Arts Spotlight written on a dark blue background with unfocused orbs of light

 

Each month we feature arts and community-based organizations and their programs and projects funded by the Delaware Division of the Arts in our Arts Spotlight which will be included on our monthly e-newsletter, Arts E-News and online. If you haven’t signed up yet for Arts E-News, please do so here.

Funding for Division of the Arts grants is provided by the Delaware General Assembly and the National Endowment for the Arts. To view past grants awarded (1999 to present), please visit our Grants Awarded page.

Grant Types: GOS – General Operating Support; PS – Project Support

July 2024

 

The Fantasticks Logo

The Candlelight Theatre
The Fantasticks
Ardentown
General Operating Support

For 55 years, The Candlelight Theatre has been welcoming audiences to our rustic barn in Ardentown, Delaware to enjoy musicals, classic comedies and dramas, along with our monthly Comedy Club, Quizzo, and special events. This intimate venue, just outside of Wilmington, offers audiences a unique experience as the only dinner theater in the state, and one of few within a 100-mile radius.

THE FANTASTICKS is a magical journey, part fairy tale, part fable and entirely enchanting. With book and lyrics by Tom Jones and music by Harvey Schmidt, it features such memorable songs as “Try to Remember” and “Soon It’s Gonna Rain” and has the distinction of being the longest-running musical in the history of theater. To understand that extraordinary longevity is to recognize the essence of what makes us human, the elemental forces of love, family, friendship, and adversity. The Fantasticks will, as it has done for over 60 years, transport you to that special place in your memory. “…That spot beside the clover where someone’s hand held your hand and love was sweeter than the berries.” Try to remember….and then try not to smile.

To learn more, visit: https://candlelighttheatredelaware.org/

REEL Families for Change

REEL Families for Change
Delaware Collective for Creative Economy
Dover
Project Support Support

Reel Families for Change is a nationally-serving nonprofit committed to re-humanizing the arts and entertainment industry; ensuring the well-being of its workers and their families by acknowledging arts work as valuable skilled labor.

Though a nationally-serving organization, Reel Families for Change is largely effective because of our localized advocacy and community engagement efforts. In other places, we work to correct a history of labor inequity experienced by working artists and their families. Given that Delaware is still relatively new to the for-profit arts and culture ecosystem, our work here largely revolves around leveraging the things we’ve learned elsewhere to help inform best practice and prevent similar pitfalls. Rather than having to course correct in another 10 years, we want to help Delaware build a thriving, equitable commercial arts economy now.

Here, in the First State, our local initiative, the Delaware Collective for Creative Economy, aims to serve local artists, cultural workers, and their families by providing resources, advocacy, and support tailored to the unique needs of the Delaware arts community. This initiative focuses on fostering sustainable careers, promoting fair labor practices, and ensuring access to essential family support services. By partnering with local organizations, businesses, and policymakers, we strive to create an environment where creative professionals can thrive and contribute to the state’s economic and cultural vitality.

To learn more, visit: https://reelfamilies.org/dcce

The projects above are supported, in part, by a grant from the Delaware Division of the Arts, a state agency, in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts. The Division promotes these and other Delaware arts events on DelawareScene.com.

The Division offers a variety of grant programs for individual artists; nonprofit, tax-exempt organizations chartered and based in Delaware; and schools and government entities that support arts activities. View a full list of Division grants on the Grants Overview page.