Washington Middle School is pleased to announce that the American Theatre Wing, best known as the creator of the Antoinette Perry “Tony” Awards, is awarding the Theatre program at WMS with a Classroom Resource Grant from the Andrew Lloyd Webber Initiative for $34,755.00.
“Arts education, and making theater available to all young persons, is vital to the growth of our culture and society. The grant proposals received this year have shown the urgent need for arts funding in primary and secondary schools across America, and for young persons looking to further their arts education. I am proud that we are in the third year of this program, and am excited for the years to come,” said Andrew Lloyd Webber.
“Since we launched the Andrew Lloyd Webber Initiative almost three years ago, we have significantly expanded it to provide more support to even more schools and students all across the country. To date, the Initiative has awarded over $1.3 million in grants and scholarships, reaching over thirty-five thousand students nationwide,” said Heather Hitchens, President & CEO of the American Theatre Wing.
With the Andrew Lloyd Webber Foundation’s help, the American Theatre Wing is investing in Public Schools to help drama teachers get more of the resources they need to provide quality drama instruction in their schools. Through this Classroom Resource grant-giving program, funding is provided directly to under-resourced public schools to provide instruments, dance floors, lighting grids, and other necessary materials to help create new and enhance existing theater programs.
These grants are part of the American Theatre Wing’s Andrew Lloyd Webber Initiative, a major new national program which received $1.3 million in seed funding from the Andrew Lloyd Webber Foundation to promote diversity, equity, and access to the arts. This project is an expansion of the work that the multi-Tony Award winning composer and producer has been doing to promote and fund arts education through his Foundation in the United Kingdom. The Initiative’s focus is to bridge the gap between talent and opportunity, creating a stronger pipeline to the professional theater for promising artists of all backgrounds—fostering a future generation of theater makers and patrons that reflects the diversity and dynamism of America as a whole.
“The recognition from the American Theatre Wing is a tremendous honor, and we are excited about the future opportunities for our students,” said Dr. Resnick, Principal of Washington Middle School.
More information about the ALW Classroom Resource Grants can be found at
http://americantheatrewing.org/program/the-andrew-lloyd-webber-initiative/