Wild Swan Theater Awarded $15,000 Michigan Humanities Council Grant

Wild Swan Theater, Ann Arbor's award winning professional theater for families, has received a $15,000 Humanities Grant from the Michigan Humanities Council (MHC), an affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Grants are awarded to Michigan nonprofits in support of cultural, educational and community-based public humanities programming. The MHC distributed $170,619 in grants to 12 Michigan organizations in support of public humanities programming.

Shelly Kasprzycki, Executive Director of MHC said, "Humanities Grants are more critical than ever to keep quality cultural programs in our local communities. We are so impressed with the human stories that come to life with these projects."

Wild Swan Theater will use the funds to produce the moving story, A Thousand Cranes. It is the true and poignant story of twelve-year old Sadako Sasaki illness from radiation poisoning after the bombing of Hiroshima. The story unfolds as Sadako and her friends begin to fold origami paper cranes, having learned that if she folds a thousand, the spirits will grant her a wish.

Today, she is remembered for her courage and her wish for a world without nuclear weapons. Her story helped to make the paper crane a vibrant symbol of the hope for peace. Attending groups will be invited to bring garlands of paper cranes to the theater where they will be displayed before being sent to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Children's Peace Monument in Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park.

Wild Swan Theater is committed to using the arts to deliver theater experiences that engage children and families in building bridges, cultivating friendships, and expanding perspectives across cultures. "Funding from the Michigan Humanities Council allows us to make theater that will bring together audiences from many backgrounds to experience the true story of Sadako's courage, optimism, and desire for world peace," says Hilary Cohen, Co-Artistic Director of Wild SwanTheater.

A Thousand Cranes will be offered March 8-10, 2018 at Towsley Auditorium on the campus of Washtenaw Community College in Ann Arbor and is intended for upper elementary-high school students, families, and the general public. All performances will be American Sign Language shadow interpreted for Deaf patrons. Backstage touch tours and audio-description are available for blind theater patrons.

Wild Swan Theater is dedicated to producing professional children's theater of the highest artistic quality for young people and families that is accessible, diverse, and inclusive, through affordable ticket prices and innovative outreach programs. The company recently opened its 38th season. For more information contact us at 734-995-0530 or visit the Wild Swan Theater website at www.wildswantheater.org or Facebook page at www.facebook.com/Wild.Swan.Theater.