February 2008 Field Letter
Written on January 26, 2008
Dear Friends,
Convenings and Other TCG News
We’ve had an action-packed month at TCG, as we prepare for upcoming convenings—Dual Leadership: Partnering From the Inside Out in New Orleans, an international planning meeting in NYC and the National Performing Arts Convention (NPAC) in Denver. We are very much looking forward to the Dual Leadership program in New Orleans in just a few weeks. As of this letter, we only have space for one more pair. A collaboration of TCG and Dance/USA, this program will enable 40 artistic and management leaders to examine—candidly and in-depth—the power, principles and politics of joint leadership. We hope to find ways of sharing some of the learning with you in the future. If you are interested in the final slot, please contact Chris Shuff ASAP. We’re also creating new professional development programs for our members, and we’re getting ready to publish guidelines for our latest grant program, the Metlife/TCG A-ha! Program: Think it, Do it. Watch for these in mid February.
We’ve just welcomed New York City and Chicago into the planning process for Free Night of Theater 2008. Thank you to Tory Bailey and the staff of Theatre Development Fund, George Forbes of the League of Off-Broadway Theatres and Producers, Ginny Louloudes and Mark Rossier of A.R.T./New York and Robert Zukerman of the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA), who have joined with TCG to mastermind the event with the help of New York theatres.
TCG books has just released Bad Boy Nietzsche! and Other Plays by Richard Foreman. Foreman will participate in a discussion about his work and book signing on February 4, with Eric Bogosian at the Housing Works Used Book Cafe in SoHo in NYC. If you are in the area and free, please join us! TCG Books will also soon release August Osage County by Tracy Letts. For the first time in TCG Books’ history, this publication has gone into its second printing before its official release date!
Thank You TCG Board and National Council for the American Theatre
In mid-January, TCG’s board of directors and National Council for the American Theatre met in New York for three days of meetings, in which we further honed TCG’s strategy, and had detailed discussion on topics such as TCG’s critical leadership role in facilitating international discourse and collaboration among theatre artists and organizations—and TCG’s mandate as a proactive storyteller on behalf of the theatre field and its contributions to American community life. We also considered new programs and initiatives and the most effective ways TCG can support the development of artists and arts leaders. Our National Council Members were also vocal about the need for opportunities to engage theatre trustees more fully in the work of TCG. I will be writing more on these topics, as well as traveling to communities across the country in the coming months to share our thinking and seek your input. We’ll be in touch! And thank you to everyone who submitted nominations for the TCG board. The number of new nominations was higher than ever!
2008 Election Considerations
The mid-term election of 2006 paved the way for increased appropriations for the arts at the federal level. Leadership of both houses of Congress shifted, and chairmanship of the House and Senate appropriations sub-committees was handed to elected officials with a demonstrated history of support for the arts nationally and in their communities.
This presidential election year offers another important opportunity to elect a leader who will embrace the contributions of the arts to our society. Americans for the Arts Action Fund has established the ArtsVote2008 website. The mission of the Arts Action Fund is to secure bold, new policy proposals in support of the arts and arts education from candidates during the 2008 presidential campaign. ArtsVote is a national initiative to help the arts impact the presidential election. This site is designed to provide relevant information to advocates and campaign staff working on arts and arts education issues. A number of Presidential candidates have already posted their statements in support of the arts, including Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, Senator Barack Obama and former Governor Mike Huckabee and additional statements are pending.
Wherefore the Economy and What Impact for Theatres?
In my July/August 2007 American Theatre column, I wrote about Second Life and other online role playing and social networking sites. At the time, I created and registered an avatar, who kept getting lost and sent to an island for wayward avatars. The staff of Second Life would dutifully return my avatar, which would land back in the Second Life orientation section. Second Life continues to grow and to fly below the radar in many ways, but there are occasional stories in the mainstream press that remind me just how fascinating this alternate reality world is. For instance, just as stories are brewing about economic tribulations in real life, the Wall Street Journal reports on a banking crisis in Second Life. Apparently, virtual lenders have been investing money (linden dollars) for residents, and then simply walking away with the cash. Residents flock to their banks to find no money there.
