2011 TCG Fall Forum on Governance
Capitalizing an Art Form
November 11–13, 2011
New York City
Agenda
Friday, November 11
Bryant Park Grill, 25 West 40th Street
6:00pm – 9:30pm
| 6:00pm – 7:00pm | Registration and Cocktail Reception |
| 7:00pm – 9:30pm |
Dinner and Opening Keynote Speech: David Henry Hwang, Playwright, Screenwriter & Librettist |
Saturday, November 12
Sentry Center Midtown East
730 Third Avenue (between 45th and 46th Streets)
8:30am – 5:00pm
| 8:30am – 9:00am | Registration Open; Continental Breakfast Available |
| 9:00am – 10:30am |
Defining, Redefining and Capitalizing on our Assets Moderator: Ben Cameron, Program Director for the Arts, Doris Duke Charitable Foundation Panel: Bruce Coppock, Managing Director, The Cleveland Orchestra Miami Residency; Martha Lavey, Artistic Director; Steppenwolf Theatre Company; Clyde Valentin, Executive Director; Hip-Hop Theater Festival What are a theatre's true assets? How do we define them? How do we use them? How do they interact? Ben Cameron will lead a panel to frame how we can rethink our artistic, financial and human assets. It’s time to leave behind survival mode and achieve greater sustainability by fully understanding and utilizing ALL of our assets. |
| 10:30am – 10:45am | Coffee Break |
| 10:45am – 12:15pm | Capitalizing Human Assets Moderator: Richard A. Mittenthal, President and CEO, TCC Group Panel: Nancy Livingston, Board Chair, American Conservatory Theater, Richard A. Nurse, Senior Board Member, Crossroads Theatre Company, Jeremy Shamos, Board President, Curious Theatre Company Board members are one of the theatre’s most important assets. The issue of staff burn out was discussed during last year's Fall Forum. But what about board burn out? How is the continued economic uncertainty affecting board members? Build a more sustainable framework for board engagement and recruitment to thrive in trying times. |
| 12:15pm – 1:15pm | Lunch |
| 1:15pm – 2:00pm | The Financial State of our Theatre Field: A National Perspective Presentation by Teresa Eyring, Executive Director, Theatre Communications Group and Kevin E. Moore, Managing Director, Theatre Communications Group For 35 years, TCG has been tracking the fiscal health of the theatre field through its annual survey and Theatre Facts, one of the most respected arts research reports in the nation. Before delving into the remaining Fall Forum conversations about our financial assets, Teresa Eyring and Kevin Moore will present a layman’s analysis of TCG’s Theatre Facts 2010 report and TCG’s Taking Your Fiscal Pulse–Fall 2011 report, summarizing the fiscal health of the field, and the implications of the data. |
| 2:00pm – 3:15pm | Building Financial Capital in an Uncertain World: Perspectives from National Funders and Philanthropy Experts Moderator: Stacy Palmer, Editor, The Chronicle of Philanthropy Panel: Jonathan Katz, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer, National Assembly of State Arts Agencies (NASAA), Vicki Reiss, Executive Director, Shubert Foundation, Irving Weiser, Retired Chairman & CEO, RBC Dain Rauscher, Angel Ysaguirre, Director of Global Community Investing, The Boeing Company This panel brings together representatives from foundations, corporations and government entities to present a national perspective on funding. They’ll address how theatres can be more competitive and creative in thinking about collaborations and financial capital. The funders will discuss what might be changing at their specific organizations and how they see the national philanthropic landscape evolving over the next few years. |
| 3:15pm – 3:30pm | Break |
| 3:30pm – 5:00pm | Breakout Sessions:
Community Engaged Theatre Moderator: Brad Erickson, Executive Director, Theatre Bay Area Panel: Robyn Flatt, Executive Artistic Director, Dallas Children's Theater, Melanie Joseph, Artistic Producer, The Foundry Theatre, RJ Macanni, Community Programs Producer, The Foundry Theatre, Michael Rosenberg, Managing Director, La Jolla Playhouse, Mark Valdez, Executive Director; Network of Ensemble Theatres Connecting to community is central to the mission of most theatres. The manner of that connection and how one defines the “community,” however, can take many shapes and forms. Theatres are engaging their communities in new ways not only during the run of a production, but also during the creation process. What does community engaged work really mean? How should we engage our communities and stakeholders from the early stages of the artistic process? What grassroots efforts are critical in these efforts? How