Irving Public Library

Explore More Grantees

• Alley Theatre

  NEA Big Read
  
  FY2024
  Texas

  Through creative writing workshops, book discussions, and performances on Zora Neale Hurston's “Their Eyes Were Watching God,” Alley Theatre will advance literacy and theatre. The project will center and foster dynamic cultural exchanges in Houston’s Black communities collaborating with Freedmen’s Town, Houston Public Library, Kindred Stories, Prairie View A&M University, and local high schools.

• Nacogdoches Public Library

  NEA Big Read
  
  FY2024
  Texas

  The Nacogdoches Public Library's Big Read explores "Where We Live" through the lens of There There by Tommy Orange. Through book discussions, workshops, and related activities, the program promotes literacy, engages the community, and celebrates the joy of reading, while also examining the historical displacement of the indigenous people who settled the area long before us.

• Junior Players

  Shakespeare in American Communities: Juvenile Justice
  
  FY2024
  Texas

  In “Shakespeare with Henry within the Prison Pipeline,” incarcerated youth learn and perform excerpts from Shakespeare's work Macbeth alongside Junior Players teaching artists, with a final production and post-program internships. The goal is to connect participants with universal themes in Shakespeare’s works, linking past experiences, present situations, and future possibilities.

• Texas Shakespeare Festival

  Shakespeare in American Communities: Juvenile Justice
  
  FY2024
  Texas

  TSF’s HOPE Academy Partnership brings a fall and spring 10-week Devised Theatre programs to residents at the Smith County Juvenile Detention Center with Shakespeare's text as the starting point. Residents participate in two sessions each week, led by a full-time TSF staff member and company members from the TSF Roadshow’s Educational Touring program.