The National Endowment for the Arts Presents $50,000 Grant to the Pasadena Playhouse Under the CARES Act

While the Pasadena Playhouse has suffered for months under shutdowns caused by the Covid-19 pandemic as numerous productions had to be postponed or canceled, the venerable theatre received a major piece of good news on Wednesday. The official State Theatre of California learned it had been approved for a $50,000 award as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.

“At the start of the current crisis, we began an aggressive fundraising campaign to sustain the Playhouse through this uncertain time while continuing to serve our community,” said

Producing Artistic Director Danny Feldman. “This grant bolsters that effort, helping us reach our goal of employing as many artists and staff as possible while our curtain is down. We thank the National Endowment for the Arts for their support.”

Pasadena Playhouse is one of 855 organizations located in every state, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico selected for this grant. The National Endowment for the Arts received more than 3,100 eligible applications requesting $157 million for the $45 million available in direct assistance.

Pasadena Playhouse, along with the other awardees, represents the diverse nature of arts organizations around the country.

Overall funding was divided nearly evenly between small, medium, and large arts organizations. The grant will be used to support Pasadena Playhouse’s digital programming personnel in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The pandemic and its shutdown provided a shock to the system for the Playhouse, which had to cancel “Mach 33: The Caltech/Pasadena Playhouse Festival of New Science-Driven Plays” on April 3-4; a Pasadena Civic Ballet production of “Aladdin” from April 17-19; an April 20 Holocaust Remembrance Reading of “The Diary of Anne Frank”; and the impending July 28-Aug. 3 run of “Annie Get Your Gun.” In addition, the May 27-July 28 production of “Ann” – a biographical play about the renowned, late Texas governor Ann Richards – was postponed to a future date.

The Playhouse is currently offering an online course titled “The Broadway Musical & America” through July 21, and will likely offer more such classes in the coming months.

The National Endowment for the Arts says that arts and culture are a key component of the U.S. economy that contributed $877.8 billion, or 4.5 percent, to the nation’s gross domestic product in 2017 and employed over five million wage?and?salary workers who collectively earned $405 billion. This funding will help support those jobs and those nonprofit organizations during this time of great need so that arts and culture will persevere as a significant contributor to the American economy.

Established by Congress in 1965, the National Endowment for the Arts is the independent federal agency whose funding and support gives Americans the opportunity to participate in the arts, exercise their imaginations, and develop their creative capacities. Through partnerships with state arts agencies, local leaders, other federal agencies, and the philanthropic sector, the Arts Endowment supports arts learning, affirms and celebrates America’s rich and diverse cultural heritage, and extends its work to promote equal access to the arts in every community across America. Visit arts.gov to learn more.

The Pasadena Playhouse has produced bold and important theater for over 100 years. It is one of the most prolific theaters in American history with a legacy of profound theatrical impact and courageous new work. In 1937, the Playhouse was officially recognized as the State Theater of California for its contribution and commitment to the dramatic arts.