November 2007 Field Letter
Written on October 29, 2007
Dear Friends,
First, I'd like to express our deep concern for everyone in Southern California and for TCG theatres and workers who were affected by the devastation of fires in recent weeks. We've heard from several TCG theatres. A few had cancelled performances, or staff and patrons who were evacuated from their homes. North Coast Repertory Theatre was under mandatory evacuation for several days, but didn't suffer damage to its facility. They were expecting losses in ticket revenue and income from year-end appeals. Steve Libman of La Jolla Playhouse wrote "given that 600,000 people were evacuated from their homes, it was an incredible example of how a community responds in crisis, and in San Diego, we have a lot to be proud of." One way to help arts organizations in Southern California is through the Americans for the Arts Emergency Relief Fund. This program funds area arts service organizations that in turn redistribute funds to arts organizations in need.
We need to make you aware of an important advocacy issue that is simmering—if not reaching full boil. You may recall an American Arts Alliance Action Alert last summer about "white spaces." Currently, the wireless microphones, cuing systems and infrared listening devices utilized by most theatres across the nation are operating within these frequencies. The FCC is being lobbied heavily by commercial interests in order to capture a large part of this space for new wireless devices such as blackberries, garage door openers, etc. The result could be debilitating interference in the usage of wireless technologies within our theatres. This issue is going to be decided in the next several weeks. We need letters expressing the potential negative impacts on your artists, productions and patrons if the FCC were to allow new wireless devices to interfere with the frequencies used by your theatres. This issue is the most serious technological concern the American performing arts community has faced in the last 30 years. Please visit the American Arts Alliance website to take action immediately.
On a happy note, TCG will soon be adding a section to its website that will provide information on new plays in development for which premieres have been scheduled. The first group of plays that will be listed are those funded by the Edgerton Foundation for New American Plays. Established this year, the Foundation awarded grants to 22 TCG member theatres committed to producing world premieres on their mainstages. The funds are specifically geared to enable the addition of rehearsal time with full production teams onsite. Please note that the Foundation solicits proposals through a formal invitation process.
Big thanks to Bill Rausch, artistic director, and Deborah Small, director of institutional giving, of Oregon Shakespeare Festival for stopping by TCG while in New York. They visited with TCG staff and briefed us on the exciting transition to Bill's new leadership. Also thanks to managing director Elliot Fox and artistic director Andrew Leynse of New York's Primary Stages for stopping in. They have a great story to tell about their meteoric growth and move to the 59E59 Theaters. Don't forget to let us know if you are in town or based in the New York area—we would love to have you visit TCG and meet the staff.
I've had some busy traveling weeks, giving me the chance for theatre visits in communities from coast to coast. Most recently, I attended the League of Resident Theatres Conference in Portland, Oregon. The conference was hosted by Portland Center Stage, and I was thrilled for the opportunity to be in the Armory, the theatre's new "green building." Chris Coleman, in addressing the LORT leaders assembled, talked about the charge of creating a space that would respond to the minds of the new generation of theatregoers. It is highly interactive—it's open all day for people to wander in and enjoy the café, free tai chi classes are given three days a week—you can read more about the space in the November issue of American Theatre. He reported on tremendous growth in ticket sales, particularly subscriptions, and how those numbers include a higher than ever percentage of people under the age of 30. I also visited with TCG board member and artistic director of Miracle Theatre, Olga Sanchez. I attended the opening night of La Carpa del Ausuente (by Martin Milagro and directed by Philip Cuomo), Miracles' annual production marking El Dia de los Muertos. It was great fun to visit with the cast and crew and theatre co-founder José Eduardo González afterwards.
On my way to a recent college reunion, I drove through San Francisco and had the chance to visit again with Brad Erickson of Theatre Bay Area, which comprises an extraordinary number and range of theatres. They were planning their Free Night of Theater campaign and have been great partners with TCG in making this program a success. Their ad campaign included posters with fun and funky illustrations of people and accompanying slogans. One illustration of a senior citizen reads, "Stella used to act her age, until she got the free tickets...Theatre broadens your horizons." Another of a young hip woman reads, "Kathy used to be a little...uptight, until she got the free tickets. Theatre broadens your horizons." It's hard to describe without the art, but you get the idea. I also stopped in at American Conservatory Theater (ACT) to see managing director Heather Kitchen and a few of the staffers who attended the TCG/Target Expanding the Theatre Manager's Repertoire program: Vinly Eng, producing associate, Jim Neuner, controller and Pink Pasdar, associate artistic director.
While I waited for Heather, Denzel Washington wandered in off the street. He happened to be in San Francisco to edit a film. As a former ACT student, he had a hankering to revisit old times in a cold reading class. By coincidence, the teacher was one of his former classmates. It was a reunion for them and a thrill for the MFA students who returned from their break to find Denzel hanging out in their classroom.
TCG has issued its annual call for board nominations. Don't be a stranger. Give us your thoughts on individuals who would make great candidates for TCG's board. We are looking for established leaders in the field, emerging leaders, people with outside expertise such as publishing, new technologies, public relations and branding, and people who can help leverage financial resources for the field. Please download the nomination form (PDF) to assist you in making your nominations.
The Fall Forum is drawing near, and I look forward to seeing so many of you who will be in New York for a weekend of discussions on developing new strategies, large and small, to adapt to the changing environment and capitalize on new opportunities. An updated agenda and an innovation resource list can be found in the Events section of the website. I look forward to reporting to you on the results of that meeting in my December Field Letter. And if you haven't registered for the Forum, and you are either based in New York or can still get a hotel room in New York, please let Chris Shuff, director of management programs, know. We can squeeze in a few more participants.
Our next large convening is the National Performing Arts Convention, which is shaping up beautifully. Please note the dates: It begins on June 10 and goes through June 14. This is two days longer than in the past.
Finally, I want to thank Vinly Eng of ACT, a fellow yogi. He told me about Dharma Mittra, the 68 year old world-renowned Yoga teacher here in New York. I've been attending classes there since the Target training where I met Vinly. And I invite any TCG yoga enthusiasts to go with me sometime when you are here in New York.
All the best,
Teresa Eyring
Executive Director