The Prairie Village-based Spinning Tree Theatre has made up almost all of the $15,000 in grant money that was rescinded when the National Endowment for the Arts decided a recently produced play no longer aligned with the Trump administration’s agenda.
Since an emergency appeal went out on Tuesday, donations have replaced about 87% of the lost money, according to the theater company’s Facebook post.
“You’ve turned a negative action into a positive outcome, showing youth of all abilities you care…about the arts and its relationship to health and wellbeing,” the post said, noting that donations had been received from nine states.
On May 2, authorities with the National Endowment for the Arts reneged on a promise to reimburse the Spinning Tree Theatre company $15,000 for a play inspired by the experiences of local teen refugees, saying that the project no longer aligns with the Trump administration’s agenda.
The group received notification of its canceled grant as the endowment agency made cuts to numerous cultural institutions about a week ago. Spinning Tree produces plays with teen actors regardless of abilities or disabilities.
“First Generation,” a work written by Leawood playwright Victor Wishna, was commissioned by Spinning Tree and put on in partnership with Jewish Vocational Service of Kansas City, a local nonprofit that works with the resettlement of refugees.
Wishna said the play was inspired by the group’s “newcomers class” for high school-age refugees who recently arrived in the United States. He wrote “First Generation” after interviewing refugees from the Kansas City area who had come from numerous countries including Rwanda, Honduras, Afghanistan and Somalia.
The play ran for six days in April at the Johnson County Arts and Heritage Center’s Black Box Theater and had some of the best attendance ever for the small troupe, said Andrew Grayman-Parkhurst, Spinning Tree’s co-founder and executive director. In total, about 600 patrons saw it over its run.
Approved in December 2024, the grant would have covered half of the production costs, with donations and ticket sales covering the remaining costs. But the grant has apparently fallen victim to federal budget cutting and a revision of the type of art projects the endowment agency now says it will consider.
Not part of administration’s “new priorities”
The theater company received an email from the agency on May 2 explaining its position:
“The NEA is updating its grantmaking policy priorities to focus funding on projects that reflect the nation’s rich artistic heritage and creativity as prioritized by the President. Consequently, we are terminating awards that fall outside these new priorities,” the email said.
The letter went on to describe the new priorities as those “that elevate the nation’s (Historically Black Colleges and Universities) and Hispanic serving institutions, celebrate the 250th anniversary of American independence, foster (artificial intelligence) 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.”
The letter wasn’t a total surprise, given that President Trump’s budget proposes the elimination of the national arts agency, Grayman-Parkhurst said.
They plan to appeal the endowment agency’s decision, but Grayman-Parkhurst is pessimistic.
The Prairie Village company looks ahead to the next show
Based in Prairie Village, Spinning Tree is inclusive and offers teenagers with and without disabilities a tuition-free three-week program that includes rehearsal and show time, Grayman-Parkhurst said.
Participants benefit from being able to develop their creativity and communication skills and having a place of belonging, he said. “First Generation” featured 12 actors and one backstage assistant.
The costs of putting on the play have already been paid, but the loss of funding will have an impact on future productions, Grayman-Parkhurst said.
Spinning Tree relies on federal funding to help pay the production costs, which include the cost of the venue, insurance and publicity. The loss of funding this time will mean that the theater company must meet or exceed its goals for the next show in June, he said.
The company must now look ahead to paying for its next production, “Super Jewels! A New Musical,” he said. That show runs June 20-22.
“We’re encouraging our supporters to reach out to their Congressional representatives, as the administration has recommended zero funding for the National Endowment for the Arts in the next fiscal year,” he added. “This is the continuation of a decades-long conversation about how the arts are funded in the United States — and about the value of the arts in general.”
“Welcoming the stranger”
Wishna said he began with a desire to tell a story with Jewish themes beyond the stereotypical. He welcomed the chance to work with Jewish Vocational Services on the theme of “welcoming the stranger,” which he said is mentioned 36 times in the Torah.
The play is fiction and includes monologues with stories and themes based on his interviews, he said, adding that he is himself descended from immigrants who came to America fleeing persecution and hardship.
“First Generation” features the story of an American-Jewish girl who is trying to connect with a Rwandan refugee student that she volunteered to work with, and the dramatic tensions that follow.
Wishna takes issue with any suggestion that the work doesn’t reflect the U.S.’s artistic heritage and creativity, per the agency’s letter denying the grant’s disbursement.
“I would argue that a play that celebrates our country’s exceptionality as a nation of immigrants, that has grown and flourished in each generation through the commitment and innovation of newcomers, might just meet that criteria,” he said. “But I wouldn’t expect an administration that vilifies immigrants and has shut down the entire U.S. Refugee Resettlement Program — there are no more newcomers classes right now — would see it that way.”
The National Endowment for the Arts did not respond to a request for comment.