Meanwhile, in real life, news reports are building about the possibility and/or reality of a recession—and what it means for many segments of our economy. For theatres, the consumer belt tightening that accompanies recessionary times can affect programming, ticket sales and contributions. But paradoxically, some theatres have experienced steady or increased attendance during past recessions. It behooves us to consider the impacts of various weak economy scenarios and possible impacts on the field, its organizations, artists and patrons—as well as recalling how we’ve handled such environments in the past. I was also been fascinated by a recent posting in the Economist positing that “the world is economically a better place overall,” citing many “miracles over the turmoil.”
This creates an interesting perspective for the U.S. and U.S. artists as we have a unique ability to show the way and to introduce audiences and communities to new perspectives on life and the world. Now more than ever, we should be on the cutting edge of the conversation.
International Performing Arts for Youth (IPAY) 2008 Showcase in Tampa
In January, I was invited to the IPAY Showcase in Tampa to speak at a two-day session on international touring. IPAY is a nearly 30-year old organization that annually produces an international showcase of work for young audiences, along with professional development tracks for artists, presenters and artist representatives. Representing TCG, I had the opportunity to discuss possible legislation that will impact visa processing—and to hear about and speak to the difficulties artists have traveling to the U.S. as a result of visa delays, as well as the lengthy interview process at some American embassies abroad. A key part of the presentation was from Canadian arts consultant Judy Harquail and Cheryle Hansen, director of Kids’ Entertainment, demonstrating the Canada Council’s very useful website on touring. While some aspects of it are Canada specific, most areas of the site would be helpful for artists and organizations outside of Canada as well. For instance, Cheryle Hansen has an “attorney approved” contract for touring that can be used in the U.S. or Canada. I highly recommend this site for anyone interested in resources on touring. In addition to the professional development tracks, attendees were able to attend 14 performances from Canada, Mexico, Scotland, the U.S. and other parts of the world. And there was some truly extraordinary work.
While in Tampa, I had the opportunity to meet TCG’s newest member, Stage Works. Producing director Anna Brennen took me to breakfast at the Pink Flamingo Café on Davis Island and regaled me with stories about the development of her theatre and Tampa’s arts community over the last 25 years. She has personally been a member of and proselytizer about TCG for many years, but this year was the first that her organization was able to join. We also had the chance to visit the new theatre space in Tampa’s growing Channel District. It’s a shell at this point, but those who have been involved in theatre building projects know the awe of seeing a chunk of land or a non-descript concrete shell, emerge into a warm and joyous theatre space. Contained within a multi-use development with condos, parking and retail, the theatre will have 99 seats, a rehearsal hall and other support spaces.
Thank You Visitors
Thanks to Dominic Taylor, associate artistic director of Penumbra Theatre Company, for stopping in for a visit in January. Dominic spent an entertaining hour with TCG staff, telling us about Penumbra’s extraordinary turnaround, along with the challenges he sees for the organization as well as theatre in general. Jose Luis Valenzuela was in for visit to talk about exciting developments at the New LATC. LATC was on the verge of being sold to developers, when Jose and the Latino Theater Company came in and secured the center to produce “new and well established” culturally specific works.
The U.S. State Department hosted a group of artists and administrators from Malaysia, Morocco and South Africa here at TCG. Along with TCG’s Emilya Cachapero and Randy Gener, they discussed how artistic work is being developed, as well as who the audience is for theatre in each of these countries. There was great enthusiasm about collaborating and facilitating dialogue and exchange among artists and administrators.
Speaking of the State Department, for those interested in daily briefings on U.S. involvements and interactions occurring all over the world, visit the State Department website where you can subscribe to numerous reports and RSS feeds. Often, these are direct transcripts of meetings with policymakers and press in other countries.
Until next month, all my best,
Teresa Eyring
Executive Director