For Boulder’s Motus Theater, the rescinded $35,000 wasn’t just a lost line item — it derailed a statewide tour of Youth Behind & Beyond Bars, a monologue series written by formerly incarcerated youth. 

Boulder's Motus Theater was supposed to get $35,000 in its eighth NEA grant since 2013; the money was to support Youth Behind Bars, four autobiographical monologues from adults who experienced incarceration when younger.

Motus Theater, nationally recognized for its innovative use of autobiographical storytelling to advance justice and civic dialogue, has had its $35,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) rescinded.

Motus Theater in Boulder lost $35,000 in National Endowment for the Arts funding after the Trump administration canceled hundreds of grants last week.

In December, Boulder’s acclaimed Motus Theater was formally offered its eighth NEA grant — $35,000 to tour a new monologue series featuring adults who were incarcerated as youth. Now, poof.

President Donald Trump’s proposed budget calls for the elimination of the National Endowment for the Arts, which provides hundreds of millions of dollars each year to individuals and institutions around the country.

"Motus is all about community," Producing Executive Director Rita Valente-Quinn said. "We believe strongly in the community that we've been growing through our projects ... So my hope is that folks will show up to support the work if we don't receive these funds through the NEA.”