial to the work we do at the Playhouse," said Mark Lamos, Westport Country Playhouse artistic director. "I'm so glad they are partnering with us on Lynn Nottage's mesmerizing play which sends the audience on a kaleidoscopic journey around the world from the perspective of one of the earth's most spectacular creatures."

Art Works is the Arts Endowment's principal grantmaking program. The agency received 1,592 Art Works applications for this round of grantmaking, and awarded 977 grants in this category.

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

For more Westport Country Playhouse information and to buy tickets, visit www.westportplayhouse.org or call the box office at (203) 227-4177, toll-free at 1-888-927-7529, or visit Westport Country Playhouse, 25 Powers Court, off Route 1, Westport.