TCG Bulletin

December 2006, Volume 29, Issue 12

Also online this month:

FIELD LETTER

In the December Field Letter, Gigi reflects on several recent events, including the TCG Fall Forum and a new call for the theatre community to participate in raising awareness of the country's rising autism rates. She also comments on the recent mid-term elections and their likely impact on the arts: "One of the arts fields' greatest accomplishments in recent years has been the forging of bipartisan support. We've cultivated steadfast supporters from both sides of the aisle. Of course, the positions and views of the leadership are always critical, and happily, the presumptive post-election party and committee leadership appears to be strongly pro-arts.... It's never too early to introduce yourself to newly elected members."

• Click here to view the December 2006 Field Letter.

TCG NEWS

Salary Survey 2007—Submit Before It's Too Late!

Have you submitted your 2007 Salary Survey yet? If not, make sure you do! The results of this invaluable online survey are only available to TCG Member Theatres that participate each year. The extended deadline is Friday, December 8.

Not sure what this survey can do for you? The Salary Survey reports the salary range and average for more than 60 job titles that are common among not-for-profit theatres, from artistic director to box office manager. The survey also tracks average fees paid to guest artists and average weekly salaries for both union and non-union actors and stage managers. Participants receive a full summary results report, as well as the opportunity to request custom reports throughout the year. Data can be broken down by budget group and a range of other criteria for easy comparison. Remember, surveys are confidential and only managing leaders from participating TCG organizations are entitled to receive the results.

Action: The extended deadline is Friday, December 8. An email was sent to managing leaders at TCG member theatres in October with a link to the survey, or you can visit the Tools & Research section of the website for a link to the online survey form. You will need your username and password to access the survey.

Fiscal Survey 2006 Deadline December 8!

Last month, TCG sent managing leaders an email with a link to our interactive Fiscal Survey 2006. You will need your TCG username and password in order to complete the survey. If you do not have your username and password, email customer service. For easier workflow, we recommend printing the survey worksheet and completing the survey offline and then entering the results on our website. Advantages of the online survey include:

While we recognize that the survey can be a burden on your time and energy, please let us urge you to complete it. Theatre Facts, the annual in-depth report drawn from this data, is the only document analyzing the national not-for-profit theatre field and is a vital advocacy and policy tool for trustees, foundation and corporation executives, policymakers and the national press. Also, only participating theatres will have online access to the full survey results. We will not be able to accept surveys after the survey is closed! Remember, in order to apply for any TCG grant program, completion of the Fiscal Survey is required.

Action: The deadline is Friday, December 8. An email was sent to managing leaders at TCG member theatres last month with a link to the survey, or you can visit the Tools & Research section of the website for a link to the online survey form. You will need your username and password to access the survey.

TCG Board of Directors Nominations

We are currently soliciting nominations for the TCG board of directors to fill the positions left open by the board members whose terms are expiring at the end of the 2006–2007 year. The board is comprised of artistic and managing leaders, trustees, individual artists, funders and others representing the full spectrum of our field. We invite you to express your interest in serving by submitting a self-nomination or by nominating a colleague.

Action: The deadline for nominations is Friday, December 8. To submit a nomination, please fill out the nomination form and mail it back to TCG, along with the requested supplemental material. To find out more about the current TCG board make-up and the nomination process, please contact Jen Cleary.

Dual Leadership: Partnering from the Inside Out—Philadelphia, February 25–27, 2007

Building on our commitment to develop a wide array of professional development programs for the field, TCG, along with partners Dance/USA, the national service organization for dance, and the Institute for Cultural Policy and Practice at Virginia Tech announce Dual Leadership: Partnering from the Inside Out, a unique program for artistic and managing leaders from theatre and dance companies to come together and build their understanding of the unique challenges involved in developing sustainable and effective dual leadership structures. This highly engaging seminar will focus on the competencies and practices required to build strong team-based leadership models that support both the artistic vision and the institutional resilience required for long term impact.

Both the artistic and executive/management leader of TCG member theatres and Dance/USA dance companies must attend as a team in order to register and agree to participate in the entire session. Also, only peer leadership teams are invited to register—in other words, executive teams who hold equal positions within their organization. No additional staff employees may attend.

Action: The registration deadline is Friday, December 15. Visit the Events section of the website for more information and registration details.

2007 National Conference Registration Open!

Registration for the 2007 TCG National Conference is open! Secure your place at the conference by registering now online! This year's conference, Artistry in a New Century, will be held from June 7–9 in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul. Hosted by the Guthrie Theater in their new theatre complex, the 2007 conference is sure to be thought-provoking and inspiring. And on June 6, we'll start things off with a pre-conference for member theatres' staff: Theatre Educators Training: Building a National TEAM (Theatre Education Assessment Models).

