TCG Bulletin

March 2010, Volume 33, Issue 3

Editor:
Christopher Shuff

Associate Editor:
Claire Mazur

Contributors:
Laurie Baskin
Sarah McLellan
Alissa Moore
Jason Tseng

Also online this month:

FIELD LETTER

In March’s Field Letter Teresa focuses on what’s been taking place on the national arts scene at the government level. She review the NEA’s latest initiative, Art Works, as well as President Obama’s recent budget proposal and its implications for the arts and arts education. She concludes by offering “notes for your to do list”, including reading a recent report released by the Cincinnati Fine Arts Fund that pinpoints certain ineffective words and concepts that are often used to promote the arts , as well as a review of NPAC’s latest developments.

• Click here to view the March 2010 Field Letter.

Monthly Mental Health Moment

It’s that time of year: all of the good holidays are behind us and none of them are close enough ahead of us to inspire any joy. Many of us are still contending with huge piles of (now dirty) snow on the way to work each day. We could all use a little something to cheer us up…a Sassy Gay Friend, perhaps? This clip from the comedy masters at Second City imagines how Hamlet might have turned out differently if Ophelia had had a campy pal to compliment her hair and talk her down from the ledge. This clip contains mildly offensive language—specifically the kind that is sometimes used to refer to female canines.

Staff Picks

Ashley Faison, Individual Giving Officer	Rebecca Marzalek-Kelly, Membership Coordinator
My current go to on TCG’s website is our newly published, well thought-out and beautifully designed 2008-2009 Annual Report. It provides a concise snapshot of our fiscal year 2009 activities while outlining our plans for the future. Core programs, institutional facts and finances are highlighted throughout, organized into succinct topical areas such as networking and knowledge-building, publications, grantmaking programs, field-wide leadership, constituency and our financial overview. I hope it will inspire you to visit my second favorite spot on TCG’s website: our online donation page! It offers individuals an opportunity to support TCG and it’s also the most efficient and far-reaching way to give to the American not-for-profit theatre field (okay, and it helps me keep my job!)	The TCG Membership Directory is my favorite new online tool! Whether you’ve got research to do or are just curious, the Membership Directory is the place to go. In just one click you can search to find theatres by state, budget group, special interest or personnel. Ever wonder which theatres specialize in new work or which have student/youth programs? It’s a quick, easy-to-use search tool and this marks the first year that it’s available online! I use it to answer questions such as how many member theatres are located in my home state of VT (5!) and what states we currently don’t have representation in (the Dakotas and Wyoming). You can also use it to gather interesting facts, such as: 24 of our 476 theatres reported that they dedicate at least 15 percent of their programming to puppetry. The TCG Membership Directory: you’ll appear knowledgeable, well rounded and perhaps a little nerdy. I visit it daily.

TCG NEWS

Spring 2010 Theatre Professionals Teleconference Series

This spring TCG is offering three separate Theatre Professionals Teleconference series for senior leaders at TCG member theatres: education directors, literary managers and marketing directors. These teleconferences seek to provide an opportunity to share information, discuss strategies and solutions and develop a national network of colleagues who can continue to call upon one another long after the teleconferences are finished.

Action: Please register early as space is limited. Visit the Teleconferences section of the website to learn more and register.

TCG Brain Bank: Where Knowledge Earns Interest Re-Launches for 2010!

This story was originally published in the February 2010 issue of the Bulletin.
The Brain Bank is a peer network of theatre professionals volunteering their time and expertise to offer guidance and support to their colleagues. The eligibility requirements for participation in the Brain Bank have been expanded to include senior level staff members at TCG member theatres, in addition to executive leaders.

Action: Visit the Brain Bank section of the website to register as a Knowledge Donor or a Peer today. Please remember that you must be executive or senior leadership at a TCG member theatre to register.

Applications Now Open for TCG/American Express Leadership Boot Camp, Pre-Conference to TCG National Conference

UPDATED! This story was originally published in the February 2010 issue of the Bulletin.
The Leadership Boot Camp will offer a professional development workshop bringing together pairs of established and emerging leaders from 20 theatres on June 14-16 in Chicago. We will foster intergenerational dialogue and explore effective methods of communication, leadership and strategic thinking with an emphasis on nurturing emerging leaders. Pairs of emerging and established leaders must be from the same theatre and will file a joint application. The cost of transportation, lodging and program participation will be fully covered for all participants.

Action: The deadline has been extended to March 12. Visit the Events section of the website for full applications guidelines and materials.

TCG National Conference 2010–Pre-Conference on Arts Education, Registration Open

UPDATED! This story was originally published in the January 2010 issue of the Bulletin.
TCG will focus on arts education and assessment at a pre-conference to the June 2010 TCG National Conference. We will follow up on the Building a National TEAM: Theatre Education Assessment Models pre-conference from 2007. Education directors will be trained in adapting the national models for use in their education programs as well as aligning the evaluation and assessment work with federal and state standards.

