Contact: Robin Reid, Communications Director
Madison Community Foundation
608-232-1763 or rreid@madisoncommunityfoundation.org
Madison Community Foundation recently awarded $170,000 from the Pleasant Rowland Great Performance Fund for Theater to four theater companies who will be performing in the Overture Center for the 2013-2014 theater season.
“Theater in Overture amplifies the cultural, educational and economic opportunities of our community,” said Kathleen Woit, Madison Community Foundation President. “These grant awards support a variety of theater experiences for all ages, including not only the performances themselves, but also school and retirement facility outreach, workshops, talk backs, and a writing festival.”
The Fund for Theater endowment provides competitively awarded annual funding to Wisconsin-based professional theater companies to present work in the Overture Center.
The 2013 Pleasant Rowland Fund for Theater Grant awards are:
Forward Theater Company
$100,000
Sons of the Prophet, Red, Or, and New Play Development Series
Forward Theater launches its fifth season with three plays not yet seen in Madison and two staged readings of plays in development. Forward’s subscriber base has grown 98% since its first year, with a projected 387% increase in overall attendance in 2012-2013 over the first year. This is a strong testament to the desire for professional theater in the Madison area, with Forward delightfully filling the bill.
CTM
$32,500
The Giver, Fiddler on the Roof
CTM embarks on an ambitious season for 2013-2014 including productions of “The Giver” and “Fiddler on the Roof.” Adapted from the Newberry Award-winning book by Lois Lowery, “The Giver” is a cautionary tale about choices, power, and status quo. The “jubilant musical masterpiece” we all know as “Fiddler on the Roof” will be a performed as a full-scale musical with a live orchestra.
Four Seasons Theater
$25,000
The Fantastics, Great American Songbook – Great
Dames: Leading Ladies of Stage and Screen
Through choices in classical musical theater, Four Seasons Theater has committed to an ambitious season that will reach a broad area audience and work with a large number of Madison area actors, designers, musicians, and technicians. A selection of works from the shows will also be performed in numerous outreach programs at senior centers, retirement communities, schools, and civic events.
Opera for the Young
$12,500
Family Opera Day – The Barber of Seville in the Playhouse
For the 2013-2014 Season, Opera for the Young will create a brand new production of the popular comic staple, The Barber of Seville, culminating in two performances at Overture Center for the Arts replete with the audience singing in their seats. The performances will be complemented with workshops in theater, music and design with assistance from the Madison Children’s Museum and Madison Youth Choirs.
The mission of the Madison Community Foundation is to encourage, facilitate, and manage long-term philanthropy.
