NEA Abruptly Pulls Arts Grants on a Massive Scale
Arts organizations, including dozens of theatre companies, had NEA grants withdrawn or terminated late last week, and leadership resignations at the endowment bode ill.
Stories by Rob Weinert-Kendt
Rob Weinert-Kendt is editor-in-chief of American Theatre. He was the founding editor-in-chief of Back Stage West and writes about theatre for the New York Times, Time Out NY, and the Los Angeles Times. He studied film at USC and is a composer member of the BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theater Workshop.
Trump Proposes Elimination of NEA and NEH
The administration’s 2026 budget comes at a time when the future of NEA staff and grant programs remains in doubt.
A New Wind Sweeping Down the Plain in ‘O.K.!’
In Christin Eve Cato’s play at Intar Theatre, a pregnant actor finds herself in a state where she cain’t say no.
All About My Mother: The Parent Trap of ‘Rheology’
Shayok Misha Chowdhury’s new play at the Bushwick Starr isn’t just about his mother, the physicist Bulbul Chakraborty. She’s also his co-star.
Willem Dafoe Adds Festival Programmer to His Résumé
The busy actor has stocked an International Theatre Festival at the Venice Biennale with heavy hitters—including the one that formed him, the Wooster Group.
How the 2 Sides of Lisa D’Amour Are Fused in ‘Frozen Section’
Her new play at the Catastrophic Theatre draws on both the experimental sensibility of PearlDamour and on the unsettled naturalism of ‘Detroit.’
Editor’s Note: Our Still-Unfolding Story
Our 2025 Winter issue launches during uncertain times—but they are precedented.
a.k. payne’s ‘Furlough’s Paradise’ Wins Susan Smith Blackburn Prize
Their two-hander about cousins sharing grief and comparing plans for utopia is part of the writer’s growing body of work.
Jack O’Brien and André Bishop’s Final Duet at Lincoln Center Theater
With an intimate new staging of Ibsen’s thorny ‘Ghosts,’ the versatile director and seasoned producer, who’s nearing the end of his LCT tenure, are not going quietly.
New NEA Guidelines Require Compliance With Trump’s Anti-DEI, Anti-Trans Orders
Other updates include a cancellation of Challenge America grants and a new emphasis on patriotic ‘America250’ projects.
