Deadline: 9-Jan-23
Arts Midwest is currently accepting applications for the Shakespeare in American Communities: Schools.
Funding Information
- Grant awards of $15,000 – $25,000 will be awarded to up to 40-50 theater companies to support performances and related educational activities for students from five or more schools.
Examples of Eligible Projects
- A theater company hosts an immersion day in their theater for middle school field trips. This includes their mainstage performance of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, a post-show talkback, and a tour of backstage.
- A theater company tours a professional bilingual (English-Spanish) adaptation of Romeo and Juliet to schools in their metropolitan area, offering in-class workshops after the show.
- A theater company offers an original virtual production based on Shakespeare’s Henry VI plays, followed by an in-school residency.
Eligibility Criteria
- Applicants must:
- Be a 501c3 nonprofit, professional theater company located in the U.S. and the Native nations that share this geography.
- Have a minimum of two years’ experience providing professional performances and related educational activities to middle and/or high schools.
- Compensate all performers and related or supporting professional personnel at no less than the prevailing minimum compensation. (This requirement is in accordance with the regulations issued by the Secretary of Labor in part 505 of Title 29 of the Code of Federal Regulations.)
- Agree to acknowledge Arts Midwest and the National Endowment for the Arts in all programs and press materials related to funded engagements.
- Have a valid Unique Entity ID via SAM.gov (free to acquire).
- Comply with Federal eligibility requirements.
Project Requirements
- Arts Midwest is currently accepting applications for events occuring between August 1, 2023, and July 31, 2024.
- Perform a professional production of a play by Shakespeare; an adaptation of Shakespeare’s text; or a production that incorporates scenes, monologues, and/or sonnets by Shakespeare.
- All productions should offer students the opportunity to view Shakespeare’s text in performance.
- The actors in the production must be professionals, paid at no less than the prevailing minimum compensation. (This requirement is in accordance with the regulations issued by the Secretary of Labor in part 505 of Title 29 of the Code of Federal Regulations.) It is not required that actors be part of an Actors’ Equity contract.
- Performances may be held in a theater company’s facility, a school, a community venue, or virtually.
- Conduct related educational activities with students that further explore and address Shakespeare’s work in modern context.
- Activities must be led by experienced teaching artists, educators, or actors with strong credentials and training.
- Examples include workshops, pre- or post-performance discussions/talkbacks, curriculum-based residencies, or other activities that offer interaction between students and teaching artists or actors. Study guides do not qualify as an activity.
- Activities must be related to the production being performed for students.
- Virtual and/or pre-recorded activities are eligible as long as students have the opportunity to interact live and in real-time with teaching artists in some capacity.
- Reach five or more middle and/or high schools with a performance and related educational activities.
- Activities must be facilitated in partnership with middle and high schools, rather than through summer camps, performing arts centers, universities, or other.
- The majority of schools must educate students from underserved communities. Factors include but are not limited to:
- National School Lunch Program statistics
- Geographic location (rural or urban areas).
Selection Criteria
- Applications are reviewed by an independent advisory panel composed of a diverse group of arts and literature experts and other individuals with broad knowledge of community programs. Panel composition changes annually.
- Applicants are selected based on:
- Artistic excellence and merit of programming: The panel will review the evidence of sound artistic decisions, the professional team of artists and staff, the rationale for choosing the play, the production’s viewpoint and themes, and the relevance of the play to today’s youth.
- The quality of related educational activities: The panel will consider the content of workshops, talkbacks, and other activities; the credentials and experience of teaching artists or actors; the depth of engagement with students; and the consideration of the needs of students of different backgrounds, abilities, ages, and learning styles.
- Diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility: The panel will evaluate the applicant’s commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility as they relate to the proposed project. This could include commitment to racial, gender, and age diversity in the artistic team and cast; equitable pay for artists; relevant content and themes of the production and educational activities; accessibility accommodations; reaching schools from underserved communities; etc.
- The ability and capacity to carry out the project: The panel will consider the applicant’s ability to manage and implement a federal award. This could include the feasibility to reach five or more schools with educational programming; organizational capacity; proven fiscal responsibility; the proven ability to adapt to unforeseen challenges due to COVID-19 and beyond; etc.
For more information, visit Shakespeare in American Communities.
