National Endowment for the Arts Announces Participating Theater Companies for 2007-2008 Shakespeare for a New Generation Program

		Contact: Liz Stark (Media inquiries) 202.682.5744 Leslie Liberato (Program Inquiries) 202-682-5732

35 theater companies receive grants to bring Shakespeare to students nationwide

April 23, 2007

Washington, DC -- The National Endowment for the Arts today announced that 35 theater companies will participate in its 2007-2008 Shakespeare for a New Generation program. Shakespeare for a New Generation, part of the Arts Endowment's Shakespeare in American Communities initiative, strives to introduce America's youth to a lifelong engagement with the power of live theater, the wonders of the English language, and the masterpieces of William Shakespeare. Each of the participating companies will receive $25,000, for a total of $875,000, to present performances and accompanying educational activities for students. Arts Midwest, a regional arts organization based in Minneapolis, manages the program.

"I am proud that for a fourth year Shakespeare for a New Generation will provide students around the country the experience of live theater," said NEA Chairman Dana Gioia. "But this program's reach extends beyond the theater to the classroom with dynamic workshops for students and superb educational materials. Last but not least, the program supports theater companies and provides actors with the best employment possible -- acting in great plays."

Projects by participating theater companies include:

• Student matinee performances of Othello, set in 19th-century Alaska, by Cyrano's Theatre Company & Edgeware Productions in Anchorage, as well as a tour of the play to the remote south-central and western communities in the state.

• Performances of Hamlet by Indiana Repertory Theatre along with a workshop on "Teaching Shakespeare" for area teachers and an artists-in-the-classroom program "Exploring Shakespeare" for underserved schools.

• Shakespearience, presented by Shakespeare Theatre Company, is designed to increase social and cultural access to classic theater for public school students through subsidized tickets, preparatory curriculum guides, in-school workshops, focus groups, and post-performance discussions.

Since its 2003 inauguration, Shakespeare in American Communities has reached more than 1,300 communities in all 50 states. The theater companies participating in this year's program come from 28 states.

The following 35 theater companies have been selected to participate in Shakespeare for a New Generation for 2007-2008:

American Players Theatre (Spring Green, WI)
American Shakespeare Center (Staunton, VA)
Aquila Theatre Company (New York, NY)
Baltimore Shakespeare Festival (Baltimore, MD)
California Shakespeare Theater (Berkeley, CA)
Cincinnati Shakespeare Company (Cincinnati, OH)
Dog & Pony Theatre Company (New Orleans, LA)
Cyrano's Theatre Company & Edgeware Productions (Anchorage, AK)
Georgia Shakespeare Festival (Atlanta, GA)
Idaho Shakespeare Festival (Boise, ID)
Indiana Repertory Theatre (Indianapolis, IN)
Kentucky Shakespeare Festival (Louisville, KY)
Lantern Theater Company (Philadelphia, PA)
Main Street Theater (Houston, TX)
Milwaukee Shakespeare (Milwaukee, WI)
Montana Shakespeare in the Parks (Bozeman, MT)
Nebraska Shakespeare Festival (Omaha, NE)
Oregon Shakespeare Festival (Ashland, OR)
Orlando Shakespeare Festival (Orlando, FL)
Seattle Shakespeare Company (Seattle, WA)
Shakespeare & Company (Lenox, MA)
Shakespeare Santa Cruz (Santa Cruz, CA)
Shakespeare Theatre Company (Washington, DC)
St. Louis Black Repertory Company (St Louis, MO)
The Acting Company (New York, NY)
The Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival at DeSales University (Center Valley, PA)
The Shakespeare Festival at Tulane (New Orleans, LA)
The Shakespeare Theatre of NJ (Madison, NJ)
The Theater at Monmouth (Monmouth, ME)
The Warehouse Theatre (Greenville, SC)
The Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum (Topanga, CA)
Theatre for a New Audience (New York, NY)
Trinity Repertory Company (Providence, RI)
Utah Shakespearean Festival (Cedar City, UT)
Walltown Children's Theatre (Durham, NC)

To enhance the educational impact of the program, the National Endowment for the Arts has created high-quality and comprehensive multimedia educational toolkits for teachers. These educational toolkits include a teacher's manual with lesson plans, "Fun with Shakespeare" brochure with word games, recitation contest guide, timeline poster, audio CD, educational video, and inspirational DVD. These kits can be ordered from www.shakespeareinamericancommunities.org.

The National Endowment for the Arts is a public agency dedicated to supporting excellence in the arts, both new and established; bringing the arts to all Americans; and providing leadership in arts education. Established by Congress in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal government, the Endowment is the nation's largest annual funder of the arts, bringing great art to all 50 states, including rural areas, inner cities, and military bases. For more information, visit the NEA Web site at www.arts.gov. For more information about Shakespeare in American Communities, please visit www.shakespeareinamericancommunities.org.

Arts Midwest connects people throughout the Midwest and the world to meaningful arts opportunities, sharing creativity, knowledge, and understanding across boundaries. Arts Midwest connects the arts to audiences throughout the nine-state region of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota and Wisconsin. One of six non-profit regional arts organizations in the United States, Arts Midwest's history spans more than 25 years. For more information, please visit www.artsmidwest.org.

For media inquiries, contact Liz Stark at 202-682-5744. For program inquiries, contact Leslie Liberato at 202-682-5732.

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