The Theatre Alliance of Greater Philadelphia announced today that Lori Frush Schmelz, Program Director of the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts' Individual Creative Artist program will present a workshop on June 19th for individual Pennsylvania artists interested in applying to the 2008 Individual Artists Fellowship program.

The workshop will provide details about this statewide opportunity for individual artists, including the application process, eligibility requirements, and other funding opportunities. The workshop, beginning at 10am, will be held at Prince Music Theater, Independence Foundation Black Box, 1412 Chestnut Street and will last approximately ninety minutes.

New this year, the PCA, Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation and Carnegie Mellon University's Center for Arts Management and Technology announce the release of the electronic grant application - CueRate^sm. The CueRate^sm enables applicants to complete the PCA 2008 Fellowship application online.

The PCA supports the creative work of outstanding Pennsylvania artists by annually offering fellowships in fixed amounts of either $5,000 or $10,000. Discipline categories for 2008 are as follows:

• Dance: Choreography;
• Folk and Traditional Arts: Performing Traditions and Apprenticeships;
• Literature: Poetry;
• Media Arts: Narrative and Documentary;
• Music: Classical Composition;
• Theatre: Scriptworks; and
• Visual Arts: Drawing/Artists Books/Printmaking or New Technologies or Painting.

Artists interested in applying for a PCA Fellowship must be permanent residents of Pennsylvania who have established residency for at least two years prior to the application deadline. Prior recipients from the award period Jan. 1, 2007 to Dec. 31, 2007, may not apply -- in adherence to fellowship guidelines, all recipients must wait one full year before once again applying to the program. Students in high school or in undergraduate or graduate programs at the time of application are ineligible to apply for a Fellowship.

Fellowships are distributed based upon demonstrated artistic excellence. Applicants' work samples are reviewed by a panel of jurors from outside of Pennsylvania, comprised of arts professionals with expertise in specific disciplines. All review processes are anonymous, with the exception of the categories of Folk and Traditional Arts. Based upon review of the submitted work, jurors recommend potential Fellowship recipients and respective award amounts to the Agency's 19-member Council, who are responsible for final award decisions.

Applications for the 2008 Individual Artists Fellowship program must be submitted to CueRatetm by 11:59 pm on August 1, 2007. All other materials must be postmarked by Aug. 2, 2007, and mailed to the applicant's designated PCA partner. Contact information for respective partners is included within the Fellowship guidelines.

The Pennsylvania Council on the Arts is a state agency whose mission is to foster the excellence, diversity and vitality of the arts in Pennsylvania, and to broaden the availability and appreciation of those arts throughout the state.

For directions to the workshop, visit www.princemusictheater.org or call the Theatre Alliance at 215-413-7150.

The Theatre Alliance of Greater Philadelphia strengthens and leads the region's richly diverse theater community, with more than 100 member organizations and 300 individuals, by promoting awareness and serving as a resource for information, professional development and advocacy.

For further information, visit www.theatrealliance.org or call the Theatre Alliance at (215) 413-7150.

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