2012-2013 Request for Proposals

To be eligible, an applicant must:

• Be a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization.
• Be a professional U.S.-based theater company.
• Have a minimum of three years’ experience working with schools or school districts to provide performances of Shakespeare or classically-based repertoire for middle- and/or high-school students.
• Have a DUNS number and be registered in the Central Contractor Registration (CCR) in order to receive federal funds.

Project Guidelines

In order to fulfill the goals of Shakespeare for a New Generation, theater companies must:

• Conduct activities between August 1, 2012 and June 30, 2013.
• Present a Shakespeare play in text-based performance. The intent of this program is to support high-quality productions that give students exposure to Shakespeare in live performance. While productions may be somewhat abridged, they should offer students the opportunity to hear Shakespeare’s text and to experience, to the extent possible, a full performance of the play. Performances may be held in the school, the theater company’s own facility, or a community venue, but must be conducted in partnership with schools or school districts. Productions loosely based on Shakespeare’s text do not meet the intent of this program and do not qualify for support.
• Conduct related educational activities for students, led by experienced teaching artists with strong credentials. These must take place in conjunction with a performance and should include such activities as workshops, discussions, seminars, or other relevant educational activities.
• Reach students from a minimum of 10 middle or high schools with a performance and educational activity(ies). Some of the schools should be underserved, with students who lack access to the arts due to geography, economic conditions, ethnic background, or disability. This may include schools in rural or urban communities or in federally recognized tribal communities.
• Comply fully with crediting requirements, including usage of Shakespeare in American Communities logo and credit line in all marketing materials and Web site, as well as proper display of the Shakespeare for a New Generation banners.
• Comply fully with reporting requirements as well as federal statutes and regulations. Reporting will include detailed listing of each participating school (address, city, state, and 9-digit zip code), attendance figures, responses to narrative questions about the activities, and photographic images to be used for publicity. 

Grant Amounts

NOTE: There can be no overlapping costs between expenses supported by Shakespeare in American Communities AND expenses supported directly by the National Endowment for the Arts through their other granting programs.

Selection Criteria

Theater companies will be selected based on:

• The production, including quality of the performance, quality and experience of the artistic staff, and evidence of sound artistic decisions.
• The educational experience/activities, including the quality of the educational activities, capacity of teaching artists, plans to deepen or broaden the activities from previous years (if applicable), and the quality and usability of the educational study guides.
• Strategy for involving middle or high schools, including the feasibility of reaching the required number of schools, the inclusion of underserved schools, and plans to increase the number of schools or reach schools new to your program (if applicable).
• Ability to carry out the proposed activities, including the appropriateness of the budget and capacity of the personnel.

Note: Geographic diversity may be taken into consideration in the selection of companies.

Timeline

Application deadline	March 8, 2012
Selections announced	June 2012
Project activity	August 1, 2012 – June 30, 2013

eGRANT Application - Submit on or before March 8, 2012

• New to Arts Midwest’s eGRANT? Register a login and password.
• Forgot your login or password? Call Christy Dickinson at Arts Midwest, 612.238.8019.

1.    Prepare your eGRANT application as outlined below.

2.    Enter your information in eGRANT.

3.    Review it for accuracy.

4.    Submit your eGRANT application on or before March 8.

Instructions: Questions #1 through #5 

• Prepare your responses to these questions  in Word or other text-based program.
• No italic, bold, or underlined text or formatted bullets will be accepted.
• The length of each response must be within the character limit as indicated. To determine the number of characters in a Word document, click on “Tools,” select “Word Count,” and view the number of characters (with spaces). Note: To save space, limit the number of paragraph breaks within your response.
• Once your responses are complete, copy and paste them in the corresponding areas of the eGRANT application.

1.    Description of production (4,400 character limit)

• Provide production information, including the selected Shakespeare play(s), director(s), and approximate run time(s). Detail if the play is abridged, and if so, how and by whom the cuts were made.
• Explain the artistic point of view or intent that illuminates your company’s approach to the play(s) selected.
• Describe the venue and type of performance. Is the play a mainstage production, a student matinee, a performance at a school, or another performance format?
• Describe the team of actors who will perform the play.
• If your company does not have a significant history of performing Shakespeare, describe other repertoire that demonstrates your ability to create a high-quality Shakespeare performance.

2.    Description of educational activities (4,400 character limit)

• Provide a detailed description of your projected educational activities, including the total number and length of activities planned, the grade level(s) of the students who will participate, and an estimate of the number of students expected to participate.
• Explain how the content of these activities relate to the selected Shakespeare play(s) described in the previous narrative.
• Describe the credentials and experience of the teaching artists who will lead the educational activities.
• Explain your plans to deepen or broaden the activities from previous years (if applicable).
• Describe how your study guides are developed, their intended use, how they are distributed to teachers, and if they meet the state’s education standards. If your company does not produce a study guide, explain why the company has made this choice.

3.    Theater company description (4,400 character limit)

• Describe your theater company, including significant achievements (institutional advances/initiatives, major awards, grants, etc.).
• Explain the qualifications, background, and experience of your artistic staff that demonstrates your company’s capacity to conduct Shakespeare for a New Generation activities.

