Steal the Stage with These Grants for World Theatre Day

Theatre is a pastime that has been around for centuries, dating back to the ancient Greeks who used to act out performances in big coliseums or amphitheaters. Whether it’s a drama, comedy, tragedy, or musical piece, theatre can be a wonderful activity for others to enjoy and can be a great form of storytelling. Theatre allows you to step into a world that is different from your own and see life through different perspectives. This look into another reality can be educational and overal eyeopening to say the least.

March 27th marks World Theatre Day. And to celebrate this year, GrantWatch is honoring theatre programs and playwrights everywhere by sharing some of the top grants available currently for theatre.

Other Ways to Celebrate World Theatre Day

• Check out a local play or performance in your community
• Volunteer with a theatre program in your area
• Donate to a theatre club at a local school or in your community
• Watch a play at home with friends or family
• Go to your local library and pick a famous playwright to learn more about
• Have your family or students consider acting out scenes from a play

Seven Grants for World Theatre Day

1. Firstly, there are grants of up to $10,000 and grants of up to $50,000 to U.S. and territories Black theatres, Indigenous theatres, and Theatres of Color to support general operations and to address immediate challenges. Funding is for applicants that serve and engage BIPOC communities.
2. Fellowships to an individual for a project on theatre history or theatre-related technology using collections at a NYC library. Funding may go to living expenses travel, and digitization of material.
3. There are also grants to U.S., Canada, and International playwrights to produce new plays about technology, science, and math. Funding is also available to commission not-yet-written works. Previously commissioned works addressed nuclear fission, agrobiology, and sign language, and cochlear implants.
4. Additionally,there are grants to U.S., Canada, and International nonprofit organizations, theater companies, educational organizations, and individuals for projects related to the works of Kurt Weill and Marc Blitzstein. Funding is for a broad range of expenses related to performances, research, and publications.
5. Funding of up to $20,000 is available to U.S., Canada, and International literary publishers and theater organizations for the translation of Canadian dramatic or literary works. Applicants must be registered in the online portal in advance of the deadline. Funding is to prepare works for international presentation or publication.
6. Financial assistance to U.S. theater writers for housing expenses during the Coronavirus (COVID-19) health crisis. Eligible expenses include outstanding and overdue rent, mortgage, and utility bills; sudden rent increases; and outstanding moving costs.
7. Grants of up to $800 are also available to U.S. and Canada teachers, librarians, children’s museums and theaters, eligible societies, organizations, and individuals involved with organizations for literary and educational projects. Funding is for curriculum development or to design educational experiences related to Sherlock Holmes literature for children and youth.

GrantNews Notes

Looking for more grants for theatre funding? GrantWatch has an entire category for Arts and Culture grants. The category has more than 2,000 grants that are currently available for artists, performing arts, music, dance, visual, arts programs, local arts events, arts education and graphic arts programming.

Also, make sure to sign up for a paid subscription to GrantWatch. The subscription will grant you and your organization access to the full information for all the grants in the listing directory. This includes full eligiblity criteria, contact information for funding sources, and application links.