People's Light Receives NEA Grant

People's Light has announced that it has been awarded $60,000 by the National Endowment of the Arts to support its New Play Frontiers program. New Play Frontiers (NPF) is an initiative to conceive, develop, and produce new plays that explore our American identity through stories of deep meaning to specific populations in our region of southeastern PA. Central to this effort are partnerships with local cultural, civic, religious, and academic organizations to help identify individuals and events from the past and present that are significant to our neighbors and embody a broader American story.

Abigail Adams, CEO & Artistic Director of People's Light, states "New Play Frontiers establishes new and deepens existing relationships with our neighbors and represents an unprecedented commitment to playwrights at our theatre."

People's Light interviewed and selected writers with the ability to interact with local communities, be inspired by their experiences, history, and heritage, and infuse their work with a national perspective and voice. The 6 playwrights for the first round of NPF are Eisa Davis, Colman Domingo, Kate Fodor, Karen Hartman, Dominique Morisseau, and Kathryn Petersen.

The award monies will be used for the "Workshop" phase of this project. Included are 5-day workshops of 6 NPF plays with free presentations at community partner venues and our theatre. The presentations will be followed by facilitated discussions and private gatherings with community stakeholders. Artistic leadership will then meet with the writers and community partners to determine next steps.

Community partners include Charles A. Melton Arts & Education Center in West Chester, Chester County Food Bank in Exton, La Comunidad Hispana in Kennett Square, Historic Yellow Springs in Chester Springs, the Johnson House in Germantown, Chester County Historical Society in West Chester, Project Dawn Court in Philadelphia, and numerous others. Executive Director Kenneth Winston asserts "The Melton Center is enthusiastic about this program and the future opportunities to partner with the artists and staff of People's Light on the creation of new works of interest to diverse communities in our region. This collaboration between our historic site/community center and a performing arts organization has brought and will continue to bring many different forms of cultural strengths to the table. We look forward to sharing in the benefits for our organization and current and future visitors to the Center."

The New Play Frontiers program development, playwright commissions, and Community Open Houses have been supported by the Pew Center for Arts & Heritage, the Barra Foundation, and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.