Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs Awards $27,000 to Wild Swan Theater

Wild Swan Theater has announced a $27,000 grant award for operational support from the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs (MCACA), a statewide agency charged with encouraging, initiating, and facilitating an enriched artistic, cultural, and creative environment in Michigan. Wild Swan Theater uses these funds to help support our annual season of mainstage and touring productions, classes, workshops, and camps. "Funding from MCACA is important to us," said Hilary Cohen, Co-Artistic Director of Wild SwanTheater. "These funds help us sustain the infrastructure-salaries, rent, utilities, artistic fees, etc.-required to make theater that builds communities and imaginations."

MCACA approved grants totaling $10.6 million to organizations throughout the state including art centers, theaters, museums, and symphonies. Washtenaw County arts and cultural organizations will receive $1.026 million in grants for the FY2018 funding cycle. A complete list of 2018 MCACA grant awards is at http://www.michiganbusiness.org/community/council-arts-cultural-affairs/. Organizations receiving a MCACA grant award are required to match those funds with other public and private dollars. These grants helped Wild Swan leverage additional funds from a variety of sources this past year including individuals, foundations, and local businesses such as Domino's, Telemus Capital, Weller's Carriage House, and Zingerman's Community of Businesses.

Founded in 1980, Wild Swan Theater has earned a nationwide reputation for our critically acclaimed productions performed by our award-winning troupe of professional adult actors, American Sign Language (ASL) performers, dancers, musicians, and designers. MCACA funds help support one of the most comprehensive audience accessibility programs in the nation. ASL interpretation, audio description, and back-stage "touch tours" allow us to provide a full theater experience for patrons who are blind, deaf, mentally, or physically disabled.

Wild Swan's award-winning production, Strega Nona and the Magic Pasta Pot. opens our 38th season and runs October 19-20, 2017 at Towsley Auditorium, Morris Lawrence Building, WashtenawCommunity College. Additional information about these productions and the rest of our 2017-2018 season, events, classes, workshops, and camps is available on our website at www.wildswantheater.org or by calling (734) 995-0530.