MOUNT VERNON — The Public Library of Mount Vernon and Knox County is pleased to announce it has been awarded a $10,000 Challenge America Grant from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA).
This grant will support the Library’s collaboration with Theater of War Productions and Kenyon College, An Enemy of the People: A Theater Project from America’s Hometown.
In total, the NEA will award 257 Challenge America awards totaling $2,570,000 that were announced as part of its first round of fiscal year 2024 grants.
“The NEA is delighted to announce this grant to The Public Library of Mount Vernon and Knox County, which is helping contribute to the strength and well-being of the arts sector and local community,” said National Endowment for the Arts Chair Maria Rosario Jackson, PhD.
“We are pleased to be able to support this community and help create an environment where all people have the opportunity to live artful lives.”
Library Director John K. Chidester states that “The National Endowment for the Arts has been a wonderful source of support for many of our cultural enrichment efforts.
“Thanks to NEA support for our production of Bryan Doerries’s adaptation of An Enemy of the People, the people of Knox County will have access to some very high quality programming.”
The NEA Challenge America Grant supports an April 2024 production of scenes from Henrik Ibsen’s 1892 play, An Enemy of the People, in a new version by Theater of War Productions Artistic Director Bryan Doerries.
There will be two local performances: Saturday, April 6 at 6 p.m. in Knox Memorial Theater (Mount Vernon), and Sunday, April 7 at 4 p.m. in Oden Hall (Gambier).
Local actors will perform alongside professional actors from Theater of War’s company repertory, anchoring the shows in both community participation and widely recognized theatrical and film talent.
Each performance is followed by a town hall discussion that explores the play’s connections to life in contemporary Knox County.
Community members who want to get involved with the April production of An Enemy of the People: A Theater Project from America’s Hometown are invited to attend a preview of the project on Thursday, Feb. 8 at 7 p.m. in Veterans Hall at Knox Memorial Theater, 112 East High Street, Mount Vernon Ohio or visit http://tinyurl.com/EOP-Interest-Form.
As with all Library events, the February and April presentations are free and open to the public. Please visit www.knox.net, email knoxwrites1@gmail.com, or call (740) 392-BOOK ext. 259 for more information.
For more information on other projects included in the NEA’s grant announcement, visit arts.gov/news.
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