SCR scores $1 million from national foundations

Lolita Harper

South Coast Repertory was feeling the love Friday when theater

officials learned they would receive $1.05 million to expand funding

for various artists, officials said.

South Coast Repertory was one of seven nonprofit theaters to

receive part of $6.3 million through a national program funded by the

Doris Duke Charitable Foundation and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

The Costa Mesa theater received the second highest amount of all

recipients, just behind Center Theatre Group in Los Angeles, which

got $1.5 million.

The Leading National Theaters Program will establish an emerging

artists endowment to generate support for new creative and diverse

voices in American theater through artist residencies, readings,

workshops and studio productions, said Cris Gross, SCR spokesman.

The Duke Charitable Foundation issued a $750,000 challenge grant,

and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation gave $300,000, Gross said.

“Once the $750,000 matching grant is met, SCR will have a

$1.5-million restricted endowment to support grants to new artists

from diverse backgrounds,” said David Emmes, SCR’s producing artistic

director.

Emmes said the theater has already taken steps in that direction

through other fund-raising efforts and will now ensure its

continuation through the permanent endowment.

The Leading National Theatres Program, established in 2000 to

address critical issues studied by the Doris Duke Charitable

Foundation, supports 17 theaters throughout the nation, officials

said.

The Lincoln Center Theater and Roundabout Theatre companies in New

York each received $900,000; Arena Stage in Washington, D.C. and

California-based Berkeley Repertory Theatre each received $800,000;

and Perseverance Theatre in Douglas, Alaska got $700,000.

* LOLITA HARPER writes columns Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays

and covers culture and the arts. She may be reached at (949) 574-4275

or by e-mail at [email protected].