The news came Friday night in the form of an email, with the subject line "Notice of Termination."
Senior staff at Three Bone Theatre didn't see it right away. It dropped into their inbox just as the performers were taking the stage for opening night of the theater's latest production of "what the end will be ..."
After the show, the theater's executive director, Becky Shultz, clicked on the email and scanned the text. The unsigned message from the National Endowment for the Arts informed the small community theater that its three-year, $20,000 grant would be terminated on May 31.
The reason, according to the email, was that the NEA was refocusing funding "on projects that reflect the nation's rich artistic heritage and creativity as prioritized by the President."
The grant was originally meant to help the community theater stage a series of three plays by Chicano playwright Luis Alfaro that center immigrant families in modern retellings of classic Greek myths. Those works, the message said, "fall outside of those priorities."
"It was incredibly disappointing. Not necessarily surprising," said Artistic Director Robin Tynes-Miller, who said the theater was still "heartbroken" by the email.
"It was our first NEA grant," she said. "Having that pulled feels really disheartening, and at the same time, our work is really important right now, and I think we feel even more committed to the stories that we tell and the work that we do within the community."
The theater staged the first play, "Mojada: A Medea in Los Angeles," in August. The second play, "Electridad," is scheduled for August 2025, and Tynes-Miller said the third play, "Oedipus El Rey," is scheduled for the 2025-26 season.
Arts organizations across the U.S. affected
Dozens of arts organizations around the U.S. have received notifications that grants have been rejected or rescinded in recent days, according to The Associated Press, and President Trump has proposed eliminating the NEA altogether.
On Monday, a group of senior officials resigned from the NEA in protest, according to The New York Times. The NEA is an independent federal agency that supports and funds arts projects and programs across the U.S.
According to the email received by Three Bone Theatre, the NEA will now "prioritize projects that elevate the Nation’s HBCUs and Hispanic Serving Institutions, celebrate the 250th anniversary of American independence, foster AI competency, empower houses of worship to serve communities, assist with disaster recovery, foster skilled trade jobs, make America healthy again, support the military and veterans, support Tribal communities, make the District of Columbia safe and beautiful, and support the economic development of Asian American communities."
Three Bone Theatre intends to appeal the decision, Tynes-Miller said, in hopes that the NEA will reconsider.
Regardless, Tynes-Miller said the theater will move forward with the final two plays with or without NEA funding. In an Instagram post on Tuesday, the theater said audience members can help by purchasing tickets, donating, becoming a show or season sponsor and letting representatives in Congress know that "funding cuts to the NEA are not okay."
About Three Bone Theatre
Since its founding in 2012, Three Bone Theatre has focused on producing adult, contemporary works largely centered around diversity and social justice. In 2019, the theater made headlines with its original production of "Protective Custody Prisoner 34042," based on the true story of a local Holocaust survivor.
The theater also staged a production in 2023 featuring a lead actor with Down Syndrome, "Andy and the Orphans," and has highlighted Black perspectives in many productions, including the 2020 virtual performance of "HANDS UP" and the 2024 slam poetry-inspired "Thoughts of a Colored Man."
