The theater company is among 10 Bay Area nonprofit organizations will receive Hewlett Foundation grants of $150,000 each to commission major new works of theater, musical theater, and spoken word.
From the Hewlett Foundation December 5, 2018 Press Release:
The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation announced today 10 new recipients of its Hewlett 50 Arts Commissions, a five-year, $8 million initiative that is the largest of its kind in the United States. Reflecting the foundation’s longstanding commitment to sustaining artistic expression and encouraging public engagement with the arts in the San Francisco Bay Area.
The Imaginists were chosen for the following commission:
The Imaginists and Árpád Schilling
“The Gun” examines the central role of guns and gun violence in contemporary American society.
The Imaginists are commissioning acclaimed Hungarian theater director Árpád Schilling to create “The Gun,” a new work that will bring his outsider’s eye to the role that guns and gun violence play in American society. Building on a longstanding artistic collaboration between the Imaginists and Schilling, the new work will highlight a shared artistic sensibility that prizes risk- taking, experimentation, and theater as instigation and provocation. The Imaginists will continue their unwavering commitment to community engagement on “The Gun,” working with youth organizations and holding community conversations throughout the development and premiere of the play. “The Gun” will preview at a venue in Sonoma County and premiere at Z Space in San Francisco.
Read the entire press release HERE.