An audience at The Classical Theatre of Harlem is shown. (Courtesy: The Classical Theatre of Harlem)
What does the Trojan War of ancient times have to do with the culture wars of 2025?
On a Friday evening, May 2, Ty Jones received an unexpected email from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). The subject line contained one stark word: “Terminated.” Jones, the Producing Artistic Director of The Classical Theatre of Harlem (CTH), had just learned that a previously awarded $60,000 NEA grant was immediately revoked. The message came with no warning—just bureaucratic language citing a shift in funding priorities “to reflect the nation’s rich artistic heritage and creativity as prioritized by the President.”
For Jones, the email confirmed what many in the arts community had feared since President Donald Trump’s first term in office: a strategic campaign to dismantle public arts funding under the guise of budgetary reallocation and cultural prioritization. Jones said he “had a hard time trying to figure out what on earth doing free theater at Marcus Garvey Park could have done to become a target. But it’s clear they have an agenda—and we have a response.”
Founded in 1999 at the Harlem School of the Arts, the Classical Theatre of Harlem (CTH) presents free public performances that reimagine classical works—by Shakespeare, Shaw, Chekhov, and Ibsen—through the lens of the African diaspora and Harlem’s cultural heritage. Alongside canonical plays, CTH produces contemporary works that engage with classical themes. One example is Memnon, written by William Power, which had its world premiere at the Getty Villa in September 2024.
Power, a playwright and activist, responded to the NEA’s decision.
“I’m outraged,” he said. “In some ways, it’s not surprising, because to me, the Classical Theatre of Harlem is the most democratic theater in America.”
Power emphasized that the theater’s commitment to free, outdoor performances is what makes it radical.
“There’s never a ticket that goes on sale. So, you’ll see a congressman talking about the play with a line cook. Everyone comes together.”
The company receives most of its funding from individuals, foundations, corporations, and government sources. In 2023, these contributions comprised nearly 90% of the theater’s $3.27 million in revenue, with the remainder generated through program services and investment income. The annual production at Marcus Garvey Park attracts thousands of attendees and hundreds of thousands in revenue for local restaurants and businesses, according to Jones. It connects culture, commerce, and community—an interdependent model that Jones believes should be the future of sustainable arts programming.
The theater was awarded the NEA grant months ago for its upcoming production, Memnon, a play rooted in ancient literature and African mythology. The play reimagines Memnon, the Ethiopian king who fought in the Trojan War, as a symbol of historical erasure and contemporary relevance. For Jones, it is a cultural reclamation, part of a larger triptych meant to challenge Eurocentric narratives of classical antiquity. “Most people think civilization starts in Greece,” he explained. “But it’s all connected—to Egypt, to Ethiopia, to us.”
Power described Memnon as a work that reclaims what was deliberately erased. “This is a Greek mythological hero, but he was from Africa. He was half Trojan and half Ethiopian,” Power explained. “He was revered in ancient times—on the same level as Hector, Achilles, Helen. But at some point, after the Romans, he was disappeared from the canon.”
The theater’s new production is not speculative fiction or cultural revisionism, Power said.
It’s about “uncovering what has been there, but has been lost because of institutional racism,” Power said. “We’re not doing an African or Black makeover. We’re actually rediscovering what was there originally that has been lost because of white supremacy, because of Eurocentrism,” he added.
The NEA’s decision to withdraw funding, just a month before rehearsals began, was devastating.
“We built this budget a year ago,” Jones said. “Losing $60,000 meant we had to pull funds from other divisions of the organization. That kind of domino effect can be deeply disruptive for a small nonprofit.”
Yet, Jones refused to appeal.
“I’m not going up against the federal government,” he said. “I’d rather go directly to the people.”
Within hours, The Classical Theatre of Harlem mobilized. Email blasts went out. Social media campaigns were launched. Board members reached into their networks. Individual donors stepped up. “If the people believe that we matter, they’ll make sure we survive,” Jones said.
This kind of grassroots action has precedent at The Classical Theatre of Harlem. In 2008, amid the global financial crisis, the company faced near-collapse. Jones—then an actor with five Broadway credits and an Obie Award to his name—stepped up to lead the company. He worked without a salary for a decade, securing operational grants and building a model that values artistic excellence and community service. Today, The Classical Theatre of Harlem is one of the few midsize arts institutions in the country that is led by and serves artists of color.
That status, however, makes it vulnerable to politically motivated defunding. “The NEA made it clear: their vision of American art doesn’t include us,” said Jones.
The Classical Theatre of Harlem response is a case study in artistic resistance. The July 2025 production of Memnon will go on as planned. It premieres on July 5 and runs through July 27 at the Marcus Garvey Park, featuring vendor booths for local businesses, public health outreach services, and community programming.
Thematically, Memnon is acutely relevant. It explores questions of belonging, war, and the construction of “the other.” The play’s resonance is unmistakable in the current cultural climate, where DEI programs are under attack, book bans proliferate, and federal funding is contingent on alignment with a narrow conception of heritage. “There are always conversations about the ‘other,’” said Jones. “And Memnon was treated as one. But it’s also about how those of us who feel like we don’t belong engage with the world—and why we still choose to fight.”
Under the Trump administration, the NEA redirected funding toward institutions deemed representative of American heritage, as defined by the administration’s values. Jones read the NEA’s statement aloud: “The NEA is updating its grantmaking policy priorities to focus funding on projects that reflect the nation’s rich artistic heritage and creativity as prioritized by the President.” For Jones, the message couldn’t be clearer: “They aren’t being duplicitous. When people show you who they are—believe them.”
Power contextualizes the story within America’s cultural landscape and the current White House administration: “They say they’re into the rich heritage of America. This is the rich heritage of America. As Americans, our whole thing is about discovering what was there that we have forgotten and bringing it back to the forefront.”
The Classical Theatre of Harlem refuses to be erased. Its annual poker fundraiser, “Hold ‘Em in Harlem,” will draw high-profile supporters across New York. Its community-centered programming continues to offer free services to Harlem residents, from blood pressure screenings to small business opportunities. Moreover, its artistic vision is unapologetically expansive: the long-term goal is to stage a trilogy of African-rooted classical plays under The Ethiops—a modern-day answer to the Royal Shakespeare Company’s Tantalus.
Looking forward, Jones envisions The Classical Theatre of Harlem as a survival story and a blueprint. “My goal is to build a healthy middle-class theater company,” he said. “Not every institution needs to be the Kennedy Center. We need a strong middle class in the arts, just like in society. That’s how we build equity. That’s how we keep art democratic.”
At a time when the federal government is turning its back on the arts, institutions like the Classical Theatre of Harlem are rising to the challenge.
“The power of the people is always stronger than the people in power,” said Jones.
“And as long as we remember that, we’ll keep telling our stories.” As Power put it: “We’re going to take some hits, but we will not be stopped. We will not be silenced.”
The NEA didn’t respond when asked about the withdrawal of the Classical Theatre of Harlem’s grant and the change in funding priorities.
About the author(s)
Valerie Pires is a journalist, film scholar, and documentary photographer/filmmaker based in NYC but working globally.
Diba Mohtasham
Diba Mohtasham is a culture reporter in the M.A. Arts & Culture program at the Columbia Journalism School. She previously worked for NPR, both in digital and audio.