Of that funding, $14,200 will go directly to Spotlight Drama Clubs throughout St. Clair County. CEPA currently supports eight community and school drama clubs with more than 400 total members that perform annually at CEPA. The organization is preparing to produce 12 different productions and nearly 40 individual performances in 2023-2024, beginning with “Grease!” presented by Spotlight Core in October.

The funding will be divided equally and awarded to the individual clubs to support their fall and spring productions at CEPA, helping pay for rights, royalties, set pieces, props, costumes and more.

“Live theater productions are a wonderful outlet for driving the creative culture of a school or community, but they can often be cost prohibitive,” said CEPA Executive Director Jeff Thompson. “Thanks to CEPA’s partners and the generosity of the Alabama State Council on the Arts, this year we will be able to bring more theater than ever to the residents of St. Clair County.”

ASCA awarded an additional $12,800 to CEPA to support the Spotlight Program Coordinator’s salary. The coordinator is responsible for organizing, training, and preparing Spotlight Clubs for their productions at CEPA, then guiding each through the process. CEPA Assistant Director Ash Arrington, a Moody High School and University of Alabama theater graduate, leads the program. 

Besides funding, the biggest barrier to producing a play or musical is simply having a complete knowledge of the process,” Arrington said. “My role is to help all eight clubs from the beginning to the end; everything from purchasing the rights to a play to choreography to building their light shows.”

In addition to its ASCA grants, CEPA is excited to announce a new partnership with the EBSCO Community Impact program. Among many other charitable missions, EBSCO is passionate about the ability of the arts to enhance and reflect the community and promote public engagement.

BSCO Community Impact awarded CEPA $13,000. The grant will support Spotlight Studio, CEPA’s digital content production program that introduces students and residents to creative mediums like podcasting and filmmaking. It will assist CEPA in acquiring new equipment to further the educational capacity of the program and will result in more short films directed by St. Clair County residents.

“Each year CEPA and Spotlight are able to bring close to 10,000 people through the doors to experience performing arts. For many, it’s their first time seeing live theater, and it can have a profound impact on our community,” Thompson said. “None of it is possible without partners like The Alabama State Council on the Arts and EBSCO. We are sincerely grateful for what they do for our community.”