BATS Improv receives $40,000 grant from The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation
Two-year grant will fund initiative to expose new audience, students, and performers to improvisational theatre

San Francisco, CA (June 27, 2006) - BATS Improv has been awarded a grant of $40,000 over two years for general support from The William and Flora Hewlett Foundaiton.

The grant will fund the performance, development and promotion of improvisational theatre. Specifically, the grant will be targeted toward four key organizational goals: 1) Development of a more robust fund raising and development program, 2) Fair compensation for performers and staff, 3) Exposing more people—performers, students, and audience—to the transformative qualities of improvisational theatre, and 4) Ensuring that BATS performers, student body and audiences reflect the diversity of the larger Bay Area.

"We are so grateful to the Hewlett Foundation for this investment in BATS' future," said John Kovacevich, executive director of BATS Improv. "We're pleased that the Hewlett Foundation sees BATS as a leader in improvisational theatre, well positioned to expose more people to this unique art form."

"Over the last 19 years, BATS has grown tremendously and we have built a vibrant theatre company and sustainable financial infrastructure," Kovacevich added. "But mid-sized arts organizations like BATS need a little help to get over that next financial hurdle so that we can fairly compensate artists and staff and expand our outreach—to share the positive aspects of improvisational theatre training with an even wider, more diverse audience."

About BATS Improv – Celebrating 20 years/1986–2006

Acclaimed by critics as “bounce-in-your seat funny,” “consistently hilarious,” and “San Francisco's premiere improvisational theatre," BATS Improv has been a leader in the Bay Area's innovative improv theatre scene for nearly twenty years. Fifty weeks a year, BATS presents a series of completely improvised shows in a variety of formats—from comic competitions to improvised musicals and everything in between. BATS has also gained a reputation as one of the best schools of improvisational theatre anywhere in the world, and offers improv classes and workshops to adults, kids, corporations, non-profits and other groups. BATS attracts students from all over the United States, and as far away as Australia, England, and Japan.

Additionally, BATS offers free improvisation classes through its “Laughing Stock” program to people living with HIV, AIDS, Hepatitis C, cancer, and other chronic, life-threatening illnesses. Classes focus on strengthening quality of life through humor, physical activity, group interaction, risk-taking, and imagination games.

Media Contact:
Sara J. Butz
415-516-8876
sara@improv.org

General Information:
BATS Improv
www.improv.org
415-474-6776