Last year, Spinning Tree Theatre was awarded a $15,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts for the April 2025 production of the play “First Generation.”

The grant money was slated to be paid out following the production, but last week, the theatre along with many other art organizations across the country received an email stating the grant had been withdrawn.

“It affects our upcoming production,” said Michael Grayman-Parkhurst, the theatre’s producing artistic director. “We had to gather our board, do an emergency board meeting on Monday and talk about, how can we move forward from this?”

Several leaders within the NEA have resigned in the wake of the rescinded grants. President Trump has proposed eliminating the agency entirely.

The resignations and funding cuts create a layer of challenges for the arts industry, according to Dana Knapp, president and CEO of ArtsKC.

“So we have an immediate need, as exemplified by Spinning Tree. We have kind of a mid-term need, and that is, you know, the deconstruction of our arts, culture and heritage infrastructure, right? And then long-term, how do we ensure that these agencies are first funded and secondarily rebuilt in the future,” Knapp said.

• Dana Knapp, president and CEO, ArtsKC
• Andrew Grayman-Parkhurst, executive director, Spinning Tree Theatre
• Michael Grayman-Parkhurst, producing artistic director, Spinning Tree Theatre