MUSICAL THEATER

The National Endowment for the Arts nurtures the American musical theater field by funding the work of established musical theater organizations as well as projects by companies that also produce non-musical work.

The Arts Endowment supports projects that assist musical theater organizations and artists in the creation and refinement of work, the public presentation of musicals, and opportunities for professional development. Supported projects reflect the variety and breadth of artistic endeavor within the field including production, artists' residencies, new musical development laboratories, and showcases.

Deaf West Theater's revival of Big River at the Mark Taper Forum, Los Angeles. Photo by Joan Marcus.		World premiere of A Man of No Importance at Lincoln Center Theater, New York.

An organization may submit only one application under these FY 2005 Grants for Arts Projects guidelines. These guidelines offer funding opportunities for musical theater projects through three categories:

Access to Artistic Excellence

This category offers Standard Review Grants that use the agency's traditional method of application review. Applications are submitted to the Musical Theater staff and are reviewed by a diverse group of experts in the musical theater field.

Applications will be accepted under two deadlines: March 15, 2004, and August 16, 2004. Requests for the development and/or production of new musical theater work should be submitted under the March deadline.

For the production of existing works:

• Requests for productions that will occur during the 2004-05 season (with project activities beginning on or after January 1, 2005) should be submitted under the March deadline.
• Requests for productions that will occur during the 2005-06 season (with project activities beginning on or after June 1, 2005) should be submitted under the August deadline.

Applicants with questions about deadlines for certain project types are encouraged to contact the Musical Theater staff.

Creation of New Work and 2004-05 Musical Theater Production
(March 15, 2004, Application Deadline)

• Commissioning, development, and production of new musicals and musical adaptations.
• Development programs and labs for new musical theater work.
• Production or presentation of existing contemporary musicals and work from the musical theater canon that will occur during the 2004-05 season (with project activities beginning on or after January 1, 2005).

Outreach, Training, Services to the Field, and 2005-06 Musical Theater Production
(August 16, 2004, Application Deadline)

• Local, regional, and national touring.
• The presentation of musical theater productions that are touring regionally, nationally, or internationally by discipline-specific presenters.
• Professional training including classes, residencies, workshops, and mentorship of musical theater artists.
• Musical theater exposure and enrichment projects for children and youth.
• Documentation, preservation, conservation, and dissemination of America's musical theater heritage.
• Services to the musical theater field that assist organizations or artists in administrative, developmental, technical, and related areas.
• Production or presentation of existing contemporary musicals and work from the musical theater canon that will occur during the 2005-06 season (with project activities beginning on or after June 1, 2005).

For most Musical Theater applicants that produce or present work, the Arts Endowment requires a site visit to assess artistic excellence. See web site for deadlines and information regarding the scheduling of site visits.

Musical Theater Specialist: 202/682-5509

Challenge America Fast-Track Review Grants

June 1, 2004, Application Deadline

Fast-Track Review Grants receive an expedited review. Applications are submitted to the Challenge America Fast-Track Review Grants staff and are reviewed by a diverse group of arts experts and other individuals with broad knowledge of the specific types of projects in this funding area.

This category offers $10,000 grants to small and mid-sized organizations for projects that extend the reach of the arts to underserved populations - those whose opportunities to experience the arts are limited by geography, ethnicity, economics, or disability. This category is best suited to organizations with limited operating budgets. Projects that are supported in this category generally are smaller in scale and shorter in duration than those in the Access to Artistic Excellence or Learning in the Arts for Children and Youth categories. Projects are limited to the examples that are provided in the expanded Challenge America Fast-Track Review Grants description.

Challenge America Fast-Track Review Grants Specialists: 202/682-5700

Learning in the Arts for Children and Youth

June 14, 2004, Application Deadline

This category offers Standard Review Grants that use the agency's traditional method of application review. Applications are submitted to the Learning in the Arts staff and are reviewed by a diverse group of arts experts and other individuals with broad knowledge related to arts learning.

Learning in the Arts for Children and Youth funds projects that help children and youth acquire knowledge, skills, and understanding of the arts consistent with national, state, or local arts education standards. It also funds projects that recognize and cultivate best practices and exemplary research that explores the effect of arts learning on the cognitive and social development of children and youth. Projects may take place in school-based or community-based settings. See examples of the types of projects that are funded in this category in the expanded Learning in the Arts description.

Learning in the Arts Specialists:
Design, Literature, Media Arts, Museums, Visual Arts                            202/682-5521
Folk & Traditional Arts, Local Arts Agencies, Multidisciplinary,
    Presenting                                                                                    202/682-5690
Music organizations with names that begin A through L, Musical Theater,
    Opera, Theater                                                                             202/682-5688
Dance, Music organizations with names that begin M through Z             202/682-5044

If you wish to apply:

National Endowment for the Arts
webmgr@arts.endow.gov