The Donald Fowler Theater Arts Memorial Fund, created following the unexpected death of Fowler in May, plans a fall fundraising campaign honoring the late Dallas actor, composer and playwright. The fund also plans to award the first grant from the Fund and a memorial celebration and concert in 2021.
The Fund will provide annual support in the form of seed grants to artists living in the Dallas Metroplex, supporting their creation of new works of theater, including plays and musicals. The grants will assist with early costs of creation for individual artists whose work-in-progress is not yet financially supported by a theater or presenter.
An online campaign for additional gifts to the Fund, which has its home at The Dallas Foundation, has begun through Fowler’s Nov. 13 birthday.
“During the years leading to the premiere of Donald’s musical Creep, and as he worked on his new piece Oregon, we talked about the financial challenges playwrights and composers face, particularly prior to obtaining a production agreement with a theater,” said Fowler’s friend Nick Even. “I suggested the creation of this Fund to Donald’s family and they agreed it was a very appropriate way to honor him.”
In January 2021, the Fund will open the application process for its first grant cycle, which it expects to award in May 2021. The inaugural grant presentation will be made at a memorial celebration and concert honoring Fowler’s two decades of theatrical work in DFW, scheduled for Saturday, May 8, at Theater Three. The concert will be free and open to the public and will feature performances by Fowler’s friends from the theater community, including the first public performance of a selection from Oregon – the musical Fowler was composing at the time of his death. WaterTower Theatre will later conduct a workshop of Oregon which will culminate in the first public reading of the completed show on the Terry Martin Main Stage in July 2021, with invited audience, if possible.
Fowler’s friend and DFW area actress and singer Patty Breckenridge said, “Donald was loved by so many people from so many different sectors of life — theater, art, design. After his passing, it was very difficult not being able to have everyone at his memorial. This concert, which will include many people he loved and admired, is the perfect way to celebrate his life and the impact he had on so many lives.”
Additional details regarding the May 8 Memorial Celebration will be shared in the spring. More information about the Donald Fowler Theater Arts Memorial Fund, including how to donate and how to apply for a grant, may be found on the Fund’s website: DonaldFowlerArtsFund.com.
— David Taffet
