The National Endowment for the Humanities has given NYU classics professor Peter Meineck $800,000, Arts Journal’s Real Clear Arts blog reports. They’re funding his idea to bring (relatively) star-studded productions of ancient Greek plays to libraries across the country: think Gary Sinise reads Sophocles Ajax. Afterwards, they’ll be town-hall discussions on “connections between the classics and contemporary America,” says writer Judy Dobrzynski, who also interviewed Meineck for the Wall Street Journal. The program, which got its start in Delray Beach, Fla., is particularly targeted to combat veterans. Has the federal government finally done something savvy when it comes to arts funding? We’re rooting for Lysistrata by the lions on 42nd and 5th.
