Theater companies, music groups and dance troupes in Costa Rica could get a boost thanks to a fresh batch of grants announced by the National Program for the Development of Performing Arts (Proartes).
The program, an initiative promoted by the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports, has earmarked ¢220 million ($440,000) to help fund 50 arts projects – 19 more than the number of performance pieces subsidized in 2007, the daily La Nación reported.
The grants are meant for productions that set out to make a positive impact on society.
Some of last year’s groups were helped by Proartes to design programs for schools, female prisoners and disadvantaged youths.
Proartes will accept grant proposals from March 1 to April 30 and will hand out the grants in July, Jocelyn Rey, head of Proartes, told La Nación. Interested performance groups should plan to take their show to the stage some time between July 2008 and July 2009, she said.
