Local arts organizations are banding together to talk about the state of the arts in Dallas-Fort Worth in the wake of funding cuts from the National Endowment for the Arts. NBC 5’s Noelle Walker visited one local theater that has everything from kids’ programs to community theater productions.
The Bishop Arts Theatre Center is hosting a public community forum with other DFW nonprofit arts organizations.
This is the first week of summer camp at the Bishop Arts Theatre Center in Dallas. Students are learning one of the cardinal rules of the theater: the show must go on!
Watch NBC 5 free wherever you are
WATCH HERE"You fell, but you know Phoenix, you got right back up," Bishop Arts Theatre Center Camp Director Justin Cavasos said after students performed a short dance. "And that's what we always tell you to do!"
The Bishop Arts Theatre lived that motto recently, when it put on a production of 'A Dallas Hedda', based on the Ibsen classic, Hedda Gabler. The show was already in production when its $15,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts was pulled.
Get top local stories delivered to you every morning with NBC DFW's News Headlines newsletter.
SIGN UP "We didn't want to lose in vain our artists, our designers who put in so much work into this show," Artistic Producer Albert Wash said. "So we're like, nah, we're gonna go in, we're gonna fight, we're gonna continue to put this show on."
Wash said it didn't break them, but it might have made them stronger...together. The Bishop Arts Theatre Center is joining other local arts nonprofits Thursday night for a community forum on the State of the Arts in DFW.
"Connecting all of us together, and just making sure we are all as one and helping each other out," Wash said. "We have to really get creative."
Local
The latest news from around North Texas.
Wash said the forum will discuss funding alternatives to NEA grants.
"And also make sure we know what's going on at the Senate level and the Congress level too, because our administration right now, we have to be educated," Wash said. "Theater is a powerful tool, and at the end of the day, anybody can connect with theater."
The NEA grant cuts don't impact the Bishop Arts Theatre summer camp, but one day, some of those students might want to be in the theatre.
"When you cut out art, you're cutting out a community," Cavasos said. "I see them building connections, especially when they're shy, and seeing them thrive on stage, it's really heartwarming to see."
The State of the Arts in North Texas and Beyond public forum is Thursday, May 29 at 7:30 p.m. at Bishop Arts Theatre. It's located at 215 S. Tyler Street, Dallas. The forum is free and open to the public, but seats are limited so reservations are recommended.
