National Endowment for the Arts FY 2017 Fall Grant Announcement

$20,000 Skokie, IL
To support the world premiere production of "Faceless," a new play by Selina Fillinger. The play tells the story of
an 18-year-old Muslim-American woman suffering from the recent death of her mother, who is on trial for
conspiring to commit acts of terrorism. With a female Muslim lawyer as the face of the prosecution, the play
calls into question morals, motives, and matters of faith. The production will feature talkbacks after every
performance conducted in partnership with the Council on American Islamic Relations. Outreach events are also
planned at the Illinois Holocaust Museum and the Council on Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago.
Old Globe Theatre (aka The Old Globe)
$40,000 San Diego, CA
To support the New Voices Program. Project activities will support the development of new works by both
established and emerging playwrights through commissions, developmental readings, and workshops. The
centerpiece of the program is the New Voices Festival, which engages audiences in the creative process while
showcasing new work. The program also includes Dialogo, an international component focused on engaging
Latino artists and communities to promote stories about Latin-American experiences.
Only Make Believe, Inc. (aka Only Make Believe)
$10,000 New York, NY
To support interactive theater performances for children in hospitals and care centers. The project will expand
program offerings at Children's National Medical Center in Washington, D.C. In partnership with the hospital's
Creative and Therapeutic Arts Services Department, Only Make Believe will expand its current programming
offerings to include patients in the Radiology Unit. In addition, live performances will be offered to children
confined to their hospital rooms via the hospital's closed-circuit television station.
Open Eye Figure Theatre
$10,000 Minneapolis, MN
To support the development and production of "The Red Shoes." Inspired by the Hans Christian Anderson story
about a cursed pair of dancing shoes, the production will integrate object puppetry, live performers,
choreography, and an original score to illustrate the journey of the shoes as they dance across the centuries.
Artistic Director Joel Sass will serve as director for the piece, as well as the scenic and object designer, and will
develop the script and music with other artists in the company.
Oregon Shakespeare Festival Association (aka Oregon Shakespeare Festival)
$70,000 Ashland, OR
To support the world premiere of "UniSon," a new work written and performed by the multidisciplinary
ensemble UNIVERSES. The production will be directed by Robert O'Hara and based on a suite of unpublished
poems by the late August Wilson. The poems traverse Wilson's entire career, from his early years to the end of
his life at the age of 60. Working in their signature theatrical aesthetic, UNIVERSES will fuse Wilson's poetry with
rhythm, music, lyrics, and percussive storytelling, creating a work that explores the passage of legacy through
language, music, and memory.
Pangea World Theater (aka Pangea)
$20,000 Minneapolis, MN
To support the creation and production of "Home," an ensemble-created, site-specific theater work. The play
will be collaboratively created by Dakota, East African, and Latino artists exploring the concept of home through
the lens of the immigrant experience. Rooted in an area of central Minneapolis known as East Lake, which has
historically been a landing place for recent immigrants and indigenous communities, the piece will address
Some details of the projects listed are subject to change, contingent upon prior Arts Endowment approval. Information is current as of
December 7, 2016.