KNOXVILLE — For a second year in a row, a foundation connected to the operators of several Broadway theaters has granted operating funds to the Clarence Brown Theatre. This year the grant was increased by 50%.

The theater was among a select group of recipients nationwide to receive grants from the New York-based Shubert Foundation. The foundation provides general operating support to not-for-profit professional resident theaters, dance companies, and arts-related organizations to help support and nurture their operations. Grant recipients must have track records of artistic achievement, administrative strength, and fiscal responsibility.

“The CBT is grateful for the Shubert Foundation and this year’s increased grant. The foundation’s support is a boon to our operations and the arts and cultural life of the Greater Knoxville community,” said David B. Byrd, CBT Managing Director. “We look forward to producing another season of excellent, professional theatre, all while training the next generation of theatre artists.”

The Shubert Foundation is connected to the Shubert Organization, which for decades had a vast theatrical empire across the United States. The company currently operates seventeen Broadway houses, an Off-Broadway house, and theaters in Boston and Philadelphia.

A list of the 2015 grant recipients is available and more information about the Shubert Foundation is available at www.shubertfoundation.org.

Clarence Brown Theatre has a dual mission to train the next generation of theatre artists and to provide top quality professional theatre, like that of a teaching hospital. The Theatre at the University of Tennessee Knoxville is one of only 12 academic LORT (League of Resident Theatre) institutions in the nation. Under the leadership of Producing Artistic Director Calvin MacLean and Managing Director David B. Byrd, the CBT season runs from September through May and features nine productions ranging from musicals to drama. Tickets are on sale now for the 2015/2016 Season which includes: The 39 Steps; Of Mice and Men; Mr. Burns, A Post-Electric Play; A Christmas Carol; The Santaland Diaries; Titus Andronicus; A Lesson Before Dying; The Open Hand; and, South Pacific.

For more information, tickets or accessibility accommodation requests including Open Captioning, ASL, and assistive technologies, please call the CBT Box Office at 865-974-5161 or visit clarencebrowntheatre.com/access.