National Endowment for the Arts Grant
Illustration by Christian Robinson
From the book Last Stop on Market Street © 2015
Published by the Penguin Group
Metro Theater Company has been approved for a $20,000 National Endowment for the Arts Grants for Arts Projects award to support its upcoming 2021/22 season production Last Stop on Market Street, based on the New York Times bestselling, Newbery Medal-winning, and Coretta Scott King Award-winning picture book by Matt de la Peña and Christian Robinson, adapted for the stage by Cheryl L. West, with music and lyrics by Grammy Award-winning songwriter Lamont Dozier and his son Paris Dozier.
The project was selected by Metro Theater Company with the intent that Last Stop on Market Street will resonate with young people throughout the St. Louis metropolitan area, providing opportunities for families and classrooms to engage with the production’s themes of thankfulness, volunteerism, structural inequity, and privilege. Metro Theater Company's project is among the more than 1,100 projects across America totaling nearly $27 million that were selected during this second round of Grants for Arts Projects fiscal year 2021 funding. This is the second program grant this year that MTC has been awarded from the National Endowment for the Arts, having already been recommended as one of only 14 arts organizations nationally for a $25,000 grant in the highly selective Research in the Arts program for its signature violence prevention program Say Something, Do Something.
“As the country and the arts sector begin to imagine returning to a post-pandemic world, the National Endowment for the Arts is proud to announce funding that will help arts organizations such as Metro Theater Company reengage fully with partners and audiences,” said NEA Acting Chairman Ann Eilers. “Although the arts have sustained many during the pandemic, the chance to gather with one another and share arts experiences is its own necessity and pleasure.”
“We are humbled by the strength of support from the National Endowment for the Arts this year,” said MTC Managing Director Joe Gfaller. “Any support from our nation’s leading public arts funder is a powerful vote of confidence in the impact and value of our work for the St. Louis region – but to receive support in both the Research for the Arts and Grants for the Arts Projects categories in one year is a rare honor. We know that, as we return to live, indoor performances during our 2021/22 Season, our season will be deeply strengthened by this support. We hope families across St. Louis join us for this joyful musical next year!”
Designed for ages 5 and over, Last Stop on Market Street follows a multiracial child named CJ who visits his Nana for the weekend. CJ’s perspective on the world has been shaped by being raised in relative privilege, always connected to his electronic devices. Nana takes him for a special trip to help him gain a more expansive view of the world – taking the Market Street bus to the end of the line. It is CJ’s first encounter with public transit. Along the way he meets a few eccentric but kind strangers, until he and Nana arrive at the local soup kitchen where Nana is a beloved volunteer. Through his journey, CJ not only develops an understanding of his economic privilege but also develops empathy, a desire to help those with fewer means, and an appreciation for how he can leverage his privilege to break down those barriers for others.
Metro Theater Company’s production of Last Stop on Market Street is scheduled to include a combination of public performances and school matinees. In addition, the production will be available for digital distribution to provide access to geographically disparate schools and serve as a platform to enjoy the production in the event future COVID-19 restrictions require changes to public gatherings. Following each performance, actors host a 10-minute Q&A session to discuss the creative process and themes from the production. Metro Theater Company will also host two community discussion panels featuring local leaders to cultivate opportunities for community conversations about representation, privilege, structural inequity, urban decay/urban renewal, and additional topics. The exact performance schedule for the production will be announced in the early summer, as part of MTC’s full 2021/22 Season announcement.