NEFA Expands National Theater Project

New England Foundation for the Arts announces plans to increase the impact of the National Theater Program, with help from a $750,000 two-year grant from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation.

NEFA launched the National Theater Project in 2010 to support innovative devising and ensemble theater artists and to build a network of organizations committed to strengthening opportunities and cultivating audiences for their work. NTP invests in the creation and touring of artist-led theater projects, and provides critical resources to increase visibility and access to artists and ensembles making work that expands the boundaries of theatrical form. To date, NTP has funded the creation and touring of 49 new works, reaching audiences in 40 states across the U.S.

Support from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation will increase the number of Creation and Touring grants, support artists through a finalist development grant, and enable an expansion of the annual grantee cohort meeting and regional convening, extending NTP's reach to more artists and communities across the U.S.

Said NEFA executive director Cathy Edwards, "NTP reflects NEFA's value of fostering equitable access to the arts; these additional funds mean more communities will engage with original works of art, which will enrich the cultural landscape of our nation. We thank the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation for this support."

"The holistic support that artists receive through the National Theater Project has consistently led to work inviting new audiences across the country to explore theater and our society in powerful ways. Communities large and small, rural and urban, have benefitted immensely through these new points of connection," said Maurine Knighton, program director for the arts at DDCF. "We remain committed to supporting artists to pursue their creative visions and therefore pleased to support NTP as an invaluable resource to the field. We are excited to see how the project continues to help artists and their communities flourish."

The National Theater Project is made possible with lead funding from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and additional support from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation.

About the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation
The mission of the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation is to improve the quality of people's lives through grants supporting the performing arts, environmental conservation, medical research and child well-being, and through preservation of the cultural and environmental legacy of Doris Duke's properties. For more information, please visit http://www.ddcf.org.

About NEFA
The New England Foundation for the Arts invests in the arts to enrich communities in New England and beyond. NEFA accomplishes this by granting funds to artists and cultural organizations; connecting them to each other and their audiences; and analyzing their economic contributions. NEFA serves as a regional partner for the National Endowment for the Arts, New England's state arts agencies, and private foundations. Learn more at http://www.nefa.org.