Apollinaire Theatre Lands State Grant for Bilingual Theatre

MassDevelopment has announced $340,000 in grants to 11 organizations to complete art and other creative-industry projects in Massachusetts’ Gateway Cities – with one of the grants going to Chelsea Square’s Apollinaire Theatre.

The initial round of these Transformative Development Initiative (TDI) Creative Catalyst Grant awards, administered by MassDevelopment, will support locally initiated, public-facing projects that advance arts- and culture-based economic development and neighborhood revitalization. The awards are made possible with funding from the Barr Foundation, which in 2019 awarded MassDevelopment a $500,000 grant to create new arts-based programming through the agency’s Transformative Development Initiative. MassDevelopment also contributed funding in order to support additional projects.

“MassDevelopment is pleased to offer this funding through the first round of TDI Creative Catalyst Grant awards, which will empower Gateway City stakeholders to revitalize underused spaces, build community, and advance their neighborhoods as regional centers of arts and culture,” said MassDevelopment President and CEO Lauren Liss. “We thank our partners at the Barr Foundation for their continued support and commitment to fostering the arts and creative economy across Massachusetts.”

MassDevelopment’s TDI Creative Catalyst Grant program is a competitive grant program through which individuals and organizations in current and graduated TDI districts can apply for grants ranging from $20,000 to $40,000 to support projects that enhance local arts and culture infrastructure. The program was developed following feedback from stakeholders in Gateway Cities and staff from MassDevelopment and the Barr Foundation about the need for new, flexible implementation funding to support projects that: (1) test a concept new to the TDI district, and (2) catalyze activities that will strengthen the capacity of the arts and culture ecosystem within the community.

In this initial round, current TDI districts – in the cities of Chelsea, Chicopee, Fall River, Fitchburg, Lawrence, Springfield, and Worcester (Main South) – as well as graduated TDI districts – in the cities of Brockton, Haverhill, Holyoke, Lynn, New Bedford, Peabody, Pittsfield, Revere, and Worcester (Theatre District) – were eligible to apply.

MassDevelopment’s Transformative Development Initiative works with cross-sector partnerships to engage community members, implement local economic development initiatives, and spur further public and private investment. During the program’s first three and a half years, MassDevelopment has invested $13.5 million in the TDI districts through tools such as technical assistance, real estate investments, grant programs, and fellows who work in the districts. That investment has directly influenced over $39.8 million and assisted an additional $80.6 million of public and private investments in the districts. In addition to the Creative Catalyst Grant program, the Barr Foundation’s $500,000 grant to MassDevelopment’s TDI program is also funding additional capacity in New Bedford to support a planning phase focused on creative-industry development and arts and culture infrastructure.

The Apollinaire award included:

•TheatreZone, Inc. (DBA Apollinaire Theatre Company), Chelsea – $30,000

Chelsea Community Theatre at the Chelsea Theatre Works

Chelsea Community Theatre at the Chelsea Theatre Works is a proposed community theatre that will host shows in Spanish and English with bilingual interpretations. The project will bring together community members with interests in acting, sewing, and sound design, and provide an avenue for local Latinx residents to become involved in the arts. TheatreZone, Inc. will use grant funds to create a theatre-making workshop series taught by members of Chelsea Community Theatre and an artist residency program.

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