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The Diablo Regional Arts Association (DRAA) has announced Artistic Excellence Awards totaling $239,000, presented in grants to support professional arts organizations at the Lesher Center for the Arts, the premier presenting venue of Contra Costa County and major arts hub of the East Bay. The DRAA, an independent non-profit organization, awarded this unprecedented level of grants to leading producers that identified specific projects destined to enhance the quality of artistic programming at the Lesher Center.
DRAA Board President Scott MacCormac commented, "This year's grant recipients reflect an exciting array of opportunities. Patrons throughout the region will have the chance to participate in particularly enriching arts experiences in all of our presenting spaces here at the Lesher Center in the coming season." Added Peggy White, DRAA Executive Director, "From ballet, symphony, chamber music, and modern dance, to live theatre, interactive arts, and more, we are looking forward to delivering a thrilling season to patrons in 2011-12 in partnership with the leading producers at the Lesher Center for the Arts who share our commitment to artistic excellence."The 2011-2012 DRAA grants include: $25,000 to support the Bedford Gallery's hosting of a commissioned exhibition by the innovative Cardboard Institute of America (C.I.T.). Using the entire gallery, C.I.T. members will use the entire gallery to create Cardburg 2012: The Super Track, a NASCAR-like racetrack with weekly races, interactive micro radio station, live bands, and in-car cameras, translating the high-octane culture of speeding vehicles into a cardboard site-specific installation that will engage patrons in a wild artistic ride.$25,000 to support guest artists during the California Symphony's 2011-2012 season, including a world premiere by Young American Composer-In-Residence, D.J. Sparr, internationally-renowned violinist Lara St. John; and the San Francisco Symphony's Donato Cabrera.
$60,000 to support Artistic Direction of Michael Butler for each production of Center REP's 2011-12 season, which includes eight diverse and eclectic productions in all three theatres of the Lesher Center. This engaging season will move from the inner workings of Pablo Picasso's mind to the goofy dreams of a Venice Beach sidewalk chalk artist; from the social commentary of Dickens and Shaw to the rollicking tunes of Smokey Joe's Café; from the fast paced farce of Neil Simon to the provocative Off Center offerings.$17,500 to support the Chamber Music of San Francisco's guest presentation of world-renowned, Grammy-nominated pianist Stephen Hough - a published poet and MacArthur "Genius Grant" recipient who has been described as a musical "super virtuoso."$15,000 to support Company C Contemporary Ballet's presentation of world premiere by acclaimed choreographer Peter Anastas. Recipient of two Guggenheim Fellowships in Choreography and four Fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, Mr. Anastas has choreographed over 100 stage works for the finest national and regional ballet companies in the United States, as well as for modern dance companies, theater, film, and television.
$25,000 to enable Contra Costa Musical Theatre to engage professional Actors Equity Association actors for its productions of Little Shop of Horrors, and the East Bay Premiere of Sunset Boulevard.$20,000 to enable Diablo Theatre Company to engage Bailey Hanks, the musical comedy actress who dazzled audiences as "Elle Woods" on Broadway in the hit Legally Blonde, The Musical. Ms. Hanks will recreate her starring role in Diablo Theatre Company's production of the show next February at the Lesher Center for the Arts. Hanks won the role in a nationwide search and audition process seen on MTV's Legally Blonde - The Musical: the Search for Elle Woods, and subsequently played the role at Broadway's Palace Theatre until the show's closing.$21,500 to Festival Opera to support acclaimed choreographer Mark Foehringer and professional dancers for the company's productions of La Traviata and The Most Happy Fella. The addition of professional dancing will give the productions an engaging and dynamic dimension not typically seen in opera productions of regional companies.
$30,000 to support acclaimed Smuin Ballet's commission of a world premiere by award-winning dancer/choreographer Ma Cong. An innovative young choreographer who is gaining a national reputation for his complex, creative, and energetic dance works, Cong was named one of the "25 to Watch" by Dance Magazine for both dancing and choreography.DRAA's role in the community focuses on building partnerships, with the primary goal of enhancing artistic quality at the Lesher Center for the Arts and providing opportunities for everyone to enjoy the arts. By partnering with the Lesher Center for the Arts, the City of Walnut Creek, lead producers at the LCA, individual donors, and corporate and foundation partners, DRAA plays a vital role in advancing the arts for the betterment of the community. For additional information about DRAA and supporting the arts visit www.draa.org or call 925-295-1470.
