Shaking Up a Generation

The NEA is giving $25,000 grants to 37 theatres for its Shakespeare for a New Generation. Part of its Shakespeare in American Communities initiative, the program introduces middle- and high-school students to the Bard.

From the news release:

"Managed by Arts Midwest, the program already has benefited more than one million students and their teachers with live performances and educational activities. The program also has provided employment to more than 1,200 theater artists, including actors, directors, stage managers, and scenic designers."

Six of the 37 companies will receive an additional $10,000-$20,000 to work with at-risk students, those who have come into contact with the juvenile justice system. The six:

Actors' Shakespeare Project ($20,000), Somerville, Mass.; California Shakespeare Theater ($15,000), Berkeley; Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival $10,000), Cold Spring, N.Y.; Kentucky Shakespeare Festival ($15,000), Louisville; San Francisco Shakespeare Festival ($20,000); Shakespeare & Company ($20,000), Lenox, Mass.