Brookhaven Little Theatre was recently awarded a $7,400 MAC CARES emergency grant from the Mississippi Arts Commission.

The grant was awarded as part of the approximately $441,100 in CARES Act COVID-19 recovery funding received from the National Endowment for the Arts. BLT will use the funds to cover operating expenses.

NEA awarded approximately $30 million in CARES Act funding across the United States, with a portion going to the arts commission of each state, the District of Columbia and several territories.

“We are incredibly grateful to Congress, the president and the NEA for providing this much-needed recovery funding for the arts,” said MAC executive director Malcolm White. “Like much of the economy, the arts sector in Mississippi and the nation have faced significant challenges as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. Closing facilities and canceling events equates to lost revenue. We are thankful that the federal government has recognized this need and has responded.”

As the longest continuously running community theater in Mississippi, BLT is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that offers a variety of plays, musicals, performing arts classes, camps, workshops, special events and music festivals.

“We are overwhelmed with gratitude to receive this funding, and we look forward to welcoming our actors, volunteers and patrons back to the theater as soon as it is safe to do so,” said Emily Waterloo, BLT managing artistic director.