May 19, 2005

Children’s Musical Theater San Jose awarded prestigious
NEA grant for access to artistic excellence

Children’s Musical Theater San Jose, the nation’s largest theater company for youth, was recently acknowledged by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) with a grant for Access to Artistic Excellence.

CMTSJ is one of 15 arts organizations in the United States recognized with this award.

The prestigious award for Artistic Excellence will support CMT’s Mainstage summer production of “Jesus Christ Superstar,” directed and choreographed by artistic director Kevin R. Hauge.

The NEA nurtures the American musical theater field by funding established musical theater organizations in the creation and refinement of their work, ongoing public presentations of musicals, and opportunities for professional development. CMTSJ was chosen for this award based on their dedication to training youth and providing young performers and their families an educational and professional environment in which to learn and appreciate the arts.

The NEA Access to Artistic Excellence award is based on the ongoing work created by artistic director Hauge and his commitment to teaching the community’s youth to become arts patrons, performers, and leaders.

Currently celebrating his 10th year as artistic director with the organization, Hauge has been the driving force behind CMT’s artistic vision, making CMT a premiere destination for Silicon Valley’s young performers and audiences of all ages. His leadership has lead to groundbreaking work for the children’s theater company including being the first non-equity theater company in the nation—among all non-professional theaters, youth and adult—to have been chosen to produce “Miss Saigon” and Elton John and Tim Rice’s “Aida,” and staging the West Coast premiere of the Radio City Entertainment’s musical “A Christmas Carol’ this past Fall. These are unique and impressive honors for any theater company, especially one exclusively serving young performers.

The NEA grant for Access to Artistic Excellence will provide cultural support for CMT’s summer Mainstage production of “Jesus Christ Superstar” July 29–Aug. 7. Hauge will direct and choreograph the popular rock-opera, presented in present day and staged based on contemporary themes and issues. CMT’s Mainstage performers are 15-20 years old. Many of them choose to continue their studies in performing arts at some of the nation’s top theater programs, including NYU Tisch School of the Arts, New York School of Music, Boston Conservatory, and UCLA. CMT alumni have also been seen starring on Broadway and throughout the Bay Area with other local professional companies.

Now in its 37th year, CMTSJ continues to provide performing arts opportunities for children of all ages. For more information on Children’s Musical Theater San Jose, their performance and training opportunities, or about Kevin Hauge, please visit their Web site at www.cmtsj.org or call (408) 288-5437.