Action: Visit the Pre-Conferences section of the website for more information and to register.

2010 TCG National Conference: Ideas into Action, June 17-19 in Chicago at the Palmer House

This story was originally published in the January 2010 issue of the Bulletin.
Join us in Chicago for TCG’s 20th National Conference! Last year, we examined the landscape within which we now work. This year we will dig even deeper, roll up our sleeves and get our hands dirty. In addition to providing ample opportunities to talk about “nuts and bolts” issues in your work, we'll focus on four main programming threads: artists and artistry, arts education and training, race and gender and the creative ecology. The 2010 TCG National Conference, Ideas into Action, is your opportunity to explore bold new solutions, cultivate a community that strengthens and nourishes your work and hear from theatres, artists and other thought leaders who will inspire strategic thinking that leads to action.

Action: Registration is now open! Visit the Conference section of the website for more information and to register. Visit the Lodging page to reserve your rooms at the Palmer House Hilton, the conference location.

New Donald Margulies Play from TCG Books

Donald Margulies’ latest play, Time Stands Still, currently on stage in New York, will be available from TCG Books later this month. Called his “finest play since the Pulitzer Prize-winning Dinner with Friends,” (New York Times), Margulies’ drama, set in a Williamsburg loft, revolves around a photojournalist who was injured while she was covering the war in Iraq.

Action: Visit the TCG Bookstore to purchase this and other titles from TCG Books.

ADVOCACY NEWS FROM THE PERFORMING ARTS ALLIANCE AND TCG

NEA Announces Ralph Remington as the New Director of Theater and Musical Theater

Ralph Remington will join the NEA as the director of theater and musical theater beginning March 15. He will manage the NEA's grantmaking for theatre and musical theatre, as well as develop partnerships to advance the theatre field as a whole and lead large-scale theatre projects such as the NEA's New Play Development Program.
Most recently, Mr. Remington was a city council member of the City of Minneapolis. Prior to that public service, Mr. Remington worked as artistic associate with Arena Stage in Washington, DC, producing artistic director and founder of the Pillsbury House Theatre in Minneapolis and as an actor with the Guthrie Theater and Illusion Theatre, both of Minneapolis.

Action: Visit the NEA website to read the full announcement.

White Space Update! FCC Issues Vacate Order For 700 MHz Spectrum

UPDATED! This story was originally published in the August 2009 issue of the Bulletin.
The FCC has set June 12 as the date by which all wireless microphone users must vacate the 700 MHz spectrum. The FCC Order also expresses interest in expanding eligibility for Part 74 licenses and requests comments with regard to defining parameters for eligibility. Expansion in eligibility for licensing will also allow for interference protections and continues to be our core request to the FCC. TCG is working closely with the Coalition of Wireless Microphone Users (CWMU) and the Performing Arts Alliance to draft comments to submit to the FCC.

Action: Visit the Advocacy section of the website for more information about the June 12 vacate deadline. The CWMU Comments regarding licensing will be filed with the FCC on or about March 1; soon after, they will be posted on the Advocacy section of the website

President Obama's Budget Released

President Obama’s budget was recently released. It contains mixed news for the arts community. Here are a few highlights:

1. The President proposed the same allocation as he did last year for the NEA, which translates into a $6 million decrease. The American Masterpieces program has been replaced by a new initiative called Our Town, with a $5 million line, which encourages the role of the arts in economic revitalization.

2. The budget would consolidate Arts in Education funding at the U.S. Department of Education into a new, broader program called Effective Teaching and Learning for a Well-Rounded Education and there are concerns that this could lead to a diminished focus on arts education.

3. President Obama renewed his proposal to limit the value of charitable deductions for the wealthy. The proposal would limit the tax break couples earning $250,000 (or individuals earning $200,000) could get for their itemized deductions, including gifts to charity, to 28 percent. Arts advocates are concerned that this may dampen giving at a time when arts organizations are already reeling from the economic downturn.

4. Lastly, the good news: the President proposed the Small Business Jobs and Wages Tax Cut, which would provide tax credits to not-for-profit and for-profit employers to encourage them to hire new employees and increase wages. The proposal would provide employers a $5,000 tax credit against their payroll taxes for every new worker they employ in 2010. It would also reimburse employers for the social security payroll taxes they pay on real increases in wages for existing employees.

Action: The release of the President’s budget is the beginning of the arts advocacy process for 2010. As you receive Action Alerts from the Performing Arts Alliance or TCG, please participate and make your voice heard–it truly makes a difference!

