A Future for American Theatre

In the face of dwindling arts funding and shrinking audiences, and while many theaters have been forced to shutter, five small to midsize theatre companies came together in Spring 2023 to share resources, foster collective learning, and champion new visions for the American Theater. Their goal, individually and collectively, is to center historically marginalized artists and audiences in all facets of their work while developing new models for artistic production, audience building, community engagement, new play development, and organizational leadership.\r\n\r\nIn January 2024, Cleveland Public Theatre was among a cohort of companies that received historic support from the Mellon Foundation--allowing them to continue innovating strategies that can be replicated by the national field.