Kristina Fountaine and John Hauser in the Shakespeare in the Parking Lot performance of Romeo and Juliet. Photo by McLeod Creative.

Grant Funding Will Support Virtual and In-Person Shakespeare Programming for Youth during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The Denver Center for the Performing Arts (DCPA) is thrilled to be a recipient of the Arts Midwest Shakespeare in American Communities grant for the DCPA Education program, Shakespeare in the Parking Lot.

Shakespeare in the Parking Lot delivers theatre directly to schools and the community with abridged performances of Romeo & Juliet and A Midsummer Night’s Dream and takes place in and around a pick-up truck “set.” School performances are followed by in-class, interactive workshops that help students connect the themes of the play to contemporary issues and the high school experience.

Now in its 18th year, Shakespeare in American Communities is a theater program of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with Arts Midwest. By providing grants to theater companies that produce Shakespeare’s works, the program supports high-quality productions and educational activities in middle schools, high schools, and juvenile justice facilities throughout the United States. In response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, these performances and educational events may take place virtually or in person between August 1, 2020, and July 31, 2021.

DCPA is among 40 theatre companies and organizations that have been selected to participate in the program for 2020-21. For more information on Shakespeare in the Parking Lot, visit denvercenter.org/education.

Arts Midwest believes that creativity has the power to inspire and unite humanity. Based in Minneapolis, Arts Midwest grows, gathers, and invests in creative organizations and communities throughout the nine-state region of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. One of six nonprofit United States Regional Arts Organizations, Arts Midwest’s history spans more than 30 years. For more information, visit artsmidwest.org. Arts Midwest Press Release