The Nouveau Sud Project, a contemporary social circus initiative founded by Associate Professor of Theatre Carlos Cruz, is one of 24 finalists for a National Theater Project Creation and Touring Grant, awarded by the New England Foundation for the Arts. The finalists were chosen from among 107 applicants and have the opportunity to submit a full proposal. Eight awards will be given, ranging from $80,000 to $130,000, to support the development and national touring of new work. The grants also include an additional $10,000 to support the administration necessary to tour the project.
The Nouveau Sud Project has submitted La Bestia, a Contemporary Circus take on the Central American immigrant path.
In 2014, Cruz received the McColl Award from the Arts & Science Council (ASC), a $25,000 grant given by the ASC once every three years for the creation of a new work of art. With that grant, he established the Nouveau Sud Project, an original cirque-style troupe that integrates professional circus arts with the “underground” dance, acrobatic, and physical theater languages that thrive within local ethnic communities. Nouveau Sud's mission is to address social issues and challenges through this hybrid performance style.