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Theatre of Dare has received a $7,500 North Carolina Cares for Arts grant to help offset difficulties caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The grants are awarded by the North Carolina Arts Council through the local Dare County Arts Council.

As part of the state’s spending plan for federal CARES Act funding, $9.4 million was designated to provide direct aid to arts councils and arts organizations in an effort to mitigate business disruptions caused by COVID-19. The purpose of the funds is to offset business disruption and/or expenses incurred due to COVID-19 between March 1, 2020 and December 30, 2020.

“We are a live theatre company, and our primary source of support is from ticket sales to our productions,” says Stuart Parks, president of the Board of Directors. “Since March, we have been unable to stage anything.”

Productions scheduled for Theatre of Dare’s 30th season were canceled due to the pandemic and are expected to be staged in the fall, opening with Little Shop of Horrors in October. The final show for this season, The Diary of Adam and Eve, is still on the books for May 2021 and set to be staged at The Elizabethan Gardens. “As an outdoor venue, social distancing will be easier to accomplish,” stated a Theatre of Dare press release.

“We have ongoing expenses, such as insurance and warehouse rental, plus we presented two online productions this fall – Dracula and the Lawrence Elf Show,” Parks reported. “The board decided to present these to the community free of charge, and this grant has made it possible to do that without the theatre losing money. We’re particularly grateful to Chris Sawin and the Dare County Arts Council, which has been an incredible partner with us for a number of years.”

The theatre is planning an online production – The Last Five Years, a musical by Jason Robert Brown – in March. For information about auditions, visit theatreofdareobx.com.

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