The Center for the Arts Receives Shakespeare Grant

GRASS VALLEY — The Center for the Arts is pleased to announce that they received the Shakespeare in American Communities grant from the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with Arts Midwest.

“Shakespeare in American Communities brings meaningful concepts and stories to life for students across the country. Through live theater, these grantees provide invaluable opportunities for young minds to cultivate empathy, deepen understanding, and ignite a lifelong passion for creativity.” - Joshua Feist, Grants Officer at Arts Midwest.

The program supports high-quality productions and educational activities exploring the work of William Shakespeare in middle schools, high schools, and juvenile justice facilities throughout the United States.

The Center for the Arts will partner with the Lyric Rose Theatre Company to bring Shakespearean activities into the schools, such as performances and workshops. The grant will also allow them to produce two live performances in the Park, which will take place in the spring of 2025.

David Endacott-Hicks, Artistic Director of Lyric Rose Theatre, shared, “We are very excited to be bringing Shakespeare to our Nevada County Schools and community! As stated in our mission, we understand the arts are so important to our community. It is our mission to educate and support our community through the great art of performance. It is a dream to be educating and serving our community with great works such as Midsummer Night’s Dream. As Robin Goodfellow says at the end of the play, “Think but this and all is mended-that you have but slumbered here while these visions did appear...Give me your hands if we be friends, and we shall restore amends.”

The Center for the Arts has a long history of providing enriching performances and educational activities to students in Nevada County. By offering this program at no cost to schools, The Center for the Arts prioritizes inclusivity and recognizes that exposure to cultural and artistic experiences should be available to everyone.

National Endowment for the Arts Chair Maria Rosario Jackson says, “The experience of seeing a live, professional theater production can be eye-opening and transformative, especially when paired with educational activities that help students further understand the meaning of a play and the process by which it is created.” The Shakespeare in Schools program aims to become a memorable theatrical experience for students and a catalyst for a deeper exploration of Shakespearean history and his plays.

Executive Director Amber Jo Manuel stated, “It has been since 2008 that we all watched Shakespeare under the pines at Nevada County Fairgrounds. It was an amazing program, and we are thrilled to bring Shakespeare in the Park back to Nevada County. This grant will also allow us to bring Shakespeare into the schools for some amazing education opportunities. We are so pleased to have received this grant.”

This project will reestablish Shakespeare in Nevada County, and everyone can look forward to the production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream for the initial production in the Park in the Spring of 2025. The Center for the Arts is incredibly grateful to the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with Arts Midwest for granting them the Shakespeare in American Communities Grant.