For Immediate Release: November 17, 2025
Media Contact: Joshua Henry Jenkins | [email protected]

 

Theatre Communications Group Selects San Juan, Puerto Rico for 2026 National Conference

Bringing together a global community of theatremakers, the 2026 TCG National Conference in San Juan will spotlight Puerto Rico’s vibrant theatre community and mark the 10th anniversary of the Global Theater Initiative.
 
New York, NY – Theatre Communications Group (TCG), the national organization for theatre, is proud to announce that its 34th National Conference will be hosted in San Juan, Puerto Rico from June 10-13, 2026. Each TCG National Conference serves as a crossroads for theatre professionals where learning, collaboration, and innovation intersect with the unique spirit of that year’s host city. In 2026, that spirit will be shaped in collaboration with Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña (ICP) and the Departamento de Drama de la Facultad de Humanidades, Teatro UPR, and Universidad de Puerto Rico, Recinto de Río Piedras, who will serve as conference partners.
 
Moving to a biennial schedule in 2024, TCG’s National Conference is one of the nonprofit theatre sector’s most influential convenings, creating a space for timely conversations, imparting new business and artistic models, and nurturing a thriving theatre ecology. 
 
“We are thrilled to bring our 2026 National Conference to San Juan,” said Emilya Cachapero, Co-Executive Director of National and Global Programming at TCG. “Puerto Rico’s theatre community is dynamic, resilient, and uniquely positioned at the intersection of Latin America and the continental United States. The artists, theatres, and cultural institutions embody a legacy of expression and connection that resonates deeply with TCG’s mission. Hosting in San Juan allows us to convene a truly global community of theatremakers in a place where culture, identity, and imagination converge, inviting us to celebrate the transformative power of theatre.”
 
San Juan, Puerto Rico sits at a vibrant confluence of cultures, making it an ideal location for TCG’s national gathering. The city features historic theatres, cutting-edge performance venues, and a community deeply embedded in Latine, Afro-Caribbean, and Indigenous traditions. For example, the historic Teatro Alejandro Tapia y Rivera, built in 1832 and among the oldest continuously operating theatres in the United States, stands alongside the Centro de Bellas Artes Luis A. Ferré, whose multiple theatres and concert halls embody the modern energy and ambition of San Juan’s arts community. Other key institutions such as the Teatro UPR and Departamento de Drama de la Facultad de Humanidades, Universidad de Puerto Rico, Recinto de Río Piedras (the island’s oldest university-level drama program), and the Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña (ICP), the government agency dedicated to investigate, conserve, promote, and share Puerto Rican culture, further illustrate the island’s sustained commitment to the arts.
 
San Juan’s artists sustain a dynamic calendar of performances and festivals, including the 63er Festival de Teatro Puertorriqueño organized by the Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña (ICP) each spring, along with other major theatre events held throughout the year and across the island, all of which showcase Puerto Rico’s extraordinary range of voices and visions.
 
While full programming details will be developed in partnership with the local community and alongside TCG’s membership, key areas of focus for the 2026 National Conference include:
  • Celebrating Global Theater Initiative (GTI): In partnership with the Laboratory for Global Performance and Politics at Georgetown University (The Lab), TCG will mark the 10th anniversary of its Global Theater Initiative (GTI), exploring theatre as a force for global interconnectedness, justice, and artistic leadership.
  • Rising Leaders of Puerto Rico: The conference will include the next Rising Leaders cohort, composed of Puerto Rican theatremakers who will embark on a year-long professional development journey anchored at the National Conference.
  • Programming & Leadership Support: The conference will feature programming that supports artistic and managing leaders, trustees, and professionals working in fundraising, education, and marketing by creating opportunities for dialogue, skill-building, and collaboration across roles, budget sizes, and career stages.
  • Local Engagement & Legacy: The 2026 Conference will deepen TCG’s partnership with Puerto Rico’s theatre community, as TCG collaborates with local artists and organizations to co-create programming and connections across the island.
  • Dual-Language Access: Generously supported by the Graduate Program in Translation at the University of Puerto Rico, all major conference materials and sessions will be available in English and Spanish, reflecting a continued commitment to global collaboration and accessibility.
 
TCG continues to bring together leaders to imagine the future of theatre. Each National Conference features plenary speakers, workshops, and performances that reflect the evolving field. The most recent conference in Chicago highlighted voices such as James Rhee, Valerie Curtis-Newton, Dominique Morisseau, Ifa Bayeza, and Erika Dickerson-Despenza, building on a tradition of keynote speakers that has included leading artists and thinkers like Julian Brave NoiseCat, Billy Porter, Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson, Edwidge Danticat, Naomi Shihab Nye, Jer Thorp, Anand Giridharadas, Samantha Power, Stephanie Ybarra, Mona Eltahawy, Jeff Chang, Jane McGonigal, and Baratunde Thurston.
 
The 2026 TCG National Conference is supported by the following growing list of funders, including Arts Consulting Group, Arts FMS, Charcoalblue LLP, the Edgerton Foundation, Fisher Dachs Associates, the Opportunity Fund, Schuler Shook, and Spektrix. TCG receives additional support from the Distracted Globe Foundation, the Howard Gilman Foundation, the Mellon Foundation, the Sheri & Les Biller Family Foundation, the Paul M. Angell Family Foundation, the Shubert Foundation, and the Venturous Theatre Fund of the Tides Foundation. TCG’s annual programs are also made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature. Conference registration will open in February 2026. For sponsorship opportunities, please contact Kamilah Long at [email protected].

 

Theatre Communications Group (TCG), the national organization for theatre, leads for a just and thriving theatre ecology. Since its founding in 1961, TCG’s constituency has grown from a handful of groundbreaking theatres to over 750 organizations (including member theatres, affiliates, universities) and over 3,000 individual members. Through its programs and services, TCG reaches over one million students, audience members, and theatre professionals each year. TCG offers networking and knowledge-building opportunities through research, communications, and events, including the annual TCG National Conference, one of the largest nationwide gatherings of theatre people; awards grants and scholarships to theatre companies and individual artists; advocates on the federal level; and through the Global Theater Initiative, TCG's partnership with the Laboratory for Global Performance and Politics, serves as the U.S. Center of the International Theatre Institute. TCG is North America’s largest independent trade publisher of dramatic literature, with 21 Pulitzer Prizes for Drama on the TCG booklist. It also publishes the award-winning American Theatre magazine and ARTSEARCH®, the essential source for a career in the arts. TCG believes its vision of “a better world for theatre, and a better world because of theatre” can be achieved through individual and collective action, adaptive and responsive leadership, and equitable representation in all areas of practice. TCG is led by Co-Executive Directors, Emilya Cachapero, LaTeshia Ellerson, and Alisha Tonsic.

# # #