Action: Registration packets will be mailed to member theatres this month. Visit the Events section of the website for complete details or click here to register online now.

Seeking TCG Awards Nominations

Since 2001, the TCG Awards have saluted extraordinary contributions to the American theatre community. We look forward to awarding them once again at the 2007 National Conference in Minneapolis/St. Paul this June. Each TCG member theatre is urged to nominate one honoree in each award category. A committee of TCG's board of directors will select the award recipients from the pool of nominees.

Action: All nominations must be received by Monday, January 15, 2007. For award descriptions, past recipients and other information, check out the Events section of the website.

Call for Nominations: 2007 Alan Schneider Director Award

Beginning in mid-November, we will be accepting nominations from artistic directors for the 2007 Alan Schneider Director Award, given in honor of Alan Schneider's significant contribution to the American theatre and his lifelong concern for the development of career opportunities for freelance directors. The $10,000 award has been designed to identify and assist exceptionally talented mid-career freelance directors whose talent has been demonstrated through work in specific regions, but who are not known nationally. It may be used for travel, research or other activities specifically focused on the development of the directing craft or on career opportunities. The award will be presented at the TCG National Conference in Minneapolis, where the recipient will receive valuable exposure. Previous award winners are Mark Brokaw, Peter C. Brosius, Kyle Donnelly, Michael John Garcés, Henry Godinez, Nancy Keystone, Roberta Levitow, Charles Newell, Roman Paska, Mary Robinson, David Saint and Darko Tresnjak.

Action: Visit the Grants section of the website for more information on the award. The nomination deadline will be January 12, 2007.

2007 Fox Foundation Resident Actor Fellowships

Next year, we will be accepting applications for a second round of the Fox Foundation Resident Actor Fellowships. Six fellowships will be awarded to support an individual actor's professional and artistic development and underwrite a four-month residency at a TCG member theatre. Actors will receive up to $25,000. Host theatres will receive grants of $5,000 in support of the residency. The fellowship must occur between October 2007 and March 2011.

Action: The deadline for the online Intent to Apply form is January 16, 2007. Visit the Grants section of the website for more information or to download application materials.

NEA/TCG Career Development Programs for Theatre Directors and Designers

TCG is pleased to announce the 2007 deadlines for the NEA/TCG Career Development Programs for Theatre Directors and Designers. The programs provide $22,500 each to seven early-career directors and seven designers who are exceptionally talented and seek a career in America's not-for-profit professional theatre. Early-career directors, as well as scenic, costume, lighting and sound designers spend six months within a two-year period developing their creative skills and expanding their knowledge of the field. The earliest start date for recipients is October 1, 2007. All program activity must conclude by September 30, 2009.

Action: The postmark deadline for applying to the 2007 Designers Program is February 5, 2007. The postmark deadline for applying to the 2007 Directors Program is February 12, 2007. Please pass this information to appropriate candidates. Visit the Grants section of the website for more information on the Career Development Programs.

New Generations Program: Future Collaborations—TCG/ITI International Fellowships

The Future Collaborations objective of the New Generations Program provides grants for theatre professionals to travel internationally, enabling them to share ideas and techniques and/or collaborate. In round 7 of the program, $3,000 grants will be awarded for unrestricted international travel.

Action: The deadline to complete the the online intent to apply form is February 23, 2007. Visit the Grants section of the website for more information.

2006–2007 TCG Theatre Directory

This month, TCG Member Theatres will receive a complimentary copy of the 2006-2007 TCG Theatre Directory. Please consider ordering additional copies for your staff. TCG's annual guide to theatres and related organizations contains personnel information from over 425 theatres nationwide, including addresses, email and websites. Also included are notes about theatres' special interests and an index to theatre and service organization personnel.

Action: Individual copies are $14.95 each and shipping is $5.00 for the first copy and $.50 for each additional copy. TCG Member Theatres save 15% ($12.70) when ordering one additional copy and save 30% ($10.45) when ordering two to four copies. Order five copies or more and save 50% ($7.45 each). For additional information, contact customer service at (212) 609-5900.

Wanted: Electronic Human Resources Documents for TCG's Topical Files

As a service for member theatres, TCG maintains electronic resource files for inquiries about performance reviews, job descriptions, organizational structure, trustee evaluation, software packages and more. Some of our most useful and most requested files contain employee handbooks, reviews, job descriptions and contracts that are submitted by member theatres to be used as a resource by other member theatres.

