Key City Public Theatre receives $10k grant from National Endowment for the Arts

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A local theatre production has earned national support.

Key City Public Theatre has been approved by the National Endowment for the Arts to receive a Challenge America award of $10,000.

The money will go to support the production “REDD” by Kat Agudo.

This grant is one of 262 Challenge America awards totaling $2.62 million that were announced by the endowment as part of its first round of fiscal year 2023 grants.

“The National Endowment for the Arts is proud to support arts projects in communities nationwide,” said Maria Rosario Jackson, the organization’s chair. “Projects such as this one with Key City Public Theatre strengthen arts and cultural ecosystems, provide equitable opportunities for arts participation and practice, and contribute to the health of our communities and our economy.”

“‘REDD’ is a unique opportunity for KCPT’s regional BIPOC Ensemble Actors to explore roles that resonate with their cultural backgrounds; characters that are tailor-made for them in a collaboration with an up and coming playwright,” said Denise Winter, executive artistic director for the theatre. “We are so proud to have this platform to show young people from underserved communities that they can reinvent their story with hope and action necessary in today’s world.”

“REDD” was commissioned in June 2022 by Winter with the aim of re-inventing the folktale about Little Red Riding Hood’s euro-centric lens to invite a diverse Asian cast and audience.

Before the famous Brothers Grimm iteration, the spiritual intricacies of Little Red were embedded in the mystical lore of the Asian tradition featuring a hungry wolf longing to feast upon young prey.

This play is intended to be mature, terrifying, and a startling examination of feminine livelihood through the eyes of a young person.

Agudo seeks to translate poetic narratives about mental health, Asian-American experiences, LGBTQ representation, and social media culture to the stage by confronting horrific trauma with comedy.

The play will have its world premiere at Key City Public Theatre in April.

For more information on other projects included in the grant announcement, visit arts.gov/news.