MTC to Receive National Endowment for the Arts Research Grant
Metro Theater Company has been recommended for a $25,000 Research Grants in the Arts award to support research on MTC's Say Something, Do Something program. In total, the National Endowment for the Arts recommended 14 Research Grants in the Arts projects for funding this cycle for a total of $833,000. Metro Theater Company is one of only two organizations in Missouri in this category. Washington University in St. Louis is the other. NEA's Research Grants in the Arts funds research studies that investigate the value and/or impact of the arts, either as individual components of the U.S. arts ecology or as they interact with each other and/or with other domains of American life.
“This award coincides with the 10th anniversary of the NEA Research grants program,” said Director of Research & Analysis Sunil Iyengar. “The National Endowment for the Arts is proud to support this project from Metro Theater Company among others that, in a very challenging year, will investigate the value and impact of the arts.”
“We are deeply grateful to the National Endowment for the Arts for recommending Metro Theater Company for funding in their Research in the Arts grant program," said Metro Theater Company Managing Director Joe Gfaller. "Research and thoughtful analysis of data are critical aspects of communicating how the arts directly impact the lives of young people. We are honored that, after initial, targeted research of our violence prevention program Say Something, Do Something showed how this one-of-a-kind program changed attitudes and behaviors of young people in a small study group, the NEA sees further research in this program as a worthy investment. NEA support will make it possible for us to conduct a comprehensive research study in partnership with local school districts and the NEA Research Lab led by Dr. Brian Kisida of the University of Missouri-Columbia that will help us more clearly understand the impact of SSDS and tell the story of that impact. We hope that what we learn through this project will help other theaters and school districts across the country apply the lessons of SSDS to help young people hone conflict resolution skills and reduce the harm created by violence among young people in all of our communities.”
Say Something, Do Something is Metro Theater Company's interactive and immersive program that uses participatory theater techniques to build critical thinking, decision-making, and interpersonal skills to help students think about how to resolve conflicts without resorting to violence. Students witness a recreated scene based on real-life situations they experience, then have the opportunity to actively help the target of the scene’s violence. Students interview characters to develop a deeper understanding of what influences people to make these negative choices. They are invited to replace the actors, re-play the scene, and improvise their own strategies for a more positive outcome. After this rehearsal for real life, students will be better equipped to recognize potential conflict in their schools and take action to create a culture of non-violence. The program is primarily designed for 4th through 6th grade students, as studies show that building resiliency around issues of violence at this age is optimum to achieve long-term success. However, the program has been adapted for other age groups.
Initial research on the program was conducted in partnership with St. Louis University College for Public Health and Social Justice, demonstrating measurable changes in attitudes and behavior among a small study group. This research was presented at both the American Public Health Association conference in Philadelphia and the international Communicating the Arts conference in Montreal in the fall of 2019 and is detailed in a report which has been submitted to scholarly journals by St. Louis University researchers for publication. This research served as a foundation for MTC’s case to expand research to include the entirety of students served by the program.
Metro Theater Company has received NEA funding through the Grants for the Arts theater program in many previous grant cycles, most recently to support the commissioning and producing of the rolling world premiere of Ghost, adapted by Idris Goodwin from Jason Reynolds’s best-selling YA novel. This is the first time MTC has also applied in the Research in the Arts category. It is the first time MTC has received funding in this category.
