If President Donald Trump has his way, the National Endowment for the Arts will be DOA in 2026, according to his proposed budget for 2026, which he released to Congress on May 2.

The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is one of several organizations on the current administration’s chopping block. Founded by Congress in 1965, the NEA is an independent federal agency and “the largest funder of the arts and arts education in communities nationwide and a catalyst of public and private support for the arts,” according to its website.  

In response to the news of its proposed elimination, the National Endowment for the Arts sent out emails rescinding and terminating grants that had already been approved. Arts organizations all over the country reacted with disbelief, anger and a quiet resolve to weather the storm after this latest attack on the arts. 

The Drama Group, based in Chicago Heights, is one such organization. Founded in 1931, the group is run entirely by volunteers. 

“The Drama Group is going to weather this assault,” said Tony Labriola, who serves on the Drama Group’s grants committee. “Our theater does not only exist in the community. We are the community. We work together to make a wonderful experience that enriches and expands our world. And that is not going to stop. We are going to continue to be that theater.”

The NEA emails were sent to arts administrators from an address at the endowment that did not accept replies, according to the New York Times. The email read, “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.”

When the news broke about the NEA rescinding grants and possible grant restrictions, The Drama Group took action. The group’s grants committee and its board of directors decided it would not apply for any NEA grants because they did not want to make any concessions on its DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) stance, said Mary Lee Hoganson, who chairs the grants committee. 

“We won’t be applying for the NEA grant next year,” Labriola said. “We decided not to apply for a NEA grant because we will not be able to live under those restrictions.”

Labriola, who has been an actor and director for many Drama Group productions, continued: “We want to have a culture of inclusion and opportunity. That has been a goal to continue to develop our action plan on DEI.” 

That diversity extends to the Drama Group’s productions, its casting, its board and its play directors, he said.  

The Drama Group currently is not receiving any NEA grants, but it has received at least one grant directly from the NEA in the past, Hoganson said. Rose Crockett and Crystal Phillips-Pierce also serve on the grants committee. The Drama Group has received several grants from the Illinois Arts Council over the years that were partially funded by the NEA.

Labriola, a Drama Group member since 1978, said that he reached out to find out the status of the group’s Illinois Arts Council grant. 

“We were assured that the current funding is stable. However, they expressed uncertainty about the future. That uncertainty permeates the entire arts community at the moment. We don’t know what will happen next,” said Labriola, a past Drama Group president and former board member. 

“It wasn’t a surprise. It was pretty shocking, but not unexpected,” said Hoganson, referencing the Trump administration’s plan to eliminate the NEA. “This was the sort of thing I expected this administration would do. I just didn’t realize how fast things were going to happen. Nor did I think he would be so audacious to take over the Kennedy Center” in Washington.

The Drama Group’s annual budget runs around $130,000 to $140,000, said Hoganson, who serves on the board of directors and is a past president. Grants usually account for $15,000 of the budget, she said, although one year, they received $29,000 in grants, “which was unusually high for us.”

“We are very fortunate not to be so dependent on grants from the federal government as many theaters are,” she said. “We have some discretion as to whether or not we’ll apply for grants.”

Labriola agrees.

“Luckily most of the money that supports the Drama Group is through ticket sales, patron donations and some grants. We aren’t entirely dependent on grants. That puts us in a good position,” he said, adding that the grants committee has done a good job over the last few years.

The Drama Group performs at the Milord Studio Theatre, named to honor Drama Group members, Paul Milord and his wife Maureen. Paul Milord built and gifted the theater to the Drama Group, Labriola said. Maureen Milord was a fixture in the box office, working there for 50 years. The black box theater seats between 121 to 136.

As a director, Hoganson said  “Ragtime” was one of her favorite productions. It was a wonderful play that was a true snapshot of the diversity of America.

Labriola shared one of his favorite theater stories from his time as a director. The play was “Dracula.” 

One of the play props was a mechanical bat with an eight-foot wingspan that was run by wires and strings. It was long before the arrival of more sophisticated special effects, he said.

The actor who played Van Helsing was supposed to react with fear when he saw the bat. But, one night the wires got all tangled up and the bat lost its fear factor. 

Fortunately, another actor saved the scene. He ran on stage, began wrestling with the bat and pretending it was trying to bite him. He ultimately triumphed over the bat, throwing it out of the French doors on the stage. He then asked, “Are you OK Professor Van Helsing?”

The audience knew it was pure improv, but they loved the theatrical aspect of it, Labriola said. “That is the joy and special attraction of theater.”

Shows from The Drama Group’s 2024 season included “Dreamgirls,” “Murder on the Orient Express,” “Star Bright” and “Eurydice.” “Sylvia” opens on June 6. “Matilda” opens on August 8. 

The Drama Group will be hosting a summer camp and a teen intensive this summer. The summer camp will perform “The Sponge Bob Musical.”  The teens will perform the “Mean Girls” musical. 

“Art makes a difference. Theater makes a difference. When I think of a play or a musical, I think of it as a trip. I’m taking a journey into someone else’s life or maybe a new world or an alternative reality,” Labriola said. “I learn a lot. I laugh a lot. Theater brings people together.”

Related stories:

• Hogansons have helped make Drama Group run for 5 decades (Dec. 30, 2023).
• Drama Group reopens for performances marking 90 years of theater (Aug. 8, 2021).
• The Drama Group pledges to foster inclusivity, appoints two Black board members (July 27, 2020).