PRESS RELEASES
Read the latest press releases from The Unusual Suspects Theatre Company. To discuss media inquiries, contact corporate@theunusualsuspects.org.
The Unusual Suspects receive The National
Arts and Humanities Youth Program Award
from first lady Laura Bush at the White
House.
The Unusual Suspects and long-time
supporter, David Henry Hwang, accept the
Otto Rene Castillo Award for Political Theatre
in New York City.
AWARDS
Was one of 361 non-profits selected for MacKenzie Scott’s Yield Giving grant award in March 2024 (out of 6,353 applicants nation-wide). While many grantees received $1 million, USTC received $2 million for being in the group of highest-scoring organizations. The funds are meant to support USTC’s 5-year vision of expansion and eventual procurement of a multi-purpose hub in Pasadena.
Was awarded a transformative $699,000 grant from The Perenchio Foundation to support our operations and ongoing COVID recovery.
Was awarded an unrestricted $413,000 LA Arts Recovery Fund grant to support our COVID recovery efforts and bolster our ongoing programming.
Was a lead agency selected to create a professional development facilitators guide in collaboration with DMH, the Office of Child Protection, and the Los Angeles County Department of Arts & Culture. The curriculum, entitled “Creative Wellbeing: Arts, Schools, and Resilience,” merges mental health prevention content with healing-informed arts approaches for youth-serving adults and was selected as the winner of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisor’s 3rd Quarter Chair’s Challenge in 2020.
Was named Tiffany Haddish’s charity of choice in Variety Magazine’s “Power of Women: Los Angeles” issue (link). As Haddish said in Variety, a high-quality, mentorship theatre-arts education program like The Unusual Suspects “would have meant the world to me. I definitely would not have been in as much trouble as I was in school. It teaches you when to do something — and when not to.”
Received coverage from PBS SoCal on the start to finish creative process of creating an original play through our curriculum. (link)
Received the Otto Rene Castillo Award for Political Theatre, which provides international recognition for community-based political theatre.
Was a keynote presenter at Peace Over Violence’s annual conference on teen and relationship violence prevention.
Received multiple contracts from the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health (DMH) for our work with those with mental health issues — a tribute to the success of our model as an alternative intervention for those with mental health challenges.
Received the National Youth Arts and Humanities Program Award from the White House, our nation’s highest honor for after-school arts and humanities programs.
Was recognized in The Los Angeles Times for our programming at Central Juvenile Hall and the impact on system-engaged youth. Link
Received the National Juvenile Justice Award for “displaying exemplary models, innovative approaches and new and enhanced community collaborations serving children and youth.”