ASOLO THEATRE FESTIVAL NEWS
5555 North Tamiami Trail, Sarasota, Florida 34243
Box Office: 941-351-8000 Website: www.asolo.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE MEDIA CONTACT:
Friday, April 23, 2004 Julia Guzman
Public Relations Manager
941-351-9010 Ext. 4800

THE ASOLO IS ONE OF ONLY 22 THEATRES IN THE USA SELECTED TO RECEIVE AN NEA
SHAKESPEARE FOR A NEW GENERATION GRANT

Rep. Harris Announces Federal Dollars for Sarasota Arts Organizations

Sarasota, FL. – At a press conference held on the steps of the FSU Center for the Performing Arts in Sarasota today, The Asolo Theatre Company and Representative Katherine Harris (R-FL) announced that the Asolo has been selected by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) to receive a grant as part of its signature Shakespeare in American Communities program.

Rep. Harris also announced two other local NEA grant program recipients:
Sarasota Season of Sculpture, Inc., for its outdoor sculpture exhibition featuring largescale works by international artists, and Florida Studio Theatre, Inc., for its Write a Play Tour and auxiliary activities for elementary and secondary school students.

Only 22 theater companies nationally, including the Asolo, have been selected to participate in the second phase of NEA’s Shakespeare in American Communities program: Shakespeare for a New Generation. The Asolo Theatre Company is the only Florida theatre to be chosen.

The companies will receive matching funds to support activities targeting students from at least 10 schools in their communities, states or regions during the 2004-05 school year. As part of the initiative, the Asolo will perform A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

“Educational outreach has been an important element of the Asolo’s mission through the years,” explained Howard Millman, producing artistic director of the Asolo. “This grant will allow us to expand our education program and reach more students and students from areas we haven’t worked with before.”

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According to the Asolo education department, Access to the Arts sponsors student attendance at Asolo plays with free and subsidized tickets, teacher workshops and study materials, and classroom visits. The program began in 1991 serving 1,400 students. In 2003-2004 more than 7,000 school children were able to attend, experience and enjoy Asolo productions through Access to the Arts. This grant will allow the program to expand by reaching more students in Sarasota, Manatee, DeSoto, Charlotte and Lee counties, and by reaching out farther into communities the Asolo has not served before – Hillsborough and Pinellas counties. It also adds a new component, which is more in depth follow up for students identified by their teachers as showing particular promise.

Added Millman, “It is through this type of NEA grant funding and the generous donations of our patrons that we are able to continue the good work of our Access to the Arts program. It is an honor to participate in this initiative and help introduce Shakespeare to new generations of children in our community.”

For more information on the NEA Shakespeare initiatives, go to www.shakespeaseinamericancommunities.org 

For more information on the Asolo’s professional theatre productions or its educational outreach programs, such as Access to the Arts, go to www.asolo.org

Also see:
NEA Grant: Shakespeare for a New Generation Fact Sheet for more information

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The Asolo is funded in part by the Division of Cultural Affairs, Florida Department of State, The Florida Arts Council, the City and County of Sarasota and the Sarasota County Tourist Development Tax through the Board of County Commissioners, the Tourist Development Council, and the Sarasota Arts Council. Funding is also received through the efforts of support groups including the Asolo Angel Association, the Asolo Theatre Guild, The Directors Emeritus and the generosity of individuals, corporations and foundations.