Kuster visits Colonial Theatre in Keene, highlights federal grants and recovery efforts
KEENE — Tuesday, U.S. Rep. Annie Kuster (NH-02) met with Alec Doyle, Executive Director of the Colonial Theatre in Keene and Tom Minkler, Vice Chair of the Board of Directors, to discuss the impact of targeted federal stimulus through the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant (SVOG) program on their operations, and plans for the future. Rep. Kuster helped to secure critical funding for the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant (SVOG) program in the emergency COVID-19 relief legislation that was passed by Congress and signed into law last December, as well as through the American Rescue Plan Act.
The SVOG program provides Small Business Administration (SBA) grants to support entertainment, music, and art venues that were forced to shut down during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Colonial Theatre in Keene received $463,480 in SVOG funds and a $129,098 PPP loan.
“I was pleased to see the operations of the Colonial Theatre in Keene today, including their new venue, and to meet with the theatre’s Executive Director Alec Doyle to discuss the impact of targeted federal stimulus and their goals for the future,” said Rep. Kuster. “Our performance arts industry in New Hampshire is an incredible resource for our communities, and I was proud to help deliver much-needed federal funds through the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant program to help venues keep employees on staff and weather the storm.”
“It was a pleasure to provide congresswoman Kuster a tour of our new venue, Showroom, as well as the renovations underway at the historic Colonial Theatre,” said Alec Doyle, Executive Director of the Colonial Theatre. “Operational support via the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant, which the congresswoman championed, has helped us to both carry out these important improvements and bring back our public programming.”
Kuster is a fierce advocate for New Hampshire’s live-performance and entertainment venue industry in Congress. Last month, Kuster met with leadership from the Capitol Center for the Arts and Red River Theatre to discuss federal funding to support the entertainment industry as it continues to recover from COVID-19. Thanks to her work and advocacy throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, New Hampshire venues have been awarded more than $23 million from the SVOG program.