For Immediate Release
Contact: Chandra Stephens-Albright, Managing Director
770.686.7224; csa@truecolorstheatre.org
Kenny Leon’s True Colors Theatre Company Receives
$50,000 Grant from the National Endowment for the Arts CARES
August 3, 2020 (Atlanta, GA) – Kenny Leon’s True Colors Theatre Company is one of 855 national, and 19 Georgia-based, organizations that has received a $50,000 grant through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. Over 3,100 organizations applied for this funding.
“All of us at the National Endowment for the Arts are keenly aware that arts organizations across the country are hurting, struggling, and trying to survive and that our supply of funding does not come close to meeting the demand for assistance,” said Arts Endowment Chairman Mary Anne Carter. “That said, I am enormously proud of the over-and-above efforts of the Arts Endowment staff to swiftly and professionally manage such a large amount of additional work in a relatively short period of time on behalf of the American public.”
With the grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, True Colors will support creatives whose income has been affected by the pandemic. Marie and Rosetta, the final production of our 19-20 season, was postponed due to COVID-19. This production featured a groundbreaking all-Black female creative team and cast. This funding will support virtual programming featuring the team and celebrate the genius of Sister Rosetta Tharpe. Our New Play Lab will create a home for writers of the African diaspora to develop and workshop their plays with audiences that are in tune with their experiences. In addition, True Colors will commission and virtually produce mini-works from early-and mid-career artists to amplify their voices.
“The very nature of theatre is resiliency”, says Jamil Jude, Artistic Director. “This gift enhances the odds that True Colors will survive these turbulent times and continue to be a home where Black voices are always heard and celebrated.”
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ABOUT KENNY LEON’S TRUE COLORS THEATRE COMPANY
True Colors Theatre Company is a nonprofit regional theater company based in Atlanta, GA. True Colors Theatre Company’s mission is to celebrate the rich traditions of Black storytelling while giving voice to bold new artists from all cultures. We add dimension and relevance to our work on the stage through active community engagement and 3rd – 12th grade education programming. The vision of Artistic Director Jamil Jude is for the company to thrive at the intersection of artistic excellence and civic engagement.
