Good for Connecticut

From today's Arts Briefly:

Connecticut's state government announced that it had set aside $200,000 in its recently approved budget for the National Theater of the Deaf in West Hartford, which has been struggling to stay open after its federal financing was eliminated. The theater, which blends American Sign Language and spoken English, learned in 2004 that it was one of several arts groups sharing this specialty whose longtime federal financing was not being reauthorized by Congress. Without the money, it has been unable to resume its adult productions or restart its summer training academy for deaf and hearing-impaired actors. Lt. Gov. Kevin B. Sullivan said the state's Commission on Culture and Tourism would provide $200,000 to the group over the next 12 months. "This is one show that simply must go on," he said. The group has gotten $15,000 at most from the state in recent years, according to Paul L. Winters, its executive director. The new state money "will certainly keep us going for at least another year, possibly another two years," he said.