Clear Space receives $350K grant from Longwood Foundation

Clear Space Theatre Company has received a $350,000 grant from the Longwood Foundation to support a 2 1/2-year initiative designed to expand access to professional theater and arts-based learning in coastal Delaware.

The award is the largest single operating grant received from a private foundation in Clear Space’s 22-year history. Through matching philanthropic support and additional earned revenue generated through expanded programs, Clear Space intends to match this grant amount by June 2028.

The funded project, titled Scaling Potential, Building the Future, will address capacity limitations at Clear Space’s current facility through short-term leases of additional performance and classroom space, hiring extra staff to support expanded programming, and commissions of new work for future seasons. Scaling Potential, Building the Future will enable Clear Space to expand its programming model and infrastructure to better align with the new performing arts center it plans to build at 11 Christian St. in downtown Rehoboth Beach in upcoming years. Demand for both performances and Arts Institute programs has grown significantly in recent years, often exceeding what the theater can accommodate, leading to both the long-term construction project and this near-term expansion.

Plans include launching a flexible-seating “black box” performance venue for three to four productions each year starting in 2027. While this theater will host smaller, innovative and newer productions, main stage productions will receive expanded runs of major shows. Through this approach, Clear Space will increase the number of available seats during its season by a significant margin, allowing more residents and visitors to experience live professional theater.

To help support programming in the black box theater in 2027, through this funding Clear Space will begin to commission new plays with themes resonant to the coastal Delaware community. Workshops of these new plays may begin as early as this summer.

This funding will also support expanding the Clear Space Arts Institute, which provides arts-based learning for children, teens and retired adults. More classes and summer camps and new satellite locations for expanded programs are planned, with a commitment to improving geographic accessibility as well as access for low- and middle-income families through scholarships.

“This support from the Longwood Foundation will truly catalyze live theater and arts-based learning in coastal Delaware,” said Clear Space Managing Director Joe Gfaller. “As our region grows, it is critical that our arts infrastructure grows along with our community. Expanding our programming model to offer productions of different scale throughout the year will not only prepare us for our new building, but also ensure that we can continue to provide an excellent balance of offerings on stage for everyone who calls our region home. We are deeply grateful to the Longwood Foundation for this transformational gift.”