Our Mission
To strengthen,
nurture and promote the professional not-for-profit American theatre.
Theatre Communications Group (TCG), the national organization
for the American theatre, was founded in 1961 with a grant from the Ford
Foundation to foster communication among professional, community, and
university theatres. Today, TCG's constituency has grown from a handful of
groundbreaking theatres to over 700 Member Theatres and Affiliate organizations
and more than 12,000 individuals nationwide.
TCG offers its members networking and knowledge-building
opportunities through our conferences, events, research, and communications;
grants approximately $2 million per year 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 the
nation's largest independent publisher of dramatic literature, with 16 Pulitzer
Prizes for Best Play on our booklist; it also publishes the award-winning American Theatre magazine and
ARTSEARCH®, the essential source for a career in the arts. In all of its
endeavors, TCG seeks to increase the organizational efficiency of its member
theatres, cultivate and celebrate the artistic talent and achievements of the
field, and promote a larger public understanding of, and appreciation for, the
theatre.
In 2005, TCG received the Tony Honors for Excellence in Theatre
in recognition of its impact on the national field. TCG and its Member Theatres
are major contributors to the American theatre sector, which employs more than
139,000 people, produces over 210,000 performances each year, and contributes
over $2.1 billion to the U.S. economy annually. A 501(c)(3) not-for-profit
organization, TCG is led by executive director Teresa Eyring and governed by a
national board of directors representing the theatre field.
Our Vision for the Next 50
Years
A better world for theatre. A better world because of theatre.
TCG will become the catalytic center of a network of theatre
people building more creative, diverse and civically engaged communities
through theatre. Participation in theatre will be widely recognized as a right
of every individual, a necessity for every community and a uniting force
nationally and internationally.
In an increasingly interconnected, non-hierarchical and
resource-stressed world, TCG will be the hub of an interdependent, inclusive
and sustainable theatre field. TCG will harness our digital, high-tech future
to champion the value of local, high-touch human connection. Our programming
and core values will ripple through the primary partnership of our Member
Theatres and other partner organizations to empower all theatre people and the
communities they serve.
Our Core Values
Artistry
Human beings are inherently creative and are most gratified when
they can approach their endeavors with a sense of excellence, skill, and
craftsmanship. At TCG, we approach our own day-to-day work with artistry as a
value—whether in the editing of a book or in the design of a new leadership
program. We believe that the services we offer in support of our mission are
fundamentally aimed at nurturing and promoting artistry throughout the theatre
community—which will in turn benefit and contribute to society at large.
Diversity
The diversity of the theatre community—combined with its
interdependence—makes it strong, healthy and robust. The theatre constituency
includes a diverse community of artists, administrators, students, educators,
trustees, audiences, volunteers and donors. TCG is committed to supporting the
plurality of aesthetic, perspective, race, class, gender, age, mission, as well
as organizational size and structure.
Activism
Theatre has the power to shape and challenge ideas, inspire
civic engagement, and ultimately change the world. Activism in communities
across the nation led to the successful building of a national theatre field,
and it is the same sense of activism that allows TCG to fight for effective
cultural and economic policies.
Global Citizenship
Members of our national theatre community are citizens of a
worldwide theatre community. Our national movement is increasingly a global
movement. TCG leads by facilitating cross border relationships among theatre
practitioners. We promote international and cultural exchange in order to
enhance our art form, while also deepening peace and understanding.