All member theatres are encouraged to send us any electronic human resources-related documents they utilize for inclusion in these files. We can remove any language that identifies your theatre, if you wish to contribute anonymously. In particular, we are looking to expand our collection of employment contracts for full-time and management-level staff, but we gladly welcome any and all submissions. Also, if you have worked with a consultant that you particularly would recommend, please forward their information as well.

Action: If you have any documents that you would like to contribute to our files, please email them as an attachment (Microsoft Word preferred) to Jason Schroeder.

Update Your Staff Contacts with TCG

TCG sends email notification of the TCG Bulletin and Field Letter directly to general managers, education directors, business managers, marketing directors, PR directors, literary managers, dramaturgs, development directors and associate artistic directors at TCG member theatres. We do this in order to keep staff informed of the activities and developments of the not-for-profit theatre field, to deepen staff knowledge of TCG and to increase participation in our programs. Many of these senior staff already participate in TCG programs and have sent TCG their email addresses. However, we are far from a complete list. We strongly encourage you to send us email contacts for all senior staff at your theatre, and to inform us of any staff changes when they occur.

Action: To receive notification of the TCG Bulletin and Field Letter by email, or to inform TCG of staff changes at your theatre, contact Jason Schroeder.

TCG Requests Production Posters

TCG is requesting posters from your theatre's current season. We prominently display members' posters in our office, which not only creates a lively and attractive work environment but also helps us showcase the full diversity of our membership to the artists, funders, government leaders, theatre administrators and board members who visit TCG. We also remind you to send posters to your federal, state and local legislators. They often like to display their constituents' posters in their offices.

Action: Mail posters to Demosthenes Chrysan, TCG, 520 Eighth Avenue, 24th Floor, New York, NY 10018-4156, as well as your legislators.

TCG Trustee Leadership Network

All trustees of TCG member theatres are eligible to join the TCG Trustee Leadership Network. For $75 annually, the network affords trustees the following benefits: American Theatre magazine; annual TCG Theatre Directory; and notification of management publications including the TCG Bulletin, Field Letter and Centerpiece. Please encourage your board members to join.

Action: Visit the Membership section of the website to download a registration form or for more information.

TCG and League of American Theatres and Producers Collaborate on Quarterly Information Alerts to Commercial Producers

As part of ACT II's ongoing dialogue between not-for-profit theatres and commercial producers, TCG and the League of American Theatres and Producers have instituted quarterly alerts to commercial producers about upcoming workshops, staged readings and new productions of plays and musicals of particular interest.

If your theatre is developing a new work or production that you feel has commercial potential, it will be suitable for the alert. You will need to provide the following information: name of new work; author(s); theatre; a one-line description; dates and location of workshop, reading or production; and contact name, phone and email at the theatre. Entries will be distributed quarterly to League members.

Action: Submissions for the March 1 issue are due by February 15, 2007. To participate, email your details to Ben Pesner, League of American Theatres and Producers.

TCG Seeks Interns

TCG's Internship Program is looking for highly motivated individuals with good organizational, communication and computer skills. Learn about contemporary American theatre through contact with the artists and professionals who work in our over 445 member theatres, as well as constant interaction with the TCG staff and its unique resources. Internships are offered year-round in the following areas: Artistic Programs, Fundraising, Communications/Public Relations, Management Programs & Advocacy/Education Programs, American Theatre magazine/Publications, Graphic Design, Business Administration and Website. Spring, Summer and Fall internships are available.

Action: For more detailed information, please visit the About TCG section of the website. To apply, email your résumé and a cover letter indicating primary area of interest to Jen Cleary.

Club Quarters: A Benefit for TCG Member Theatres, Affiliates and Individual Members

Club Quarters are private, full service hotels exclusively for member organizations; they offer unique, user-friendly services designed for both business and leisure. Club Quarters have rooms of various sizes for long or short stays and each location has a restaurant and bar, club room, fitness facility and meeting space accommodating up to 250 people.

TCG is a member of Club Quarters, and TCG member theatres, affiliates and individual members can pay low rates for quality hotel rooms in eleven prime urban locations, such as New York, Philadelphia, Boston, Washington DC, Chicago, San Francisco, Houston and London.

Action: Visit the Club Quarters website or call Club Quarters Member Services at 212-575-0006 to make reservations or for more information. Your password is TCG.

ADVOCACY NEWS FROM THE AMERICAN ARTS ALLIANCE AND TCG

President Bush Nominates Six New Members to National Council on the Arts

President Bush has announced his intent to nominate six new members to serve on the National Council on the Arts, the advisory body of the NEA. The nominations will be sent to the Senate when it reconvenes later this month. The appointments are:

Action: Visit the NEA website to view the complete press release.

