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THRIVE! Programming

 

THRIVE! Week

 

THRIVE! Week is a multi-day virtual convening to uplift the leadership and wisdom and centers the experiences of U.S.-based Black, Indigenous, and Theatres of Color (BITOC). This convening is created by, for, with and about BITOC and Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) communities. Programming includes plenaries with featured speakers, round table/panel conversations, and the Intergenerational Leaders of Color (ILOC). Sessions are open to all interested in the topics, with the exception of the ILOC which is an affinity space only for BIPOC attendees.

An overarching goal is to create a space where a full range of BITOC may discover common ground and cause, and build relationships between and among them that will sustain them in their on-going work. This convening is a platform for BITOC to disseminate knowledge, listen to and learn from each other, and generate collective action. An all-too-common narrative in the not-for-profit sector is the assumption that BITOC have only “needs” and “challenges,” and not solutions to larger field issues. Through the convening, TCG aims to:

  • Bring national visibility and support the ingenuity of BITOC that have historically had a high impact with fewer funds;
  • Provides grantmakers and other stakeholders with evidence of BITOC-developed effective approaches to deepening relationships with their chosen communities during the current state of the country.

 

 

TCG National Conference

 

The TCG National Conference is one of the largest nationwide gatherings of the not-for-profit theatre community. TCG has been gathering folks this way since 1976 and each year, the National Conference creates space for theatre practitioners across the globe to get inspired, learn from one another and build toward collective action. It’s also been a way for TCG and the field to get intimately familiar with theatre communities around the country, and to channel the particular energy of their artists.

In 2020, while we supported the field in contending with overlapping existential crises, TCG also completed a new strategic planning process. In our new plan, bolstered by our new mission to lead for a just and thriving theatre ecology, we’ve committed to centering the needs and experiences of BIPOC (Black, Indigenous People of Color) and BITOC (Black, Indigenous, Theatres of Color) throughout our programming. With that ongoing work in mind, it is our goal that our conferences will have some, if not all, of the following outcomes:

  • Participants come away with new ideas and tools for activating models of collective care.
  • BIPOC, TGNC, disabled, and young theatre practitioners see more opportunities for leadership and collaboration open to them throughout the field.
  • Incremental yet transformative shifts in power structures and organizational practices begin to emerge in theatres across the country, and those shifts begin to create safer, human-centered working conditions for our freelance artists.
  • The local theatre community builds off their shared work on the TCG Conference into a longer term, inclusive process of peer support and collaboration, and host city artists are invited to bring their work into other regional theatre communities.

Visit the TCG National Conference page for more information.

 

 

Intergenerational Leaders of Color (ILOC)

 

As a TCG conference cornerstone, this session is an affinity space for conference attendees who self-identify as BIPOC. This session provides a space for us to connect, be our authentic selves, honor our shared journey, and reflects on the growth and evolution of our community within TCG Conferences and the larger field. Originating on the East Coast, our early gatherings were marked by a small but resilient BIPOC presence. Over time, this group has expanded into hundreds of people, symbolizing a growing sense of solidarity and representation.