BOSTON: The New England Foundation for the Arts (NEFA) has announced 11 recipients of the National Theater Project Creation and Touring award and Artist Development awards, totaling nearly $1.3 million.

The National Theater Project promotes artist-led, ensemble, and devised theatre works. Modeled after NEFA’s National Dance Project, National Theater Project provides full funding, as well as an informed, interactive network of producing theatre, presenters, and ensembles.

Since the inaugural round of grants in 2010, NEFA has given $9.69 million into the field through the program. To date, 86 new theatre works have been supported through grants, and touring has reached 43 different states. NEFA’s National Theater Project is funded by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation with additional support from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation.

“The National Theater Project advisors worked rigorously to determine the recipients through hard conversations about equity, the needs of the field, and the uncertainty surrounding performance when the world is changing so rapidly,” said Quita Sullivan, senior program director for theatre at NEFA, in a statement. “I’m so grateful to the advisors, the National Theater Project team, and of course the artists for this thoughtful work and process.”

“These artists and their projects elevate much-needed voice and vision that reflects where we are—and where we want to go—as a culture,” said NEFA executive director Cathy Edwards in a statement. “We are grateful for the strong partnership with our funders who demonstrate trust in our process and staff to move the field ahead.”

This years grants ranged from $92,000 to $100,000. A portion supported the creation and development of the new work, and the remainder went to artist-directed allocations to presenters in support of artist fees via the National Theater Project Presentation Grant. Each recipient also receives an additional $7,500 toward capacity building for touring the project. The 11 grant recipients and projects are:

• a todo dar productions, Cedar Park, Texas, Riding the Currents of the Wilding Wind
• Honolulu Theatre for Youth, Honolulu, Hawaii, I Lala Mauliola (Working Title)
• Kingorama, Brooklyn, Song of the North
• Nia Witherspoon, Brooklyn, Priestess of Twerk
• PearlDamour, New Orleans, OCEAN FILIBUSTER
• PULLproject Ensemble, Gardena, Calif., Tales of Clamor
• Safe Harbors NYC, North Arlington, N.J., Feasts of Ghosts
• Teo Castellanos D-Projects, Miami, F.Punk Junkies
• Theater Mitu, Brooklyn, Utopian Hotline
• Unit Souzou, Portland, Ore., Constant State of Otherness
• Wayne Shorter and Esperanza Spalding, Greenville, S.C., Iphigenia

Organizations interested in presenting any of these works—or works from previous grant rounds—may apply for a National Theater Project Presentation Grant after contacting a project’s tour coordinator, found in the directory. National Theater Project also provides travel support for arts presenters interested in seeing projects.

All National Theater Project finalists receive $2,500 at the beginning of the process. The artists who do not receive the Creation and Touring grant are awarded an additional $7,500 Artist Development Grants. Those recipients are:

• All My Relations Collective, Brooklyn, Gizhibaa Giizhig | Revolving Sky
• Amy Ruhl, Brooklyn, The Deposition of Moss Rose
• Critical Mass Performance Group, Los Angeles, Mariology
• DNAWORKS, Fort Worth, Texas, The Secret Sharer
• Ebony Noelle Golden, New York City, In The Name Of…
• José Torres-Tama & ArteFuturo Productions, New Orleans, United States of Amnesia: From Fugitive Slave Act to Zero Tolerance Policy
• Minor Theater, Providence, R.I., Marie It’s Time
• Pick Up Performance Co., New York City, “Relics And Their Humans” (working title)
• Remember2019, New York City, Black Cypress: Listening Parties Tour
• Roadside Theater/Appalshop, Whitesburg, Ky., New work by Roadside Theater
• The She Chronicles, Austin, TX, “She Came Home”Sydnie L. Mosley Dances, New York City, PURPLE, a ritual in nine spells
• Tall Order, Philadelphia, Those With 2 Clocks
• Wonderlust Productions, St. Paul, Minn., Lost & Found
• Written and performed by Whitney White and Peter Mark Kendall; Directed by Taibi Magar and Tyler Dobrowsky, Providence, R.I., Capsule