Big news for one local theater: Silver Spring’s Forum Theatre has received one of the American Theatre Wing’s 2014 national grants. Forum announced Thursday that it is among 12 US theaters to be recognized this year by the American Theatre Wing, best known as the creator of the Tony Awards, a.k.a. the Oscars of the stage.
The New York nonprofit—which began as the Stage Women’s War Relief in 1917—every year awards at least ten companies from around the United States who “ have articulated a distinctive mission, cultivated an audience, and nurtured a community of artists in ways that strengthen and demonstrate the quality, diversity, and dynamism of American theatre.”
Forum was founded in 2003 with the goal, as explained on its website, of helping“eliminate barriers to an inclusive audience. We want to make sure that Forum is a theatre for low income individuals, students, regular and hard-core theatre go-ers, and audience members from a variety of background and all walks of life.” To make that happen, the theater last year began offering pay-what-you-can tickets for all its performances.
“The recognition from the American Theatre Wing is a tremendous honor,” Forum artistic director Michael Dove says in a press release. “We are very proud of . . . the work we do in facilitating community discussions around our plays.”
Each theater recognized receives $10,000 for “general operating support.”
See the rest of 2014 grant recipients below.
Amphibian Stage Productions (Fort Worth, TX)
Ars Nova (New York, NY)
Keen Company (New York, NY)
PlayGround (San Francisco, CA)
Red Bull Theater (New York, NY)
Rogue Machine Theatre (Los Angeles, CA)
The House Theatre of Chicago (Chicago, IL)
The TEAM (New York, NY)
Theater Wit (Chicago, IL)
Theatre B (Fargo, ND)
Williamston Theatre (Williamston, MI)
