2020-867-E Arts Commission - Playmakers arts grant

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DocuSign Envelope ID:2ED020E4-C1B7-42FB-8A6D-497FA5EB9762 has a transformational impact on individuals and entire communities and are committed to making our work accessible to all. PRC also serves as the professional laboratory for UNC-CH's department of dramatic art and is devoted to nurturing and training future generations of artists. As a professional theatre in residence at a major research university, PRC is uniquely positioned to lead the way in integrating the making of new art with the creation of new knowledge. Under the leadership of Producing Artistic Director Vivienne Benesch since 2016, PRC has continued a tradition of producing vibrantly reimagined classics and significant contemporary work. In Benesch's first four years, PRC has also produced eight world premieres, many of which have gone on to other regional and off-Broadway theatres. Benesch is especially committed to PlayMakers' role as a vibrant and essential hub of social and civic discourse in the region and to building our reputation as an incubator for new American plays. Each year, PRC produces nine professional productions on two stages at the Joan H. Gillings Center for Dramatic Art in Chapel Hill, bringing new and classic works to more than 50,000 audience members annually, 10% of which are UNC students. Our regional touring program, PlayMakers Mobile, brings free, pared down performances of reimagined classic works to libraries, retirement facilities, public art spaces, and juvenile detention centers across the Triangle. For many attendees, this is their first experience with live theater. Currently, the two-week tour visits sites in and around the Triangle; over the next five years, our goal is to expand this program to visit all 100 counties in the state of North Carolina. In addition to innovative productions, PRC produces robust year-round educational and engagement programs. Our initiatives have served over 150,000 area youth since 1984 through Student Matinees, teaching-artist-in-residency programs, and our award-winning Summer Youth Conservatory. We are committed to integrating authentic access, equity, diversity, and inclusion into every aspect of our work on and off stage. Our resident company and guest artists represent a strong group of diverse peoples and with each new season, we prioritize for gender parity and racial equity on stage and make intentional hiring and programming choices to push this balance forward. In 2017, PRC received a prestigious 50/50 Applause Award from the International Centre for Women Playwrights and our 2018-19 season saw an entirely female roster of directors on our mainstage. Our 41-person full-and part-time staff and our 23-member advisory council are primarily White with a wide range of age and gender representative. We are continually working to reflect a more inclusive workplace and create opportunities for greater racial representation among our staff and council.