NEW YORK CITY: Theatre Communications Group has announced the third round of recipients in the Blue Star Theatres Grant Program. With support from MetLife Foundation, the program will fund efforts that deepen the relationships between participating Blue Star Theatres and their local military community. The selected theatres will each receive $5,000 to support activities that can include talkbacks, outreach programs, sponsored tickets, performances, playwriting workshops, readings, and workshops that focus on military themes and service.
The recipients are Alley Theatre in Houston, Texas; Bedlam in New York City; Target Margin Theater in Brooklyn, N.Y.; and Young Playwrights’ Theater in Washington, D.C.
“In a time of growing political division, the service of our veterans and military families remains a shining example of citizenship and civic engagement,” said Teresa Eyring, TCG executive director, in a statement. “We’re grateful to partner with MetLife Foundation and Blue Star Families to support the growing connection between theatres and their local military communities through this the third round of the Blue Star Theatres Grant Program.”
The Alley Theatre will partner with the Telling Project to develop and present stories of Houston-area veterans.
Bedlam will use the grant to continue offering acting classes to veterans. The company will also create new opportunities for veterans to articulate and understand their experiences through the communal process of creating theatre by developing and presenting their own original work.
Target Margin Theater will provide theatremaking workshops for active military personnel, military veterans, and military families for its upcoming season. Participants will be able to engage in theatrical writing and devising as part of a workshop series.
Young Playwrights’ Theater will use the grant to offer after-school programs to the Military Child Education Coalition’s Student-2-Student Program. A professional artist will lead 12 arts-integrated workshops for students to write plays. The workshop series will culminate in a final reading, performed by professional actors, for the students and their parents.
Blue Star Families is the country’s largest chapter-based military families nonprofit organization.
