Westport, N.Y. – The New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA) has increased its commitment to the Depot Theatre with a grant of $17,000 per year for each of the next three years. The grant is the largest multi-year general-operating support NYSCA award to the Depot since 2008.
NYSCA grants, with the support of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislature, support the transformative impact of the performing, literary, visual and media arts in New York State.
The Depot Theatre is one of 462 arts organizations across New York State receiving a total of $8,383,993 million in grants through NYSCA’s Round II FY2020 funding to support arts programs that drive New York State’s economic growth and community health.
“New York’s cultural sector is a driving force in our state’s economy,” said Katherine Nicholls, Chair, New York State Council on the Arts. “As our arts organizations expand their audiences and programs with NYSCA support, we will serve many more New Yorkers and build the vitality of our communities statewide.”
“This increased commitment will have a tremendous impact on both our long term budget planning and our ability to achieve our strategic goals,” said Cheri Phillips, president of the Depot Theatre Board of Trustees. “On behalf of the Depot, we are grateful to Governor Cuomo, the New York State Legislature and, especially, the dedicated staff at NYSCA for their continued confidence in the mission and direction of the theatre.”
In 2017, the Depot Theatre replaced the seating and carpeting in its 134-seat theatre. The project was funded in-part by a facilities program grant from NYSCA. In 2018, NYSCA awarded the Depot a multi-year general-operating grant of $15,000 per year for two years. In 2019, an additional full-time Associate Director/Company Manager position was made possible in its initial year with funding via a New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA) workforce development grant, the result of a successful Regional Economic Development Council (REDC) Initiatives Consolidated Funding Application (CFA).
NYSCA will award a total of $41 million to arts organizations across New York State for FY2020. The second of three rounds of NYSCA funding for FY2020 includes support for museums, theatres, and arts organizations that drive tourism and anchor communities and arts education programs essential to learning for all ages, including public school students, aging populations and at-risk youth.
The Depot Theatre is a non-profit, professional theatre located in a historic, functioning 1876 train station in the Adirondacks, and is the only theatre in the Adirondacks that operates under an agreement with Actors’ Equity Association. The theatre currently offers 3-4 productions in the summer along with educational outreach programs. 2020 will be the theatre’s 42nd season.
For more information about the Depot Theatre, visit depottheatre.org or call 518.962.4449.
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About The New York State Council on the Arts
The New York State Council on the Arts champions community and creativity by preserving and advancing numerous aspects of the cultural heritage that makes New York State an exceptional place to live, work and visit.
NYSCA upholds the right of all New Yorkers to experience the vital contributions the arts make to our communities, education, economic development and quality of life. Through its core grantmaking activity, NYSCA awarded $51M in FY2019 to 2,400 organizations statewide through direct grants and regrants in our 15 programs, the Regional Economic Development Council initiative, and the Mid-Size Capital Project Fund. NYSCA funding supports the visual, literary, media, and performing arts and includes dedicated support for arts education and underserved communities. NYSCA further advances New York’s creative culture by hosting convenings with leaders in the field and providing organizational and professional development opportunities and informational resources.
Created by Governor Nelson Rockefeller in 1960, and continued and expanded to the present day with the support of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislature, NYSCA is an agency of the Executive Branch of the New York State Government. For more information on NYSCA, please visit: www.arts.ny.gov.
About the Depot Theatre
The Depot Theatre is a non-profit, professional theatre located in a historic, functioning 1876 train station in Westport, N.Y., and operates under an agreement with Actors’ Equity Association, the union of professional actors and stage managers in the United States. In addition to its volunteer board of trustees, the theatre depends on the support and generosity of its loyal donors, volunteers and community members. Committed to promoting and providing exposure to the performing arts in the Adirondacks, the Depot Theatre invites all to “Take a journey without leaving the station.” The Depot Theatre’s 2020 Season is made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature. The season productions are made possible, in part, by the Essex County Arts Council’s Cultural Assistance Program Grant with funding provided by Essex County. www.depottheatre.org