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According to WVHC Executive Director Eric Waggoner, funding was approved for the National Endowment for the Humanities to provide grants through state-level agencies like the Humanities Council for Fiscal Year 2025, which would then be passed on to programs like Alchemy.

At the beginning of April, the Department of Government Efficiency slashed the NEHÈËÑýÉ«ÇéƬ™s budget and reduced its workforce. On April 2 and April 3, every state humanities council received an email notifying them there would be no more federal funds forthcoming, Waggoner said.

As a result, Alchemy lost about 75% of its funding for WV SHAKES ÈËÑýÉ«ÇéƬ” a year-long program including a lecture series, a fall tour performance for students, several public performances and workshops for adults and children.

Since then, Alchemy has been campaigning to ÈËÑýÉ«ÇéƬœSave Shakespeare,ÈËÑýÉ«ÇéƬ� asking community members to donate in support of its programming. The total ask was $14,610 to make up the loss and funding and to commemorate William ShakespeareÈËÑýÉ«ÇéƬ™s 461st birthday.

Alchemy announced via its Facebook last week it met its goal. In fact, Ankrom said Friday that the troupe surpassed the goal, raising nearly $15,000 in total.

ÈËÑýÉ«ÇéƬœIt all came from individuals; that was the coolest thing about it,ÈËÑýÉ«ÇéƬ� Ankrom said of the donations.

Ankrom said community members ÈËÑýÉ«ÇéƬœralliedÈËÑýÉ«ÇéƬ� in support of the troupe and ÈËÑýÉ«ÇéƬœstepped upÈËÑýÉ«ÇéƬ� when it needed them.

ÈËÑýÉ«ÇéƬœSome are larger donors and some are smaller, but it was entirely just individuals, no businesses,ÈËÑýÉ«ÇéƬ� she said. ÈËÑýÉ«ÇéƬœAnd some of them were even first-time donors to Alchemy, which I think is really significant because I think that shows our messaging and our programming are reaching further than we realize sometimes. And what weÈËÑýÉ«ÇéƬ™re doing, I think, matters to the community.ÈËÑýÉ«ÇéƬ�

Ankrom said the final push for the funding was during AlchemyÈËÑýÉ«ÇéƬ™s performances of ÈËÑýÉ«ÇéƬœFootloose,ÈËÑýÉ«ÇéƬ� of which every showing was sold out for three weekends.

What this means for Alchemy, Ankrom said, is that everything planned for the 2025 Shakespeare Festival is entirely funded.

The troupe already put on its production of ÈËÑýÉ«ÇéƬœThe CrucibleÈËÑýÉ«ÇéƬ� in February, which was the first portion of its yearlong festival.

Now Alchemy can move forward with its production of ÈËÑýÉ«ÇéƬœLoveÈËÑýÉ«ÇéƬ™s LabourÈËÑýÉ«ÇéƬ™s LostÈËÑýÉ«ÇéƬ� ÈËÑýÉ«ÇéƬ” the director of which, Ankrom said, will deliver a keynote address for the festival and announce some community workshops in the coming weeks.

The full festival day on Sunday, July 27, is also fully funded now and will include community vendors and performers and culminate with the final performance of ÈËÑýÉ«ÇéƬœLoveÈËÑýÉ«ÇéƬ™s LabourÈËÑýÉ«ÇéƬ™s Lost.ÈËÑýÉ«ÇéƬ� The full schedule of performance dates for ÈËÑýÉ«ÇéƬœLoveÈËÑýÉ«ÇéƬ™s LabourÈËÑýÉ«ÇéƬ™s LostÈËÑýÉ«ÇéƬ� includes July 18-20 and July 25-27.

More information and tickets will become available on

The entire fall schedule will also move forward, including AlchemyÈËÑýÉ«ÇéƬ™s production of ÈËÑýÉ«ÇéƬœSchoolhouse Rock,ÈËÑýÉ«ÇéƬ� performed with the AlchemyÈËÑýÉ«ÇéƬ™s Apprentice Theatre, as well as the fall tour of the troupeÈËÑýÉ«ÇéƬ™s Shakespeare production to local schools. This year, Ankrom said Alchemy will be touring ÈËÑýÉ«ÇéƬœRomeo and Juliet.ÈËÑýÉ«ÇéƬ�

ÈËÑýÉ«ÇéƬœI feel grateful, of course, and I feel optimistic and hopeful about our community and about our world really. Right now, in our country and the rest of the world, things ÈËÑýÉ«ÇéƬ¦ seem really bleak, and they seem divided, and they seem really, really hard a lot of times,ÈËÑýÉ«ÇéƬ� Ankrom said.

ÈËÑýÉ«ÇéƬœBut focusing on the people that are right here and our neighbors and our own community, weÈËÑýÉ«ÇéƬ™re not nearly as divided as it might seem sometimes. And itÈËÑýÉ«ÇéƬ™s encouraging, I think, to grow where youÈËÑýÉ«ÇéƬ™re planted, and invest in your own town and your own neighbors, and look to that for the goodness in the rest of the world.ÈËÑýÉ«ÇéƬ�

As for next year, the possibility of receiving federal funding again is ÈËÑýÉ«ÇéƬœcompletely up in the air,ÈËÑýÉ«ÇéƬ� Ankrom said.

But, she said, ÈËÑýÉ«ÇéƬœShakespeare Festival is not going anywhere. ÈËÑýÉ«ÇéƬ¦ WeÈËÑýÉ«ÇéƬ™ve proven that the community is supportive and that this is the thing that is important to our neighbors. And weÈËÑýÉ«ÇéƬ™re not going anywhere. WeÈËÑýÉ«ÇéƬ™re going to continue the work.ÈËÑýÉ«ÇéƬ