From the Executive Director

Going International

By Teresa Eyring

This year's international issue of American Theatre arrives as the discourse around cultural exchange and cultural diplomacy is heating up. For some time, theatres have been reaching across the globe to share information and techniques, to collaborate on new work, to introduce new voices to their home communities—and to help artists in need, such as those who are threatened by repressive regimes (see "Fomenting a Denim Revolution" about the plight of artists in Belarus). Our colleagues in dance, music, opera and presenting have also been active on the international front. And through the Performing Arts Alliance, we've been collaborating to advance stronger policies in support of cultural exchange.

At the same time, the Obama administration has identified cultural diplomacy as a key area for investment. In his arts policy statement, the president notes: "America's cultural leaders were deployed around the world during the Cold War as artistic ambassadors and helped win the war of ideas by demonstrating to the world the promise of America…. Unfortunately, our resources for cultural diplomacy are at their lowest level in a decade. [We] will work to reverse this trend..."

When TCG polls its members on their international exchange activities, we hear about enormous benefits, as well as challenges. Funding for exchange continues to be limited; translations are in short supply; artists need ways of finding each other across borders; and, of course, visa issues continue to plague everyone. But the advantages of investing in this work are deep and wide-ranging, from providing audiences with new perspectives to promoting cultural and aesthetic diversity. And, yes, sometimes a byproduct of these artist-to-artist relationships is improved political relations among nations. In a 2006 TCG survey, La MaMa herself, Ellen Stewart, put it simply: "We believe theatre is a world endeavor."

TCG's own involvement in international work goes back many years. It became particularly central when we merged with the U.S. Center of the International Theatre Institute in 1999. ITI was formed at the outset of the Cold War to help theatre practitioners bypass intergovernmental conflict and connect with each other. The resulting relationships were credited with helping bring about glasnost, but they also led to an expansion of creative thinking and repertoire for theatres on both sides. With its current membership of more than 90 centers around the world, ITI is working to engage global artistic communities that are actively piercing political and socioeconomic divides. As a member of the executive council of ITI worldwide, Emilya Cachapero, the director of TCG's artistic programs and of the U.S. Center of ITI, is leading the ITI strategic planning process. Major goals are to create stronger infrastructure for the global network of ITI centers, and to increase activity with African, Asian and Latin American communities. TCG's assistant director for international programs, Kevin Bitterman, is spearheading the work of ITI's Young Practitioners' Committee, which includes theatre artists and leaders from across the planet.

Even prior to the merger with ITI in 1999, international exchange was a vital part of TCG's programming. For more than 30 years, the Observership Program has supported both domestic and international travel for key staff of TCG member theatres. The National Theatre Artist Residency Program, funded by the Pew Charitable Trusts and administered by TCG from 1991 to 2005, supported international residencies with artists from Cuba, Colombia, the Netherlands, China and Switzerland. With support from USIA (a division of the U.S. Department of State), TCG created the International Theatre Partnership Program, with exchanges between artists in the U.S. and Mexico, Argentina and Brazil in 1999—2000. And through a 20-year relationship with the British distributor Nick Hern Books, TCG Books makes writers from the United Kingdom, Germany, South America, South Africa, Hungary, Russia, Ukraine and Norway available in the U.S.

A number of new efforts launched post—ITI merger: In 2000, in partnership with the Trust for Mutual Understanding, TCG inaugurated the TCG/ITI Travel Grants for travel to Eastern and Central Europe and Russia; the New Generations program has been bolstered by a "Future Collaborations" component, allowing artists to build relationships with their counterparts abroad; and TCG has just launched an international affiliates program that will allow theatre-related organizations from other countries to establish a formal connection with TCG. And of course, the TCG National Conference will feature a pre-conference (June 3 in Washington, D.C.) dedicated to cultural exchange.

In March '09, trumpet player Wynton Marsalis gave the Nancy Hanks Lecture to a packed house of arts advocates, politicians and supporters in Washington, D.C. Addressing the evolution of the arts in America, his presentation dismantled the boundaries between our artists, their creations and our national history and identity. I believe that in the coming years we will see and celebrate the connection between artists, creativity and identity within a global community, where the arts help citizens to become ever more united across borders—even as governments wrestle with what separates them ideologically. And just as TCG at its founding brought theatre practitioners together to help fuel our national theatre movement, we are committed to leading the charge as our movement goes international.