Downtown Staunton has a "shining star" in the performing arts and education. Tuesday, the American Shakespeare Center earned a "shining star" award of the Dominion ArtStars Awards from Virginians for the Arts.
The nonprofit was chosen from among 15 nominees in the valley and central Virginia. The American Shakespeare Center has earned acclaim for its live shows, teaching programs from kindergarten to college, and for helping revitalize downtown Staunton.
"It's constantly busy here. They have a show pretty much every night. So it's been a real force for tourism in Staunton," said Laura Baliles with Virginians for the Arts.
American Shakespeare Center Co-Founder Ralph Cohen stated, "I think as much as we talked about how it would help the community we didn't realize the extent to which it would."
The grant money from the Dominion Foundation comes with no strings attached, and the American Shakespeare Center says it has not yet decided how it will be spent.