Advocacy Tools Available

The Americans for the Arts Action Fund PAC recently issued its Congressional Arts Report Card. Additionally, the American Arts Alliance has recently posted Congressional voting records on its website.

Action: Visit the Americans for the Arts website to view a press release with average state report card "scores" and rankings, and a link to the full Congressional Arts Report Card. Visit the American Arts Alliance website to view its listing of voting records.

Two New Reports on Economic Impact of the Arts

Metro Denver's cultural institutions in 2005 attracted 14.1 million people who spent $785 million, according to a study released recently by the Colorado Business Committee for the Arts. The group calculated overall economic activity at $1.4 billion, including $597 million in operating expenses and $44 million in capital expenses by cultural organizations.

Some of the findings from a similar Chapman University study, "The Economic Impact of the Nonprofit Arts on Orange County," include:

Action: Visit the Colorado Business Committee for the Arts website to view the entire Denver report. To view the Orange County report, visit the Chapman University website.

2006 National Medal of Arts Recipients

President Bush has announced the recipients of the 2006 National Medal of Arts. Ten medals were presented by the President and Mrs. Laura Bush in an Oval Office ceremony at the White House on November 9. The National Endowment for the Arts manages the National Medal of Arts nomination process. The 2006 National Medal of Arts Recipients are:

Action: Visit the NEA website to view a full press release with links to artists' bios.

NEA Announces Big Read Grants in Celebration of Great American Books

The NEA recently announced that 72 organizations will receive grants to support Big Read programs between January and June 2007. The Big Read is a new national program by the NEA, in partnership with the Institute of Museum and Library Services and Arts Midwest, that encourages literary reading by asking communities to come together to read and discuss one book. The organizations selected to participate in the Big Read will receive grants ranging from $5,000 to $40,000 to promote and carry out month-long, community-based programs.

After executing a successful pilot Big Read program with ten communities in 2006, the NEA announced in May that it would take the Big Read nationwide. In July, Mrs. Laura Bush joined the Big Read as its Honorary Chair.

Modeled on successful "city reads" programs, the Big Read is meant to address the national decline in literary reading as documented in the NEA's 2004 landmark survey Reading at Risk: A Survey of Literary Reading in America. The survey showed that less than half the American adult population now reads literature.

Action:Visit the NEA website to view a complete press release on the program.

ARTISTIC OPPORTUNITIES IN THE UNITED STATES

Call for Submissions to Two Music Theatre Festivals

Theater League, Inc. (Kansas City, MO) is calling for submissions of new musical theatre works for the Kansas City Festival of New Musicals and repeat workshops at the newly announced Thousand Oaks Festival of New Musicals. The Kansas City Festival of New Musicals (formerly the Kansas City Crossroads Musical Theater Festival) and Thousand Oaks Festival of New Musicals seek to introduce new and unique works into the American theatre catalogue. After a successful inaugural festival in July 2006 in which seven new musicals were showcased, Theater League is sponsoring the second annual Kansas City Festival of New Musicals to be held June 15–16, 2007, and the Thousand Oaks Festival of New Musicals on August 24–26, 2007. Selected works will be paired with professional music directors, stage directors and actors and given staged readings for multiple performances.

Action: The submission deadline is January 5, 2007. Visit the Kansas City Festival of New Musicals website for more information and submission guidelines.

ARTS EDUCATION

Montalvo Announces Teaching Artist Fellowship Winners

Montalvo Arts Center recently announced that Daniel A. Kelin II (director of drama education, Honolulu Theatre for Youth, Honolulu, HI), Carol Ponder (Nashville, TN), Nilea Rohrer-Parvin (Austin, TX) and Sophia L. Torres (Houston, TX) have been named as recipients of the new Teaching Artist Fellowship, an initiative combining the strengths of Montalvo's education program and the Sally and Don Lucas Artists Programs.

The first national award of its kind dedicated to professional teaching artists, the Teaching Artist Fellowship provides a three-month residency at Montalvo's Lucas Artists Programs and a partnership with a local school for curriculum development. Fellowship winners were selected from more than 100 applicants by a panel of some of the most distinguished leaders in the arts education world. Teaching artists are professional artists who concurrently dedicate themselves to arts education, with both artistic and educational skills, teaching within and beyond their artistic discipline.

The fellows will first meet together at Montalvo in June 2007 for an intensive planning week and will return for individual three-month residencies over the 2007–2008 and 2008–2009 school years. While in residence, the fellows will divide their time between the Lucas Artists Programs, Montalvo's education program and their partnership with Downtown College Preparatory School in San Jose.

