Ars Nova Launches $5M BIG DREAMS, BIG SWINGS Campaign, $1M Leadership Gift From Miranda Family Fund

Ars Nova has launched Big Dreams, Big Swings, a fundraising campaign designed for the resiliency and sustainability of New York City’s premier home for emerging talent. The goal is to raise $5 million above-and-beyond Ars Nova’s annual operating budget. To date, $2.5 million has been secured from the Board of Trustees, and longtime friends and supporters of the theater, before its launch.

Luis A. Miranda, Jr. has joined Ars Nova trustees Jenny Steingart and Steve Johnston in co-chairing the Big Dreams, Big Swings Campaign, and the Miranda Family Fund has committed a $1 million leadership gift to kick-off the campaign. Lin-Manuel Miranda is an alumnus of Ars Nova’s programs for emerging artists, including the project residency and early productions of the improvisational hip-hop comedy sensation Freestyle Love Supreme, and an artist residency in Play Group, all before In the Heights and Hamilton made him a household name. “Ars Nova has long played an integral role in the creation and development of countless artistic careers, including that of my son Lin-Manuel. There is no better way for the Miranda Family Fund to give thanks and to give back than by paying the generosity forward to the next generation of creators to be supported, and nurtured, by Ars Nova, through this Big Dreams, Big Swings campaign,” said Luis A. Miranda, Jr., patriarch of the Miranda Family Fund.

For over two extraordinary decades, Ars Nova has been a champion for new voices and a nurturing home for artists with big dreams to take big swings. As an institution, Ars Nova has taken big swings right along with them. This has included commissioning, developing, and producing fiercely ambitious and genre-blurring shows like Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812, KPOP, and Oratorio for Living Things; starting the Fair Pay Initiative in 2017 to advocate for equitable pay for artists and staff; leading the way on an industry response to COVID by paying out all artists for scheduled work and providing flash grants to support their basic needs; and launching a streaming platform, Supra, in 2020, as an accessible (and international-reaching) option to share artists' work.

The Big Dreams, Big Swings Campaign is a bridge for Ars Nova’s next chapter and for the next generation of Ars Nova artists. Ars Nova’s Co-Founder Jenny Steingart remarked “More than ever before, Ars Nova needs its community — the people who believe that risk-taking theater, comedy, and music must continue to have a home in New York City. Big Dreams, Big Swings allows Ars Nova to double down on its founding mission and ensure it remains a welcoming home for the next generation of artists.”

Managing Director Mac Ingram adds, “Ars Nova has always believed that if we take bold risks, follow the instincts of our artists, and lead with our values, everything else would fall into place – audiences, donors, all of it. And those bets paid off – until the world changed around us. The past few years have reshaped the world, our field, and our own finances dramatically. The funding landscape for the theater remains deeply challenging and has created a true crisis throughout the field. We recognize the theater model is not going back to the way it was before. We could keep scraping by, doing less each year, and supporting fewer artists. Or we can do what Ars Nova has always done best: change with the times and invest in the next generation. Today Ars Nova needs the same depth of support that we’ve always offered our own artists. Now we are the ones who need the time and space to innovate, experiment, and thrive.”

Contributions to the Big Dreams, Big Swings Campaign support three major initiatives:

The Pipeline & Production Fund ($2.5M) to bring back the full-scale of Ars Nova’s artistic programs, which like so many nonprofit organizations have narrowed in the years since COVID; including doubling the number of One Night Only performances and artists in residence over the next four years, and commissioning 8-10 new works to populate its stages for years to come.

The 54th Street Fund ($1.5M) to ensure the company’s West 54th Street building remains an unparalleled hub for new talent in New York City’s cultural scene, including upgrading theatrical equipment and building systems, and giving some ‘TLC’ to ensure a state-of-the-art, high-quality professional space for artists and audiences.

The Resiliency Fund ($1M) to establish and replenish operating and capital reserves, and build ‘risk cushion’ for the organization to keep taking ‘big swings’ on the business model to find new revenue streams and paths to success.

The Co-Chairs of the Big Dreams, Big Swings Campaign are Steve Johnston, Luis A. Miranda, Jr., and Jenny Steingart. The campaign committee (in formation) includes Ryan Cotton & Michael Baskowski, Jason Eagan & Zach Shaffer, Dana Kirchman & Mark Wiedman, Alisa & Scott Lessing, Doug & Debbie Rappaport, and Alexandra Shiva & Jonathan Marc Sherman.  Please visit https://arsnovanyc.com/bigdreamsbigswings/ for more information.

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