A Message from Brooke

Dear Friends of A.R.T./New York,

After three amazing years, it is with sadness that I write to you one last time to say goodbye as I move on to my next position.

I am very proud to have been a part of A.R.T./New York, and feel fortunate to have met so many wonderful supporters, who understand the importance of this incredible organization, which does so much for the theatre field. It has been an exciting few years as we opened the A.R.T./New York Theatres and continued to grow our membership and operating budget, and I want to thank all of you for your support throughout this time. Thanks to your generosity, our campaigns have been strong and our annual gala giving has grown by 20%. I will particularly miss producing this warm and fun event, which I looked forward to each year.

Before I even walked through the doors on my first day at this organization, a member artist I knew told me, “A.R.T./New York has been invaluable to us for 15 years.” That sentiment has been a consistent refrain that I have heard repeated by so many theatre companies during my time here. Thank you for your generosity, which allows A.R.T./New York to be the critical resource artists need. If you’d like to stay in touch (and I hope you will!), I can be found on LinkedIn.

With best wishes for 2018,

Brooke Berescik-Johns

A Message from the executive director

I have been giving a lot of thought to the power of theatre these days.

At a time when our country feels polarized and the challenges of the world seem overwhelming, theatre gives us something we deeply need and crave: connectivity.

There is nothing more powerful than sitting in the dark and watching a story come to life. When Arnold, in Harvey Fierstein’s Torch Song Trilogy at Second Stage, asks his mother to “put herself in his shoes and imagine a world where you never see your lifestyle depicted in the media,” the mother in me took that short and painful journey. I’ve taken these journeys dozens of times with our member companies. At Lynn Nottage’s Sweat at The Public, I came to better understand the anger American factory workers feel at the country they believe abandoned them. In Eddie Cardona Jr.’s Bamboo in Bushwick at Working Theater, I experienced the stress of lifelong Bushwick residents whose rising rents were forcing them out of the neighborhood they love.

This is why, when I think about the theatre, I feel so grateful to you for giving to A.R.T./New York. Your continued support makes it possible for us to provide grants, loans, training, and affordable office, rehearsal and performance spaces to our artists.

You’ve helped transform A.R.T./New York from an organization that started in 1972 serving 42 theatres, into a $4 million powerhouse that operates on three campuses, including the A.R.T./New York Theatres on West 53rd Street. Thanks to you, our membership has grown to 380 (20 more since we printed the enclosed brochure) as young people continue moving to our great city to create theatre.

No other organization provides the depth and breadth of services we do. It is critical that as we grow, the frequency and quality of our programs continues to meet the growing needs of thousands of artists. That is why I am asking you to contribute to A.R.T./New York today.

With many thanks and warm wishes for the Holidays,

Ginny Louloudes

Executive Director 

Grants in Action 

Each year, A.R.T./New York awards $63,000 through the Edith Lutyens and Norman Bel Geddes Design Enhancement Fund to companies who wish to augment their design budgets and take their creative visions to the next level. With grants ranging from $2,000-$6,000, companies with shows already in the works may use the award to elevate their original concepts and boost their show’s ‘wow’ factor with improvements to their sound, lighting, costume, special effects, set design, multimedia elements, or any other design element.

This October, four of our seven grantees have their shows up and running. We encourage you to check out their incredible work!  

Grantee: Woodshed Collective

Show: KPOP

Now playing at the A.R.T./New York Theatres

This ambitiously interactive show uses video and projection design to transform the space and fully immerse audiences.

Photo: Ben Arons

Grantee: Ping Chong + Company

Show: ALAXSXA | ALASKA

Now playing through Oct 29 at La Mama

Projection Design including projectors, mounts, and moveable projection towers help create Ping Chong’s collage of striking contemporary and historical encounters.

Grantee: Ripe Time

Show: Sleep

November 27 - December 2 at BAM Fisher Space

The set has a creative, multi-piece floor unit that is built to break open as the show (and character arc) progresses.

Photo: Julieta Cervantes

Grantee: SITI Company

Show: Hanjo

December 7-9  at the Japan Society

Wireless microphones, monitor technology, and the use of a professional recording studio enhanced the movement and music in the bilingual triptych.