4.    Relevant biographies (4,400 character limit)

• Provide brief biographies of key staff such as your artistic director, education director, production director, and/or creative artist(s).

5.    Participating middle and/or high schools (4,400 character limit)

• Explain your strategy for reaching out to schools.
• Provide a description of the types of schools and student audiences you will reach with your performances and educational activities.
• Describe in what way some of the schools you will reach are underserved with students who lack access to the arts due to geography, economic conditions, ethnic background, or disability, and your plans to include them in programming.

• Describe your plans to increase the number of schools or reach schools new to your program (if applicable).
• Summarize your company’s 2010-2011 and 2009-2010 Shakespeare (or classical theater) performances for middle and high schools, including the total number of students and schools reached.

Instructions: Question #6
Applicants must use the formatted Excel spreadsheets below, one for 2010-2011 and one for 2009-2010. ONLY ONE PAGE PER YEAR will be forwarded to the selection panel for review. Upload the completed spreadsheets to your application as instructed in eGRANT.

6.    Past school performances spreadsheets for 2010-2011 and 2009-2010. Please provide a representative sample of your company’s Shakespeare (or classical theater) performances for middle and high schools for the last two completed years of programming, 2010-2011 and 2009-2010.

Instructions: Questions #7 and #8
Applicants must use the formatted fill-in budgets below by choosing either the Word document or PDF. Upload the completed budgets to your application as instructed in eGRANT.

7.    One-page organizational budgets for the current and previous fiscal years. Word or PDF

8.    Two-page program budget for performances and educational activities related to your Shakespeare for a New Generation proposal. Word or PDF

Instructions: Questions #9, #10, and #11
Applicants must upload to eGRANT the following additional materials. PDFs are preferred.

9.    One-page statement from your artistic director discussing your company’s mission and goals in relation to your proposed participation in this program.

10. One-page signed statement from your education or program director discussing your company’s educational programming and how students will benefit from their participation.

11. Two one-page letters of support from school officials referencing their past participation in Shakespeare (or other classical theater) educational programs provided by your theater company, including artistic quality, program management, and ability to effectively work with student audiences. Upload both letters together.

Work sample
Applicants are required to submit a work sample to be reviewed by the panelists. Work samples are crucial for evaluating the artistic quality of your proposal. Work samples should communicate effectively the quality of your work for middle- and/or high-school students.

Several union (e.g., Actors Equity Association) contracts allow submitting work samples for the purpose of fundraising. Some contracts require that permission be obtained prior to producing and submitting samples of work. Please note that this information does not substitute for legal advice. Companies should contact their union representatives with questions and to request permission for the production of work samples.

• Select a 5-minute work sample to submit. Please submit a work sample that is recent, relevant to your proposal, and represents the level of artistic excellence of artists involved and/or the artistic merit of the company’s performances for schools. Ideally, the work sample should demonstrate your company’s ability to speak classical or Shakespearean text. The work sample does not need to portray the Shakespeare play which you intend to perform, but it should be representative of the performance (or educational activities) for which you are requesting support. Provide a few scenes that speak to your company’s artistic excellence. Please note: The selection panel may only review two to three minutes of your sample.
• Create an unlisted YouTube video on your company’s YouTube account and provide the html link in your application. To create an unlisted YouTube video:

1.    Sign into your YouTube account.

2.    Click on your account name located in the top right of the page. Click on “My Videos” from the expanded menu.

3.    Choose the video you want to edit and select the “Edit” button below the video thumbnail. Please name the file with your theater company’s name.

4.    Scroll down to the “Broadcasting and Sharing Options” and find the “Privacy” section.

5.    Select “unlisted.” Make sure to click the “save changes” button at the bottom of the page.

6.    Provide the html link to this video in your eGRANT application.

Arts Midwest may copy or digitally convert your work samples to facilitate review. By submitting a work sample, you are giving Arts Midwest permission to disseminate it for the purpose of the panel review.

If your company does not have a YouTube account, you will need to set one up. DVD work samples are not accepted. Please contact Christy Dickinson at 612.238.8019 if you have questions concerning this requirement.

Additional materials to mail for arrival on or before March 8, 2012

Applicants must mail to Arts Midwest the following additional materials. These are the only materials you will need to mail to us. Mail them to arrive in Arts Midwest’s office on or before March 8, 2012. This is not a postmark deadline. We do not accept emailed or faxed materials.

Three 9 x 12 envelopes labeled with your theater company’s name and each containing the following identical samples. No cover sheet needed.

1.    Educational study guides. Please note: Failure to submit a study guide will indicate to the panelists that your company does not produce one. Please provide an explanation in your educational activities narrative.

2.    Up to three production photos of your company’s performances for schools.

3.    Season or educational program brochures, and/or sample programs.

Please send these 9x12 envelopes with additional materials to:
Shakespeare for a New Generation
Arts Midwest
2908 Hennepin Avenue, Suite 200
Minneapolis, MN 55408
612.341.0755

Questions

If you have any questions regarding this Request for Proposals or the application process, please contact Christy Dickinson, senior program director at Arts Midwest, at shakespeare@artsmidwest.org or 612.238.8019.