A Broken Umbrella Theater Gets $500K State Cultural Grant: Gov. Lamont

NEW HAVEN, CT — A Broken Umbrella Theater of New Haven is set to receive a Good to Great Grant Program grant of $500,000, Gov. Ned Lamont announced Wednesday.

The funds would be used to create a black box theater, cultural hub, and operational base that will allow them to build new work, hold classes and workshops and continue to celebrate New Haven by exploring our collective histories, according to Lamont.

The state is releasing more than $7 million in state grants to several nonprofit organizations for the purposes of making facility and infrastructure upgrades at 34 cultural and historic sites statewide.

And A Broken Umbrella Theater is among them.

From its website: "Inspired by the history and the thriving arts community in their Westville neighborhood, the members of A Broken Umbrella Theatre took to Edgewood Park and started creating site-specific original work for audiences of all ages with amazing community partners.

The ensemble has grown, not only because members started having babies, but also because risk-taking theatre artists who live in the New Haven region have joined forces with the original band to take all of their skills, ideas, and dreams to the next level."

The funds are being released under the state’s Good to Great Grant Program, which is co-administered by the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development and CT Humanities. It was established in 2014 with a goal of helping nonprofit arts, cultural, or history organizations enhance visitors’ experiences in engaging, meaningful, and relevant ways.

“As one of the oldest states in the nation, Connecticut has many unique cultural and historic sites that not only share the history of our state but also provide avenues for that culture to continue into today,” Lamont said. “I’m glad that we can release this state funding and get it into the hands of these nonprofit organizations, who will use these grants to maintain and enhance the valuable services they provide to residents and visitors to our state.”

The Good to Great Grant Program is a competitive award program that recognizes those organizations that devote time and energy to planning strategies to improve the visitor experience, according to Liz Shapiro, the director of arts, preservation, and museums at DECD.

“These funds have been awarded to organizations of all sizes who demonstrate deep thinking about who they are as organizations, and what they could be if granted access to capital funding," she was quoted as saying. "I’m so proud that DECD is a funding partner for this outstanding group of projects.”

Dr. Jason R. Mancini, executive director of CT Humanities, said the program "aligns with our goals to provide equitable access to grant funding and recognizes the connection between a vibrant arts and humanities ecosystem and a strong tourism economy."