FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
BSC Press Director Charlie Siedenburg, 551-655-0968

 

Barrington Stage Company receives $10,000 Art Works Grant from
National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) in support of
Dancing Lessons, a world premiere by Mark St. Germain

Grant One of 895 NEA Art Works Grants Funded Nationwide

(Pittsfield, MA) — Barrington Stage Company (BSC), the award-winning theatre in Downtown Pittsfield, under the leadership of Artistic Director Julianne Boyd, and Managing Director Tristan Wilson, is proud to announce it is the recipient of a $10,000 Art Works Grant by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) in support of BSC’s Boyd-Quinson Mainstage world premiere, Dancing Lessons by Mark St. Germain (August 7-24).

Dancing Lessons is about a man with Asperger’s Syndrome who forms a relationship with an injured dancer (who does not have Asperger’s), allowing both to experience each other’s world.

During the run of Dancing Lessons, BSC will engage audiences through special discussions and lectures on Asperger’s and Autism Spectrum conducted in partnership with community organizations such as the College Internship Program, whose main office is in Pittsfield, MA.

NEA Acting Chairman Joan Shigekawa said, “The National Endowment for the Arts is proud to support these exciting and diverse arts projects that will take place throughout the United States. Whether it is through a focus on education, engagement, or innovation, these projects all contribute to vibrant communities and memorable experiences for the public to engage with the arts.”

“We are honored to have received a grant for Mark St. Germain’s Dancing Lessons. Not only is the play vastly entertaining but it also will allow BSC and the Berkshire community to explore and understand more about Asperger’s Syndrome which is part of the Autism Spectrum,” said Artistic Director Julianne Boyd, who will also be directing this production.

This grant marks the sixth award by the federal government since 2006 in recognition of Barrington Stage’s programming. Previous awards were an Art Works Grant in 2012, in support of Fiddler on the Roof, Access to Artistic Excellence Grant in 2010, in support of BSC’s Musical Theatre Lab, and Access to Artistic Excellence Grant for the 2009 Mainstage production of the musical Carousel, the Coming Up Taller Award in recognition of BSC’s Playwright Mentoring Project in 2007 and an Access to Artistic Excellence Grant for the inaugural season of BSC’s Musical Theatre Lab in 2006.

Art Works grants support the creation of art that meets the highest standards of excellence: public engagement with diverse and excellent art, lifelong learning in the arts, and enhancing the livability of communities through the arts.  The NEA received 1,528 eligible Art Works applications, requesting more than $75 million in funding.   Of those applications, 895 are recommended for grants for a total of $ 23.4 million.

For a complete listing of projects recommended for Art Works grant support, please visit the NEA website at arts.gov.

About Barrington Stage Company

Barrington Stage Company, a professional award-winning Equity regional theatre located in the heart of the Berkshires, in Pittsfield, MA, was co-founded in 1995 by Artistic Director Julianne Boyd. Barrington Stage’s mission is three-fold: to present top-notch, compelling work; to develop new plays and musicals; and to find fresh, bold ways to bringing new audiences into the theatre—especially young people. Barrington Stage garnered national attention in 2004 when it workshopped, and premiered William Finn and Rachel Sheinkin’s musical hit The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, which later transferred to Broadway, where it won two Tony Awards. In 2009/2010 Barrington Stage produced the world premiere of Mark St. Germain’s Freud’s Last Session, which later moved Off-Broadway and played for two years. St. Germain’s Becoming Dr. Ruth (which premiered at BSC as Dr. Ruth, All the Way in 2012) is now playing Off-Broadway at the Westside Theatre. Barrington Stage was voted “Best Live Theatre” by The Berkshire Eagle readers in 2011 and 2012 and was named “Best Theatre Company” in Metroland’s Best of the Capital Region 2009-2012.

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