2010 National Arts Advocacy Day, April 12-13

UPDATED! This story was originally published in the December 2009 issue of the Bulletin.
The dates for the 2010 Arts Advocacy Day have been announced–April 12-13. The 23rd annual Arts Advocacy Day is the only national event that brings together a broad cross-section of America’s cultural and civic organizations, along with hundreds of grassroots advocates from across the country, to underscore the importance of developing strong public policies and appropriating increased public funding for the arts and letting congressional leaders know that the arts are an economic engine for development.

Action: Visit the Americans for the Arts website to register. Email Laurie Baskin at TCG so your visit can be coordinated with other

NEA Chairman Announces Mayors' Institute on City Design Initiative

In his speech at the annual meeting of the U.S. Conference of Mayors (USCM), NEA Chairman Rocco Landesman announced the Mayors' Institute on City Design 25th Anniversary Initiative. This funding program builds on the accomplishments of the Mayors' Institute on City Design (MICD) over its 25-year history and reflects the program's tenets of transforming communities through design. Application to MICD 25 is open to the 600 cities (or their designees) that have participated in the MICD since 1986 or are committed to participate in an institute in 2010. All phases of a project--planning, development, design, implementation and related innovative arts activities--are eligible for support. The NEA anticipates awarding up to 15 grants ranging from $25,000 to $250,000.

Action: The Statement of Interest deadline is March 15. Visit the NEA website for application guidelines and materials.

ARTISTIC OPPORTUNITIES IN THE UNITED STATES

2011 Call For Entries for the Joyce Awards

These awards support the commissioning of new works by artists of color by Midwest cultural institutions. Grants of $50,000 each will be awarded in the areas of dance, music, visual arts and theatre to arts organizations in Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, Indianapolis, Milwaukee and St. Paul/Minneapolis.

Action: The deadline for Letters of Inquiry is April 5. For application guidelines and materials visit the Joyce Foundation website.

International Ibsen Scholarships 2010

Initiated by the Norwegian government, these scholarships are designed to encourage critical discourse in regards to existential and society-related subject matters concerning Henrik Ibsen. Scholarship funds are available to individuals, organizations or institutions within the artistic and cultural communities around the world.

Action: The deadline is April 15. Visit the Ibsen Awards website for application guidelines and materials.

USC Annenberg Announces Sixth Annual NEA Journalism Institute in Theater and Musical Theater, May 17-27 in Los Angeles, CA

This institute is an intensive eleven-day workshop in theatre and musical theatre for critics, reporters, editors and broadcast and online producers. The fellowship provides a total immersion experience that includes attending as many as ten performances or rehearsals. Participants will also meet theatre professionals and participate in professional development sessions. No specialized knowledge of theatre is required. Most costs are covered by the institute.

Action: The deadline is March 11. Visit the USC Annenberg website for full application guidelines and materials.

American Theatre Wing Announces Grant Program for Emerging Theatres

ATW is soliciting applications from emerging not-for-profit theatre companies around the country under new guidelines for its long-standing Theatre Company Grants Program. Ten grants for the 2010 cycle in the amount of $10,000 each will be distributed for general operating support to companies in operation at least five, but not more than fifteen years, which have articulated a distinctive mission, cultivated an audience and nurtured a community of artists in ways that strengthen and demonstrate the quality, diversity and dynamism of American theatre.

Action: The Intent to Apply deadline is April 1. Visit the American Theatre Wing website for application guidelines and materials.

Center for Arab American Philanthropy Announces 2010 Request for Proposals

Grants of up to $10,000 each will be made to organizations serving the Arab American community. Organizations can apply for capacity-building support or program support in the areas of art, culture or youth.

Action: The deadline is April 12. Visit the Center for Arab American Philanthropy website for application guidelines and materials.

Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation Accepting Applications from Presenting Organizations for ArtsCONNECT

This program supports collaborations among presenters working to facilitate tours of artists across the mid-Atlantic region involving any performing arts discipline, including dance, jazz, music, opera, theatre and folk/traditional arts. The presenting consortium must include at least three presenting organizations from at least two mid-Atlantic states.

Action: The deadline is March 22. Visit the Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation website for application guidelines and materials.

ARTS EDUCATION

TCG National Conference 2010: Pre-Conference on Arts Education

Action: See story in TCG News section

CONFERENCES & SEMINARS

2010 Sewanee Wrtiers' Conference, July 13-25 in Sewanee, Tennessee

This conference will include a playwriting workshop led by representatives from the New Dramatists and Dramatists Guild. The program will also feature individual playscript conferences. Fellowships and scholarships are available on a competitive basis for produced playwrights.

Action: The deadline for scholarships is May 10 or until all spaces are filled. Visit the Sewanee Wrtiters’ Conference website for more information.

Arts Reach National Arts Marketing Conference in March-TCG Member Discount!

