FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 17, 2024
CONTACTS: Corinna Schulenburg | cschulenburg@tcg.org | 212-609-5941
Theatre Communications Group Announces THRIVE! Grants Supported by
Theater League of Kansas City
Thirty Theatres of Color to Receive $10,000 in General Operating Support
New York, NY – Theatre Communications Group (TCG), the national organization for theatre, is proud to announce the latest recipients of the THRIVE! Uplifting Theatres of Color program. The grants of $10,000 each will provide unrestricted funds for thirty U.S.-based Black, Indigenous, and Theatres of Color (BITOC*). This round of THRIVE! is supported by Theater League of Kansas City, a not-for-profit civic performing arts organization dedicated to enhancing the quality of life in the communities it serves with the thrill of live theatre. The THRIVE! Uplifting Theatres of Color program is developed and administered by TCG with an Advisory Circle of BIPOC theatre leaders. THRIVE! supports BITOC who have all too often been outside the grantmaking sector’s funding opportunities.
“It’s been deeply motivating to hear from THRIVE! participants about the impact of this program,” said Karena Fiorenza, chief executive officer, TCG. “We must keep pushing back against the racist scarcity narratives that BITOC have faced for too long. It’s time for funders and individual donors to use their economic power of unrestricted financial support, so BITOC can continue to flourish and further invest in the transformative work with their communities.”
“We’re excited to partner with the Theater League for this new round of the THRIVE! program,” said LaTeshia Ellerson, chief growth officer, TCG. “Rooted in Kansas City yet reaching professional theatres and their communities across the country, the Theater League is an ideal partner to support the vital work of BITOC.”
"We are thrilled to partner with TCG on this new initiative," explained Theater League of Kansas City founder and president Mark Edelman. "Their team provided much-needed focus and clarity to our grant-making decisions. We're thrilled to be working with them, as well as these thirty important theater companies, who we hope to help thrive with our contributions."
The thirty recipients of the THRIVE! grants supported by the Theater League of Kansas City are: African-American Shakespeare Company, San Francisco, CA; Bishop Arts Theatre Center, Dallas, TX; Black Ensemble Theater, Chicago, IL; Cara Mía Theatre Co, Dallas, TX; Congo Square Theatre, Chicago, IL; East West Players, Los Angeles, CA; GALA Hispanic Theatre, Washington, DC; Golden Thread Productions, San Francisco, CA; Karamu House, Inc, Cleveland, OH; Ma-Yi Theater Company, New York, NY; Miracle Theatre Group, Portland, OR; Native Voices, Los Angeles, CA; Pangea World Theater, Minneapolis, MN; Pillsbury House Theatre, Minneapolis, MN; Ping Chong & Company, New York, NY; Pregones/Puerto Rican Traveling Theater, Bronx, NY; Repertorio Español, New York, NY; San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Company, San Francisco, CA; Silk Road Cultural Center, Chicago, IL; St Louis Black Repertory Co, University City, MO; Su Teatro, Denver, CO; Teatro Visión, San Jose, CA; Teatro Vista Productions, Chicago, IL; The Ensemble Theatre Houston, Houston, TX; The Front Porch Arts Collective, Cambridge, MA; The North Carolina Black Repertory Company, Winston Salem, NC; The Theater Offensive, Boston, MA; Theater Mu, Saint Paul, MN; True Colors Theatre Company, Atlanta, GA; and ViBe Theater Experience, Brooklyn, NY.
Learn more about the program here: https://tcg.org/Web/Our-Work/Grant-and-Professional-Development-Programs/THRIVE/grant.aspx
TCG is inspired by the writings of W.E.B DuBois and defines BITOC as organizations that have been founded by, for, about, with, and near BIPOC communities. THRIVE! recognizes that communities of color often disperse beyond one geographic area. Also, since the start of the 2020 pandemic, TCG recognizes the difficulty of being in physical proximity to community members. For these reasons, TCG defines “near” and “with” broadly to include digital and cultural proximity. In addition to these elements, BITOC are led by BIPOC.
*A note about terminology: BITOC and BIPOC are terms used here for solidarity purposes representing a multiplicity of racial, ethnic, and cultural groups. We acknowledge that the terms “BITOC” and “BIPOC” are imperfect, not universally embraced by many who identify as People of Color and/or People of the Global Majority, and that language is in a constant state of reimagination and redefinition. For reference, Black, Indigenous, and People of Color represent over 80% of the global population. It is possible that during the program period, the language may shift again.
Theater League of Kansas City is a not-for-profit civic performing arts organization dedicated to enhancing the quality of life in the communities it serves with the thrill of live! theater. Founded by Mark Edelman in Kansas City in 1977, the organization has presented the Best of Broadway in theaters across the country to well over a million patrons. Today, the League supports a broad range of professional theater through grants, student ticket subsidies and new works development in its hometown of Kansas City and performing arts organizations around the country.
Theatre Communications Group (TCG), the national organization for theatre, leads for a just and thriving theatre ecology. Since its founding in 1961, TCG’s constituency has grown from a handful of groundbreaking theatres to over 700 Member Theatres and affiliate organizations and over 7,000 Individual Members. Through its programs and services, TCG reaches over one million students, audience members, and theatre professionals each year. TCG offers networking and knowledge-building opportunities through research, communications, and events, including the biennial TCG National Conference, one of the largest nationwide gatherings of theatre people; awards grants and scholarships to theatre companies and individual artists; advocates on the federal level; and through the Global Theater Initiative, TCG's partnership with the Laboratory for Global Performance and Politics, serves as the U.S. Center of the International Theatre Institute. TCG is North America’s largest independent trade publisher of dramatic literature, with 20 Pulitzer Prizes for Drama on the TCG booklist. It also publishes the award-winning American Theatre magazine and ARTSEARCH®, the essential source for a career in the arts. TCG believes its vision of “a better world for theatre, and a better world because of theatre” can be achieved through individual and collective action, adaptive and responsive leadership, and equitable representation in all areas of practice. TCG is led by Interim Chief Growth Officer LaTeshia Ellerson and Interim Chief Executive Officer Karena Fiorenza. www.tcg.org.
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