September 2, 2010

TCG Bulletin

March 2010, Volume 33, Issue 3

Editor:
Christopher Shuff

Associate Editor:
Claire Mazur

Contributors:
Laurie Baskin
Sarah McLellan
Alissa Moore
Jason Tseng

Also online this month:


FIELD LETTER

In March’s Field Letter Teresa focuses on what’s been taking place on the national arts scene at the government level. She review the NEA’s latest initiative, Art Works, as well as President Obama’s recent budget proposal and its implications for the arts and arts education. She concludes by offering “notes for your to do list”, including reading a recent report released by the Cincinnati Fine Arts Fund that pinpoints certain ineffective words and concepts that are often used to promote the arts , as well as a review of NPAC’s latest developments.

 

Monthly Mental Health Moment

It’s that time of year: all of the good holidays are behind us and none of them are close enough ahead of us to inspire any joy. Many of us are still contending with huge piles of (now dirty) snow on the way to work each day. We could all use a little something to cheer us up…a Sassy Gay Friend, perhaps? This clip from the comedy masters at Second City imagines how Hamlet might have turned out differently if Ophelia had had a campy pal to compliment her hair and talk her down from the ledge. This clip contains mildly offensive language—specifically the kind that is sometimes used to refer to female canines.

Staff Picks

Ashley Faison, Individual Giving Officer Rebecca Marzalek-Kelly, Membership Coordinator
My current go to on TCG’s website is our newly published, well thought-out and beautifully designed 2008-2009 Annual Report. It provides a concise snapshot of our fiscal year 2009 activities while outlining our plans for the future. Core programs, institutional facts and finances are highlighted throughout, organized into succinct topical areas such as networking and knowledge-building, publications, grantmaking programs, field-wide leadership, constituency and our financial overview. I hope it will inspire you to visit my second favorite spot on TCG’s website: our online donation page! It offers individuals an opportunity to support TCG and it’s also the most efficient and far-reaching way to give to the American not-for-profit theatre field (okay, and it helps me keep my job!) The TCG Membership Directory is my favorite new online tool! Whether you’ve got research to do or are just curious, the Membership Directory is the place to go. In just one click you can search to find theatres by state, budget group, special interest or personnel. Ever wonder which theatres specialize in new work or which have student/youth programs? It’s a quick, easy-to-use search tool and this marks the first year that it’s available online! I use it to answer questions such as how many member theatres are located in my home state of VT (5!) and what states we currently don’t have representation in (the Dakotas and Wyoming). You can also use it to gather interesting facts, such as: 24 of our 476 theatres reported that they dedicate at least 15 percent of their programming to puppetry. The TCG Membership Directory: you’ll appear knowledgeable, well rounded and perhaps a little nerdy. I visit it daily.

TCG NEWS

Spring 2010 Theatre Professionals Teleconference Series

This spring TCG is offering three separate Theatre Professionals Teleconference series for senior leaders at TCG member theatres: education directors, literary managers and marketing directors. These teleconferences seek to provide an opportunity to share information, discuss strategies and solutions and develop a national network of colleagues who can continue to call upon one another long after the teleconferences are finished.

Action: Please register early as space is limited. Visit the Teleconferences section of the website to learn more and register.

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TCG Brain Bank: Where Knowledge Earns Interest Re-Launches for 2010!

This story was originally published in the February 2010 issue of the Bulletin.
The Brain Bank is a peer network of theatre professionals volunteering their time and expertise to offer guidance and support to their colleagues. The eligibility requirements for participation in the Brain Bank have been expanded to include senior level staff members at TCG member theatres, in addition to executive leaders.

Action: Visit the Brain Bank section of the website to register as a Knowledge Donor or a Peer today. Please remember that you must be executive or senior leadership at a TCG member theatre to register.

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Applications Now Open for TCG/American Express Leadership Boot Camp, Pre-Conference to TCG National Conference

UPDATED! This story was originally published in the February 2010 issue of the Bulletin.
The Leadership Boot Camp will offer a professional development workshop bringing together pairs of established and emerging leaders from 20 theatres on June 14-16 in Chicago. We will foster intergenerational dialogue and explore effective methods of communication, leadership and strategic thinking with an emphasis on nurturing emerging leaders. Pairs of emerging and established leaders must be from the same theatre and will file a joint application. The cost of transportation, lodging and program participation will be fully covered for all participants.

Action: The deadline has been extended to March 12. Visit the Events section of the website for full applications guidelines and materials.

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TCG National Conference 2010–Pre-Conference on Arts Education, Registration Open

UPDATED! This story was originally published in the January 2010 issue of the Bulletin.
TCG will focus on arts education and assessment at a pre-conference to the June 2010 TCG National Conference. We will follow up on the Building a National TEAM: Theatre Education Assessment Models pre-conference from 2007. Education directors will be trained in adapting the national models for use in their education programs as well as aligning the evaluation and assessment work with federal and state standards.

Action: Visit the Pre-Conferences section of the website for more information and to register.

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2010 TCG National Conference: Ideas into Action, June 17-19 in Chicago at the Palmer House

This story was originally published in the January 2010 issue of the Bulletin.
Join us in Chicago for TCG’s 20th National Conference! Last year, we examined the landscape within which we now work. This year we will dig even deeper, roll up our sleeves and get our hands dirty. In addition to providing ample opportunities to talk about “nuts and bolts” issues in your work, we'll focus on four main programming threads: artists and artistry, arts education and training, race and gender and the creative ecology. The 2010 TCG National Conference, Ideas into Action, is your opportunity to explore bold new solutions, cultivate a community that strengthens and nourishes your work and hear from theatres, artists and other thought leaders who will inspire strategic thinking that leads to action.

Action: Registration is now open! Visit the Conference section of the website for more information and to register. Visit the Lodging page to reserve your rooms at the Palmer House Hilton, the conference location.

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New Donald Margulies Play from TCG Books

Donald Margulies’ latest play, Time Stands Still, currently on stage in New York, will be available from TCG Books later this month. Called his “finest play since the Pulitzer Prize-winning Dinner with Friends,” (New York Times), Margulies’ drama, set in a Williamsburg loft, revolves around a photojournalist who was injured while she was covering the war in Iraq.

Action: Visit the TCG Bookstore to purchase this and other titles from TCG Books.

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Next Section: Advocacy News from the Performing Arts Alliance and TCG

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