05/03/2025
Folks, I must report that a large NEA grant we received for a Theatre Nohgaku project called In A Memory Palace has been arbitrarily terminated by the Trump Administration. I know we're not the first to feel the capricious attacks of this travesty of a government, but since it strikes close to home I'm speaking out. I'm copying and pasting part of the notice we received--no need to put yourself through the tedium of reading it, but as a record it needs to be shown. The gist is this: we live in a time when one utterly corrupt and pathetically empty man claims the authority to decide what can and cannot be shown on American stages. We can rise up or bow down; now is the time to decide. Doing nothing is an active vote for dictatorship. Rise up!
"This is to inform you that the above referenced National Endowment for the Arts award has been terminated, effective May 31, 2025.
The NEA is updating its grantmaking policy priorities to focus funding on projects that reflect the nation's rich artistic heritage and creativity as prioritized by the President. Consequently, we are terminating awards that fall outside these new priorities... Funding is being allocated in a new direction in furtherance of the Administration’s agenda."
