2010 TCG National Conference
The TCG National Conference, the only nationwide gathering of the not-for-profit professional theatre community will be held in the central region of the United States in June, 2010. TCG theatres and theatre service organizations in this region are invited to submit proposals to host this important event. Interested parties should complete the Host City Questionnaire.
2010 National Conference - Central Region
Eligible States: Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas.
The TCG National Conference brings together over 800 theatre professionals from across the nation and around the world for meetings, speeches, and performances, and a chance to explore the local theatre community. The conference is extremely important to the field, and the host city benefits in many ways. In addition to being able to introduce national colleagues to the site city's theatre community, local theatres take part in planning and are offered special opportunities to involve affiliated staff, board members, and artists in the conference.
The TCG Conference meets annually, rotating between the eastern, western, and central states over a three-year period. The conference proper lasts two-and-a-half days, although the pre-conference and post-conference events occur over one week's time. Conference site requirements are considerable.
- The conference will require a site with a theatre space large enough to hold 800 participants for plenary sessions and performances, along with up to 25 smaller breakout spaces capable of holding at least 30-40 people each.
- The site must have good transportation, and participants from across the country must be able to travel to the host site affordably and with relative ease.
- The meeting spaces must be handicapped accessible, and there must be areas with sufficient space for a vendor fair with approximately 30 tables with electricity and internet access, and another location for approximately thirty tables displaying work of designers, directors, and other artists.
- There must also be a range of hotel and dormitory options or equivalent lodging nearby, and a dining site for up to 800, either in a dining hall, a restaurant, or a hotel banquet room, or through a catered or boxed-meal option.
- The host of the conference must be able to provide at least 50 volunteers from the local theatre community to work at the conference, helping with logistics, (information desk, guiding people to meeting rooms, distributing and collecting evaluation forms, etc.) These volunteers are typically recruited by a local service organization or host community theatre. Volunteers consist of already existing volunteers in the theatre community, individual artists, and staff from both member and non-member theatres and this provides a way for local theatre people to participate in the conference.
- The host organization must be willing and able to provide advice, offer logistical support, and help recruit and oversee a large local volunteer pool to help staff the conference. Hosts must also be willing to help TCG engage the local funding community and to raise funds locally.
Proposals must be submitted by TCG member theatres or theatre service organizations, although the conference facilities need not be at a member theatre. The proposal will be evaluated according to how well the site meets conference needs and whether it indicates a high level of support in the local theatre community. TCG staff will identify and visit the leading sites in the fall of 2008 and report on the potential sites to the TCG Board of Directors, who will select the conference site by the end of January, 2009.
If you have any questions, please call Jenni Werner, National Conference Director at 212-609-5900, ext.233 or email her at jwerner@tcg.org . We strongly encourage you to call and discuss your proposal before submitting. Proposals are due via post or e-mail on Monday, September 29, 2008.