The Donald Fowler Theater Arts Memorial Fund of The Dallas Foundation was created in 2020 to honor the life of actor, playwright and composer Donald Fowler. The Fund awards seed grants to early-career artists living in the Dallas Metroplex to enable them to create new innovative works of theater, including plays and musicals.
The purpose of these grants is to assist individual artists with the costs of creation at the earliest stages.
To date, the Fund has supported the following projects:
2023: Catherine D. DuBord "The Last Flapper" - The 2023 grant was awarded to Ms. DuBord and her adaptation of "The Last Flapper," a one-woman play about the life of Zelda Fitzgerald, jazz age icon and wife of American novelist F. Scott Fitzgerald. The piece conducted a workshop run at Theater Too at Theater Three in June 2023 and then traveled to Scotland for performances at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in August 2023. Ms. DuBord portrayed Zelda Fitzgerald. The piece was directed by Lydia McKay.
2022: Adam C. Wright "Another Night at the Crescent" - With original music inpsired by jazz of the 1930’s and 1940’s, "Another Night at the Crescent" takes place inside the Crescent Moon, a Manhattan nightclub, where a mysterious chanteuse and her backup trio weave a spell of romance for eight lonely souls. The piece received a workshop followed by performances at Dallas Children’s Theater in March 2023.
2021: Holly Doubet "38 Minutes" - This musical was inspired by the personal experiences of Holly Doubet and the stories of others arising from a January 2018 emergency alert issued in Hawaii warning citizens and visitors: BALLISTIC MISSILE THREAT INBOUND TO HAWAII. SEEK IMMEDIATE SHELTER. THIS IS NOT A DRILL. The musical follows the timelines of various characters who experience the shock and panic that occurred on that life-altering day. "38 Minutes" received a workshop at Sammons Center for the Arts in December 2021, under the stage direction of Broadway veteran Gabriel Barre ("Billy Elliott," "Pippin," "Jesus Christ Superstar," etc.) with Grammy and Emmy Award-winning director, producer, and arranger Paul Bogaev (Elton John's "Aida," "Chicago," "Nine," "Dreamgirls," "Across the Universe," "Mulan," "The Lion King") serving as musical director.
2020: Donald Fowler "Oregon" - The Memorial Fund has also provided funding to support the completion of Donald Fowler's unfinished musical "Oregon." With the additional creative contributions of local playwright Cameron Cobb and Donald's friend, composer and arranger Elaine Davidson, "Oregon" received a workshop at WaterTower Theater in October 2022.
The application window for 2024 grants from the Memorial Fund will open in January 2024.
More information about the Donald Fowler Theater Arts Memorial Fund may be found on its website: donaldfowlerartsfund.com
To make Dallas a home for theatrical creativity and to retain theatrical creators in the Metroplex, it is important to provide these artists with financial support while they begin new projects.
The Fund makes seed grants that encourage nascent playwrights and theatrical composers whose work-in-progress is not yet financially or otherwise supported by a theater or presenter.
At present, until the Fund further grows its size, one grant is expected to be awarded annually in the amount of $5,000.
Grants are awarded to Dallas Metroplex residents. Metroplex residents whose projects encompass the work of (or collaborations with) artists in other locations are eligible.
Grant applications are reviewed by a dedicated committee of artists and arts non-profit philanthropists and volunteers.
Grant recipients provide a progress report to the Fund at the one-year anniversary of the grant and give notice of any subsequent theatrical production of the sponsored new work.
Initial funding for the Donald Fowler Theater Arts Memorial Fund was comprised of donations primarily received following his unexpected passing in May 2020. The Fund seeks to extend its longevity by increasing its funding. The Fund hopes to grow to be in a position to support multiple artists and projects each year.
The Donald Fowler Theater Arts Memorial Fund invites and considers submissions regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, religion, health and ability status. All creative artists have equal and inviolable dignity, value, and should have full opportunity to participate and to reach their full potential.
Organization name
Donald Fowler Theater Arts Memorial Fund
Causes
Arts, Culture & Humanities, Community Improvement
Operating Budget
Less than $100,000
Counties Served
Hunt, Wise, Tarrant, Somervell, Rockwall, Parker, Kaufman, Johnson, Hood, Ellis, Denton, Dallas, Collin
BIPOC Leadership
Neither/None
Equity Statement
Equity Statement
Address
Donald Fowler Theater Arts Memorial Fund of The Dallas Foundation 3000 PEGASUS PARK DR NO 930