July 2008 Field Letter
Written on June 30, 2008
Dear Friends,
We’ve reached a moment of calm after the storm, the briefest
of pauses following a month of exceptional and exceptionally-heightened
activity. The TCG
National Conference and the National
Performing Arts Convention took place from June 11 to 14 in
Denver and it was a joy to see so many of you there. The combined
event was, by and large, a tremendous success. Prior to the convention,
a number of TCG members expressed concern about the enormity of
it all. But in actual fact, it was surprisingly manageable—the
plenaries were invigorating and attendees embraced the opportunity
to communicate across disciplines through small group caucus sessions.
The final town hall meeting, in which the 1,500 people assembled
(those of the 3,500 attendees still remaining on the final day)
voted electronically on priorities for action in the performing
arts sector. It was both satisfying and entertaining—kind
of a hoe-down, actually (music, a little dancing here and there
and the “wave” started by our dear friend Michael Robertson,
managing director of the Lark Play Development Center). The top
priorities for action that emerged from the caucus sessions centered
on the themes of advocacy, arts education and diversity. The group
voted on strategies related to each of these uber-priorities.
TCG members were particularly energized by the TCG-specific programming
and, as always, the chance to visit with each other. The networking
and relationship development activities were electric. And we had
a chance to glimpse the future with a large contingent of young
professionals—some arrived on their own steam or with the
theatres where they work; some were practitioners with no institutional
affiliation, who were awarded TCG scholarships; some were supported
through the Nathan
Cummings Foundation’s Grant for Young Leaders of Color;
and others were mentees through the New
Generations Program. I found these young practitioners to be
visionary. Their lively conversations were brimming with important
ideas and questions about how to shape the field in the years to
come. I must acknowledge Emilya Cachapero, TCG’s director
of artistic programs and director of ITI-U.S., for her leadership
and dedication in convening groups of young leaders. Also, thanks
to the staff at the Denver Center Theatre Company (DCTC), where
TCG’s meetings were held. And a very special thanks to artistic
director Kent Thompson, general manager Charles Varin and the entire
production and technical team at DCTC. The TCG reception also took
place there, in the Donald
R. Seawell Grand Ballroom, where we had the chance to honor
Don Seawell, the founder of the Denver Center for the Performing
Arts and a luminary in the theatre field for many years. And finally,
I’d be remiss without congratulating Jenni Werner, national
conference director, and Heather Denyer, national conference assistant,
for organizing a great conference.
The NPAC planners will meet in July to develop follow-up communications
and plans. For conference attendees: now that you have had time
to reflect on our week in Denver, we would very much like to know
what you thought about NPAC and the TCG National Conference. This
SurveyMonkey
questionnaire should take about ten minutes to complete. Please
feel free to write in as much as you wish—where indicated—as
your views are invaluable as we begin to think about the future.
The survey deadline is July 10. Full coverage of both convenings
will appear in the September issue of American Theatre,
scheduled to hit mailboxes and newsstands in late August.
I arrived at NPAC and the TCG Conference with a special jolt of
inspiration, having just spent two days in Minneapolis at the Guthrie
Theater attending the Asian
American Theatre Conference, where I was completely charged-up
by the panel discussions, readings, networking and the dialogue
on aesthetics—what defines “theatre” today and
what is the role and experience of Asian American theatre and theatre
artists. It was great to see my old Minneapolis friends—Rick
Shiomi, artistic director of Mu Performing Arts, and Pangea World
Theater’s artistic director Dipankar Mukherjee and executive
director Meena Natarajan. Congratulations to them for their great
work in organizing the meetings. Another convening, programmed specifically
for young theatre professionals, is coming up this fall as part
of Theatre Bay Area’s annual meeting and conference, scheduled
to take place October 5 and 6. Young professionals from around the
U.S. are invited to participate. TCG will also be involved, and
I will be speaking and serving on panels. More information will
be posted on the TBA website soon.
As reported in past Field
Letters, we have started a new teleconference series called
the Leadership
Teleconferences. The first was in April and featured Robert
Rubin, chairman of the executive committee of Citi and former Secretary
of the Treasury under Bill Clinton. The second, held on June 25,
was a session with Dory Vanderhoof of Genovese,
Vanderhoof and Associates, which focused on fundraising strategies
for theatres. About 125 people, who were listening in from across
the country, had the chance to hear Dory’s presentation and
ask questions. Dory is a proponent of long-term relationship-based
fundraising to complement and augment the usual focus on the annual
fundraising goal. He argues for the need to increase development
staff in order to effectively deepen donor relationships and commitment,
and thinks that theatres do not always recognize the importance
of this investment. Dory’s session will be available online
soon. We are planning future Leadership Teleconferences.
If you have ideas of topics or speakers you think would work well
in this format, please contact Chris
Shuff, director of management programs with your suggestions.
One such session we are planning is a presentation and discussion
of Theatre Facts 2007, which will be published in a few
weeks.
Most of you have heard about the recent decision of the board of
directors of Theatre de la Jeune Lune to cease operations as currently
organized and to sell their building in order to pay off a large
accumulated debt. This 30 year old company has had a major impact
on both the Twin Cities and national theatre landscapes, with a
repertoire of highly imaginative and detailed physical theatre.
In his statement to stakeholders, artistic director Dominique Serrand
said, “We never sought nor desired to be an institution. Our
home was always intended to be a playground in which we could gather
with other adventurous souls and create the unimaginable. But, as
this story ends, a new one begins. We live to create. To do what
we know best, what the artist's responsibility in society has always
been—to invent, to dream, to imagine…starting today,
we begin imagining a new way of working. What should a theatre-generating
organization of the 21st Century look like? How can artists create
truly groundbreaking art in a fast changing world? Times have changed
and so have we. Building upon our artistic legacy, and facing a
different future, we are exploring ways to reinvent an agile, nomadic,
entrepreneurial theatre with a new name.” I wish them (forever
the Lunies, whether or not they have a new name) all the best. I
look forward to their next incarnation, and what we can all learn
from the courageous decision they’ve made. For more information,
check the website.
Thank you to Rob Melrose, artistic director of San Francisco’s
Cutting Ball Theater, for spending time with TCG’s staff in
early June. Rob was in New York as assistant director to Oskar Eustis
on Hamlet being performed in Central Park. Rob talked about
his philosophy and approach to making theatre and the way his organization
has developed since its founding.
During the first week of June, I was a visitor at the Chicago Shakespeare
Theater. Thank you to artistic director Barbara Gaines and executive
director Criss Henderson for inviting me to speak at their annual
meeting. I had the privilege of being there as they celebrated receiving
the 2008 Tony Award for Outstanding Regional Theatre, and to admire,
once again, the astonishing ambition of that organization.
Until next month, all the best,
Teresa Eyring
Executive Director