can we link online and in-person interactions? How can we use community input to inform but not dictate what we put on our stages? Creative Funding Sources Moderator: Tamarah Black, Founder & CEO at Phoenix Idea Lab, Executive Director at The Black Family Foundation Panel: Jenny Bienemann, Director of Development, Lookingglass Theatre Company, Elisbeth Challener, Managing Director, ZACH Theatre, Marion Friedman Young, Managing Director, The Civilians Learn about creative fundraising strategies and how to think differently about funding sources. What’s working now? How are theatres re-envisioning and benchmarking funding strategies in a new landscape? What are the best strategies for working with funders, and what role can trustees play in that conversation? How can trustees find new resources and better leverage their own connections? So you have a deficit. Now what? Moderator: Kim Cook, Manager, Arts & Culture, Nonprofit Finance Fund Panel: Michael Gennaro, Executive Director, Trinity Repertory Company, Tracy E. Long, General Manager, Adirondack Theatre Festival, Chris Widdess, Managing Director, Penumbra Theatre Company Seeking to eliminate deficits through future surpluses is difficult to achieve realistically, especially given how tight budgets are to begin with. Many funders refuse to give to organizations with deficits. So once you have one, what are the strategies for getting out of that fundraising hole? What are the key indicators (i.e. balance sheet, working capital, audit) to look for when trying to identify and/or fix a problem? When is it time to worry? And how can trustees proactively help as dollars continue to shrink? Tackling the Elephant in the Room (and other tactics for board and staff communication) Conversation led by Kevin E. Moore, Managing Director, Theatre Communications Group Are there new ways to think about the collaboration between board and staff? What new ways can we learn to communicate and strengthen the work we are doing? How can we set expectations and maximize effectiveness in regards to fundraising and beyond? |
| 5:00pm – 7:00pm |
Optional: Cocktail Reception (cash bar) Location: O'Neill's Irish Bar (729 3rd Ave, between 45th St & 46th St) - Right across the street from the Sentry Center |
| Evening | Dinner on your own (or National Council Dinner) Optional Performances: TCG Fall Forum registrants get exclusive discounts to performances on Saturday, November 12! Chinglish, by David Henry Hwang At the Longacre Theatre Box Office, 220 West 48th Street Horsedreams, by Dael Orlandersmith At Rattlestick Playwrights Theater, 224 Waverly Place Click here for performance details |
Sunday, November 13
Sentry Center Midtown East
730 Third Avenue (between 45th and 46th Streets)
8:30am – 12:30pm
| 8:30am – 9:00am | Continental Breakfast Available |
| 9:00am – 10:30pm | Capitalizing Artistry Moderator: Edward Sobel, Associate Artistic Director, Arden Theatre Panel: Jenny Allen, Board President, Contemporary American Theater Festival, Lydia R. Diamond, Playwright, Kenny Leon, Co-Founding Artistic Director, True Colors Theatre Company, Emily Mann, Artistic Director and Resident Playwright, McCarter Theatre Center The art is often what draws board members to theatres in the first place, but what is their role and connection to the artistic process? The session will kick off with readings from Stick Fly, written by playwright and TCG board member Lydia Diamond, which opens on Broadway this fall. The play’s journey through many successful productions nationwide serves as a potent example of the field’s collaborative potential to advance artistry. Lydia and Kenny will be joined by a panel of practitioners and artists to discuss the process for developing new plays in non-profit theatre and the best practices of engaging trustees in the artistic conversations at the theatre and in the community. How do we communicate with each other about the work on our stages? Can we find a common language for board members, theatre staff and freelance artists to use in discussing the work? |
| 10:30am – 11:00am | Coffee Break |
| 11:00am – 12:30pm | Capitalizing Community Assets Speaker: Margy Waller, Senior Fellow at Topos Partnership and Special Advisor at ArtsWave To move theatre to the center of our communities we all need to become evangelizing ambassadors on steroids! Given trustees are the biggest advocates for the work of a theatre, how do we empower trustees to become the theatre’s ambassadors and advocates in the community? How do we strategically communicate about and raise awareness for the arts? |