National Endowment for the Arts FY 2017 Fall Grant Announcement

$50,000 Baltimore, MD
To support the premiere of "Jazz." Adapted by Nambi E. Kelley from Toni Morrison's novel, the play will fuse
elements of African-American music, history, and culture to explore the historical jazz idiom. Poetry, storytelling,
music, movement, and spoken word will be incorporated to convey the complex narrative. The project will
include audience outreach and enhancement activities, community engagement, and dramaturgical enrichment
of the work. Center Stage's Artistic Director Kwame Kwei-Armah will direct the production, which aligns with the
organization's commitment to producing theater that explores stories of the African diaspora.
Chicago Theatre Group, Inc. (aka Goodman Theatre)
$50,000 Chicago, IL
To support the premiere of "Objects in the Mirror" by Charles Smith. The play is based on a young immigrant's
journey and his search for a new family, identity, and a safe place to call home. The story follows Shedrick
Yarkpai's travels from his homeland of war-torn Liberia to a number of refugee camps in Western Africa before
his final relocation to Australia. Performances will be accompanied by post-show discussions and public
programming designed to highlight the play's resonance with current events and themes of identity and selfexpression.
Goodman Theatre's Resident Director Chuck Smith will direct the production.
Children's Theater Company and School (aka Children's Theatre Company)
$75,000 Minneapolis, MN
To support development and production of new works for young audiences examining the regional culture and
history of the state of Minnesota. The project will focus on works created by artists who are new to theater for
young audiences and may include "The Abominables," a new musical by The Civilians about hockey in
Minnesota; Madeleine George's "The Wild Child," which resets Francois Truffault's classic tale on the raw
landscape of the Midwestern prairie; and "The Best Summer Ever," a celebration of Minnesota summers by
Kevin Kling. "The Abominables" will premiere during the company's 2017-18 season, reaching thousands of
young people and families. Additional activities will focus on the development of "The Wild Child" and "The Best
Summer Ever.".
Childsplay, Inc. (aka Childsplay)
$10,000 Tempe, AZ
To support a production of "The Yellow Boat." The play was written by Childsplay Founder David Saar and is
based on the life of his son Benjamin, who was born with congenital hemophilia and died in 1987 at the age of
eight of AIDS-related complications. The play shares a story about the power of imagination, love, and family in
the face of grief and addresses topics including illness and death in a way that is developmentally appropriate
for young people. "The Yellow Boat" will be performed for students and families at the Tempe Center for the
Arts. Performances on weekends will be open to the public and weekday matinees will serve a diverse crosssection
of elementary and middle school students in Arizona.
Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park
$10,000 Cincinnati, OH
To support the premiere of "All The Roads Home" by Jen Silverman. Three generations of women and the
legacies they inherit are portrayed in this coming-of-age story. Each woman, and subsequently her daughter,
rebel against a small town to chase a fantasy that may or may not be her own. This piece aligns with the
theater's mission to produce new work to support the evolution of the American theater canon and continued
commitment to celebrating women's stories and the issues they encompass. Performances of "All Roads Home"
will be held in the playhouse's Shelterhouse Theatre in spring 2017.
Some details of the projects listed are subject to change, contingent upon prior Arts Endowment approval. Information is current as of
December 7, 2016.