A theater company in the northern Iowa town of Saint Ansgar is getting an $18,000 federal grant to put on musicals celebrating American history this summer.
Cedar Summerstock Theatre Executive Artistic Director Nancy Nickerson Lee says they’ll showcase important figures and scenes from American history. “Musical theater has been a way to really tell a lot of the stories of our culture and our history, so connecting those two was really important,” Lee says.
The shows will include Newsies, Grease and Sister Act. “I think that all of these stories uplift the best of the character of the United States, and people – both common people and people who are historical,” she says. The theater’s internship and apprenticeship program brings college students and youth from across the country every summer to train as actors and technicians while producing professional shows.
The National Endowment for the Arts announced more than $16 million in grants as part of its initiative to support projects celebrating America’s 250th birthday.
(By Josie Fischels, Iowa Public Radio)