Thrown Stone is pleased to announce that it has been awarded a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts to support the launch of its Invitation to the Conversation program. The program aims to make the full experience of attending a performance financially accessible to lower-income families in Fairfield County, Connecticut, and to create a more inclusive theatrical culture.
By providing admission and roundtrip transportation, the program aims to serve lower-income families with teens in Fairfield County. In 2023, the initiative will prioritize outreach to Danbury, where the annual median income is $50,000 or less.
“We are grateful to receive this grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, which will allow us to launch this program and bring the transformative power of theatre to more families in our community,” said Co-Artistic Director Jonathan Winn. “By inviting our neighbors, we hope to encourage more people to join our theatrical conversation, regardless of their ability to pay or their access to transportation.”
Thrown Stone’s Invitation to the Conversation program will launch with the world premiere of Seven Cousins for a Horse by Tammy Ryan, a play about the prolific local 19th century portraitist, Ammi Phillips. The themes of the play, which will be performed at the intimate Ridgefield Conservatory of Dance, revolve around living through times of extraordinary change and social upheaval. Thrown Stone will serve 15 families in 2023, with plans to expand the program in future years.
“Providing transportation is a key aspect of the program,” said Co-Artistic Director Jason Peck, “as lack of transportation can be a significant barrier to attending cultural events for many families.”
Thrown Stone has hired community advocate Phyllis Kinlow to build strategies for outreach for the new program and engage with community partners, such as The Center for Empowerment and Education, and other governmental and nonprofit organizations to extend the invitation to interested families. If your family would like an invitation, RSVP here.