TEMPE — Childsplay, a children's and family theatre in Tempe, says it has lost tens of thousands of dollars that were to be used to fund a world premiere of a kids theatre production based on a Black superhero.
The play, J Sonic and the Unknown, is scheduled to premiere in September. Childsplay says it has been working on the show for over two years now, and designs for much of the production are already in the final stages.
Steve Martin, managing director of Childsplay, says he's been unable to find other arts groups that didn't have their National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) grants cut, including other Valley organizations.
The Arizona Commission on the Arts recently learned that grants had been pulled for multiple arts organizations across the state, ABC15 reported last week. Additionally, the Trump administration has proposed eliminating the NEA entirely.
In the video player above, ABC15's Rachel Louise Just talks with the leaders of Childsplay about the loss and what it means for the arts in the Valley.
