The 5th Avenue Theatre/Shakespeare Theatre Company Production of THE SECRET GARDEN Receives $20,000 National Endowment for the Arts Grant

The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) has announced its first major grant funding round of fiscal year 2017, which includes a $20,000 grant supporting a co-production of The Secret Garden, created in partnership between Seattle's The 5th Avenue Theatre and Shakespeare Theatre Company in Washington D.C. The critically acclaimed production directed by 5th Avenue Theatre Executive Producer and Artistic Director David Armstrong, has received rave reviews from critics and audiences alike, and recently announced an extension through January 8 for its current presentation in D.C. The Secret Garden will excite audiences at home in the Emerald City April 14-May 6.

"Grants like these are so important to regional non-profit arts organizations like The 5th," said 5th Avenue Theatre Managing Director Bernadine C. Griffin. "Not only do these funds directly support the activities onstage, they enable us to extend our community engagement and education outreach programs-and that helps us build an active audience with a strong cultural investment in The 5th."

"The arts are for all of us, and by supporting these projects, the National Endowment for the Arts is providing more opportunities for the public to engage with the arts," said NEA Chairman Jane Chu. "Whether in a theater, a town square, a museum, or a hospital, the arts are everywhere and make our lives richer."

A hauntingly beautiful musical, The Secret Garden is the celebrated tale of a young orphaned girl, sent to live with a reclusive uncle in a crumbling mansion overrun with spirits of the past. Called "smart and sensitive" and "blessedly grownup" with "a yearning magical pulse" by The Washington Post, this fantastical tale features a gorgeous score by Lucy Simon and rich, lush story-telling by Marsha Norman, based on the beloved 1911 children's novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett. This dark and mysterious gothic thriller brings to exuberant life a saga of deception, grief, jealousy, love and ultimately, rebirth.

About The 5th Avenue Theatre

The 5th Avenue Theatre is acclaimed as one of the nation's leading musical theater companies and is especially renowned for its production and development of new works. Since 2002, the Seattle-based company has produced 17 new musicals. To date, nine (including the sensational hit Disney's Aladdin) have moved on to Broadway premieres, earning a combined 15 Tony Awards, including two for Best Musical (Hairspray and Memphis). The 5th Avenue Theatre is also known for its world class, critically acclaimed productions of musicals chosen from both the contemporary canon and the Golden Age of Broadway.

Unique in its Chinese-inspired design, this exquisite theater opened in 1926 as a venue for vaudeville and film. Today, under the leadership of Executive Producer and Artistic Director David Armstrong, Managing Director Bernadine C. Griffin and Producing Artistic Director Bill Berry, this non-profit theater company attracts an annual attendance of more than 300,000, including over 20,000 subscribers - one of the largest theater subscriptions in North America.

In addition to its main stage productions, The 5th Avenue Theatre is also committed to encouraging the next generation of theatergoers through its extensive educational outreach programs. For more information about The 5th Avenue Theatre, its season and its programs, please visit www.5thavenue.org.

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