City Theatre receives NEA grant to produce new play

Pittsburgh’s City Theatre is on the receiving end of a $25,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, the largest grant from the theater discipline in Pennsylvania.

The grant will support City Theatre’s commissioned play, “The Rivers Don’t Know,” about immigration in Pittsburgh. It is part of the first round of the 2021 Grants for Arts Projects awards by the NEA.

The play was written by Jim McManus and features stories of immigration in Pittsburgh. The project is created in collaboration with director Michael John Garces and Cornerstone Theater Company. Over the past year, McManus and Garces have conducted interviews, both in-person and virtually during the pandemic, with immigrant communities throughout Pittsburgh.

“The Rivers Don’t Know” will premiere as part of City Theatre’s 2021-22 season. The project originally was announced prior to the pandemic for production later this spring.

“Writing a play where the words are not strictly from my imagination, but from people who sat across from me feels like a sacred trust,” said McManus. “I can conjure the faces and feel the words of those who shared difficult and joyous moments from their lives about the struggles and triumphs of being an immigrant or refugee in a new city.”

Arts Endowment acting Chairwoman Ann Eilers said the creativity and resilience of artists and arts organizations across the country have inspired Americans during the pandemic. “These projects represent the vitality and perseverance of arts organizations small and large to overcome significant challenges, transform to new ways of engagement, and forge new relationships that benefit the diverse populations in neighborhoods and cities throughout the United States.”