Action: Visit the Montalvo Arts Center website for more information about the Teaching Artist Fellowship program and selected fellows.

CONFERENCES & SEMINARS

Save the Date: Colorado New Play Summit, February 7–9, 2007

The Colorado New Play Summit will take place from February 7–9, 2007, at the Denver Center Theatre Company. The summit features two days filled with readings of exciting new plays, a playwright's slam and the world premiere production of Jason Grote's thought-provoking play 1001, a dazzling fantasy that combines themes from The Arabian Nights with modern-day Baghdad. The Colorado New Play Summit is sponsored by Daniel L. Ritchie and The Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust, supporting new American plays at the Denver Center Theatre Company.

Action: For more information, contact Chris Wiger (publicity and public relations manager, Denver Center Theatre Company) at (303) 446-4848.

DEVELOPMENT

RFP: 2007–2008 Shakespeare in American Communities Grants

Shakespeare in American Communities: Shakespeare for a New Generation gives high-school and middle-school students in underserved schools and communities throughout the United States exposure to high quality, professional productions of Shakespeare's plays. In the fourth year of Shakespeare for a New Generation, approximately 30 theatre companies will receive matching grants (generally $25,000 each) to help support performances and educational activities in their communities, states or regions for students from at least 10 schools.

Arts Midwest invites proposals from not-for-profit professional theatre companies to perform works by Shakespeare for students between June 1, 2007, and May 31, 2008. Companies will be selected by a professional panel. The selected companies will receive financial support, as well as national recognition, as part of this initiative.

Shakespeare in American Communities is a national theatre initiative bringing performances, educational activities and educational toolkits to audiences across the country, including communities in every state. This is an initiative of the NEA in cooperation with Arts Midwest.

Action: The deadline for proposals is January 19, 2007. Visit the Shakespeare in American Communities website to read the complete RFP or for more information on this program.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS & OPPORTUNITIES

Conference at CalArts: Arts in the One World: Culture and Identity

Arts in the One World: Culture and Identity will take place at CalArts in Valencia, CA, from January 25–28, 2007. This conference, which is the local anchor of CalArt's ongoing artistic exchange with Rwanda, will feature lectures, readings, performances, panels and workshops on the issue of cultural participation in the forming, freeing, manipulation and conquest of personal and social identities and histories. There is no fee for participation at this conference, but participants are responsible for their own transportation and lodging. Help in finding housing is available.

Action: Send an email to Erik Ehn (Dean, CalArts School of Theater) with any questions about the conference.

International Festival of Alternative Theatres in Slovak Republic

The ACTORES Town Theatre Roznava in cooperation with the town of Roznava in the Slovak Republic are organizing the TEMPUS ART 2007 International Festival of Alternative Theatres. The festival will take place in the ACTORES Theatre from September 9–15, 2007. The main goal of the festival is the opening of new possibilities in the united Europe with a special focus on presenting theatres with a regional character in individual countries.

The festival's organizers are accepting submissions from theatres and groups wishing to participate in the festival. Selected participants are responsible for their own transportation to and from Roznova (or Budapest if traveling by airplane), but housing and meals will be provided by the festival.

Action: Click here to download a document with general information or click here to download the official application form (both documents are in Microsoft Word format). If you have any questions about the festival, send an email to actors@actores.sk. All communication and correspondence for the festival will be in English.

November 2006 Culturelink Newsletter Available Online

The November 2006 issue of C-News, the online newsletter of the Culturelink Network, is now available online. The issue features articles in the following categories: Job Openings, Calls for Papers, Calls for Entries and Applications, International Conferences and Festivals, Projects and New Books and Publications.

Action: Visit the Culturelink website to view the current issue of C-News. Send an email to clink@irmo.hr with "subscribe" in the subject line to get future issues sent to you via email.

MANAGEMENT & RESEARCH

New NEA Report: The Arts and Civic Engagement

People who participate in the arts are people who help make communities thrive, according to a study recently released by the NEA. The study, The Arts and Civic Engagement: Involved in Arts, Involved in Life, reveals that people who participate in the arts also engage in positive civic and individual activities—such as volunteering, going to sporting events and outdoor activities—at significantly higher rates than non-arts participants. The report shatters the stereotype that art is an escapist or passive activity, showing instead that it is associated with a range of positive behaviors. The study also reveals that young adults (18–34) show a declining rate of arts participation and civic activities.

Action: Visit the NEA website to view the report as a PDF.

TCG DEADLINES

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Information appearing in the TCG Bulletin may not be reprinted without permission.