This story was originally published in the November 2009 issue of the Bulletin.
TCG members are entitled to up to $160 off registration to the 2010 Arts Reach National Arts Marketing and Development Conference, scheduled for March 13–16, in New York City. TCG members will receive $80 off the Regular Conference, $40 off the Pre-Conference Day and $40 off the Post-Conference Day. The theme of the event is Coming Together, Setting the Course: Reinvent Your Future with the New Marketing and Fundraising Strategies of the Next Decade. The conference will include a special theatre track, with top theatre professionals, as well as leaders from other arts disciplines, discussing frameworks, strategies and techniques for surviving the current economy and thriving into the next decade. Managing leaders and board members, as well as marketing, public relations, membership and development professionals from all cultural disciplines are encouraged to attend.

Action: Visit the Arts Reach website to view all of the conference offerings or to register online.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS & OPPORTUNITIES

World Theatre Day 2010

World Theatre Day was created in 1961 by the International Theatre Institute (ITI), and is celebrated annually on March 27 by ITI and the international theatre community with the reading of a World Theatre Day Message. Various national and international theatre events are being organized to mark this occasion. As the U.S. Center of ITI, TCG has selected a prominent voice from the field to pen an address for the United States audience that will be shared with the field along with the 2010 international message from Dame Judi Dench.

Action: Stay tuned for additional information and visit the International section of the website to see how people engaged last year.

Sixth International Festival of Making Theater in Athens, Greece, July 11-18

During a week of creative interaction, theatre practitioners from all over the world will have the opportunity to share and get acquainted with new working methods and ideas regarding acting, movement and voice.

Action: Visit the Festival of Making Theater website for more information.

MANAGEMENT & RESEARCH

Americans for the Arts Releases 2008 National Arts Index

The National Arts Index is a highly distilled annual measure of the health and vitality of arts in the United States by using 76 equal weighted, national-level indicators of arts activity. This report covers an 11-year period, from 1998 to 2008.

Action: Visit the Americans for the Arts website to view the full report.

UK National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts Publishes Beyond Live: Digital innovation in the Performing Arts

This research briefing reports on an in-depth research study on two productions by the British National Theatre that were broadcast live to movie theatres across the country. The research shows how the NT Live program allowed the National Theatre to reach new audiences for theatre, drawing on established relationships between cinemas and their patrons all over the country.

Action: Visit the NESTA website to download the full report.

Third Sector New England and CompassPoint Nonprofit Services Publish Creative Disruption: Sabbaticals for Capacity Building and Leadership Development in the Nonprofit Sector

This report examines the outcomes of sabbaticals for not-for-profit leaders for the leaders themselves, their organizations, leadership transitions and the sponsoring foundations, as well as lessons learned and challenges.

Action: Visit the Foundation Center website to download the full report.

RESOURCES

Fanpageanalytics.com Offers Statistics about Facebook Fan Pages

Fan Page Analytics is a website that generates comparison data and geographic demographics of Facebook Fan Pages. The program uses over 100 million public profiles to offer detailed information about fans.

Action: Visit the Fan Page Analytics website to view information about your fans.

Convio Publishes 2010 Resolutions Guide: Do-it-Yourself Tips to Revitalize Your Nonprofit's Online initiatives

This guide is based on discussions with not-for profit professionals, industry experts and partners who are deeply engaged in the not-for-profit sector. With the difficult economy and trends favoring online and integrated marketing, this guide seeks to improve organizations’ online initiatives.

Action: Visit the Convio website to download the guide.

NEW TCG MEMBERS

Illusion Theater

528 Hennepin Ave S
Suite 704
Minneapolis, MN 55403-1814
tel (612) 339-4944
fax (612) 827-3024
info@illusiontheater.org
www.illusiontheater.org
Michael Robins, Executive Producing Director
Bonnie Morris, Producing Director
Joan Humes, Board President

Lamb's Players Theatre

PO Box 182229
Coronado, CA 92178
tel (619) 437-6050
fax (619) 437-6053
corporate.office@lambsplayers.org
www.lambsplayers.org
Robert Smyth, Producing Artistic Director
Brian Andrews, Director of Operations
Bob Ayres, Board Chair

Salve Regina University

Theatre Arts Dept
100 Ochre Point Ave
Newport, RI 02840
tel (401) 341-3163
suzanne.delle@salve.edu
www.salve.edu/departments/per
Suzanne Delle, Assistant Professor of Theatre

Watts Village Theater Company

1827 E 103rd St
Los Angeles, CA 90002-2928
tel (661) 802-1546
info@wattsvillagetheatercompany.com
www.wattsvillagetheatercompany.com
Guillermo Aviles-Rodriguez, Artistic Director
David Mack, Managing Director
Lynn Manning, Board Chair

TCG DEADLINES

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Information appearing in the TCG Bulletin may not be reprinted without permission.