Taking Care—COVID-19 Emergency Relief Fund UPDATE.

Last week, theatreWashington announced the expansion of the Taking Care Fund, which provides emergency assistance to Washington-area theater professionals in times of unforeseen financial hardship. We asked the public to match $115,000 of pledged donations. Every dollar raised through the fundraiser will go directly to members of our local theater community who have been affected by the area shutdown. During the COVID-19 crisis, theatreWashington will be awarding $500 grants to at least 230 people financially affected by this event. The Taking Care—COVID-19 Emergency Relief Fund got off to a great start, with over $25,000 of the $115,000 goal donated so far, and 80 applications for emergency funding, but we've got a long way to go. You can donate to the Fund here, and please spread the word to your family and friends!

How To Apply For Taking Care Emergency Funding.

If you are a theater professional currently residing in and who has actively worked in the Washington metropolitan area within the past two years, you are eligible to apply for emergency relief.

Grants will be awarded in two phases. Starting on April 1, 2020, applications received by March 31 will be reviewed. On April 15, 2020, applications received by April 14 will be reviewed. After April 15, fundraising efforts will be assessed and more awards will be made based on funding activity. Applicants will be notified and payments will be processed as quickly as possible. 

To apply for emergency funding, please click here. 

FREE online play reading from Adventure Theatre MTC. 

At 2pm on Sunday, March 29, Adventure Theatre MTC will be hosting a FREE kid-friendly online reading of Alvaro Saar Rios' bilingual play On the Wings of a Mariposa. The hour-long play, directed by Elena Velasco, tells the story of 10-year-old Pilar, whose memories of her time with her grandmother—"making corn tortillas, dueling the monsters under the bed and journeying to the forest known as El Círculo Mágico"—start to fade. During the monarch butterflies’ annual migration and Día de los Muertos celebrations, Pilar discovers that “when you love someone, they never really leave you.” 

Synetic Theater streams plays and company members host virtual fitness classes!

If you've been holed up at home and going a little stir crazy, Synetic has a way for you to get the wiggles out—online fitness classes taught by trained Synetic company members. Each week, the classes will have a different focus and promise to "get you moving, get your heart rate up, and keep you engaged, all while having fun and leveraging Synetic Physical Theater techniques." The classes are Pay-What-You-Can ranging from $5-20. Just follow the link at the bottom of this item to sign up, and an hour before the class starts, you'll get an email link to the live session. The next class is on Friday, March 27 starting at 6pm. Synetic is also streaming two plays that you can enjoy from the comfort of your sofa: Hansel and Gretel, directed, choreographed, and adapted by Tori Tolentino and Elena Velasco, is available now until April 5, and Richard 3.0, directed by Paata Tsikurishvili and choreographed by Irina Tsikurishvili, is available from today, March 26. Pay-What-You-Can ticketing is available starting at $5. Tickets and more details about all of these events can be found here. 

Children's author Mo Willems, the Kennedy Center Education Artist-In-Residence, posts daily drawing lessons during COVID-19 crisis.

While it's not exactly theater-related, we do want to let parents stuck at home with little ones know that the Kennedy Center is hosting daily Lunch Doodles with Mo Willems. Willems, the author of children's favorites such as the pigeon books ("Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!") and the Elephant and Piggie series, is the current Kennedy Center Education Artist-In-Residence. Every weekday at 1pm, he posts a new doodle lesson from his home. All you need is some paper and something to draw with!