THEATRE COMMUNICATIONS GROUP INC

Led by its core values of Artistry, Diversity, Advocacy, and Global Citizenship, TCG's overarching goal is to be the leader and innovator in assembling, contextualizing, and disseminating knowledge to strengthen and energize U.S. theatres and practitioners; to be the quintessential purveyor of facts and stories that capture public, funder, and media interest in theatre; and to be a resource for theatre artists and administrators, providing funding, networking, visibility, and publication opportunities. In short, TCG builds a better world for theatre, and a better world because of theatre.

By providing a range of training, communications, research, and networking opportunities, TCG harnesses the knowledge of the theatre field for the collective whole. As a growing number of our Member Theatres seek to network and share artistic and operational strategies with colleagues around the globe, TCG is at the forefront with international initiatives and support services, such as the Global Theater Initiative (GTI), which strengthens, nurtures, and promotes global citizenship and international collaboration. TCG also partners with foundations to strengthen our networking and knowledge-building efforts, including the Wallace Foundation, with whom TCG disseminates research and case-studies on successful audience-building models; and the Edgerton Foundation, with whom TCG disseminates information about their New Play Awards, which support the premiere productions of such canon-expanding works as Hamilton, Water by the Spoonful, and Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo.

Through a series of philanthropic partnerships, TCG distributes more than $2 million in grants each year to theatres and individuals. Through its grantmaking efforts, TCG is able to provide professional development opportunities for a growing body of professionals and help build and connect future generations of practitioners within the field. Current programs include Audience (R)Evolution, the Fox Foundation Resident Actor Fellowships, the Rising Leaders of Color Program, Rising Leaders of Color, and Global Connections.

TCG also impacts the field through its Networking & Knowledge-Building activities, including the TCG National Conference, the annual Fall Forum on Governance, and year-round programs including teleconferences and webinars on a variety of topics, as well as the TCG Circle, an online community and living library of theatre resources. Furthermore, TCG's Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) Initiative works to transform the national theatre field into a more equitable, inclusive and diverse community by nurturing leaders and developing best practices. The EDI Institute, a national cohort of Member Theatres working collaboratively to create and execute action plans around EDI. Building on the foundation of the SPARK Leadership Program, TCG's Rising Leaders of Color program supports the professional development of exceptional leaders of color who aim to take on executive leadership positions at U.S. not-for-profit theatres. Finally, TCG's EDI Initiative strives to nurture Theatres of Color through programming designed to address capacity-building amongst culturally-specific theatres and raise awareness of the importance of these theatres around the country.

TCG has a network of over 700 Member theatres and affiliate organizations, which are crucial to its efforts and participate through convenings such as the TCG National Conference held in a different host city each year; the annual Fall Forum on Governance; and teleconferences for theatre leaders, trustees, administrators, educators, and artists. TCG Member Theatres also share in research studies including the annual Fiscal Survey/Theatre Facts; salary, education, and governance surveys; and snapshot surveys such as "Taking Your Fiscal Pulse." TCG continues to provide reports and surveys to stakeholders, including funders, government officials, the press, and general public, that offer insight into the state of the field and promote greater understanding of our issues and awareness of the incredible variety, excellence, and depth of our art form.

TCG's capabilities for disseminating knowledge are greatly enhanced by its publishing efforts. TCG Books is the largest independent trade publisher of dramatic literature, and has published the work of more than 235 playwrights and other theatre professionals in single volumes and anthologies, and sold over 2.5 million books since emerging as a publisher in 1984. As a publisher of new plays and emerging playwrights, TCG Books has a dual objective: to bring new literary voices to public attention and to cultivate individual relationships with our playwrights that nurture their careers. TCG is committed to keeping its playwrights in print. Its authors boast numerous Pulitzer Prizes and Tony Awards for Best Play or Book of a Musical and one Nobel Prize for Literature, in addition to countless OBIEs, Drama Desk awards, and other national and international prizes. TCG also serves as the exclusive U.S. distributor for Playwrights Canada Press of Toronto, Padua Playwrights Press of Los Angeles, New York publishers League of Professional Theatre Women, PAJ Publications, Martin E. Segal Theatre Center Publications and Playscripts, and London publishers Nick Hern Books, Aurora Metro Publications, and Oberon Books. TCG Books now represents over 3,000 titles. TCG also publishes American Theatre magazine, the must-read periodical about not-for-profit professional theatre. The country's leading arts journalists as well as top professionals from the field contribute to the pages of American Theatre, published ten times each year, with five of the issues containing an entire new playscript. Each fall, the magazine publishes a complete schedule of every production taking place that season at Member Theatres across the country.

Among TCG's other publications are ARTSEARCH®, the essential source for a career in the arts, and online resources such as special reports and the Membership Directory.

TCG also has a dedicated staff, which works tirelessly to uphold its core values, implement its EDI and global initiatives, connect with its members and community, and assemble and disseminate its special reports.

TCG's member theatres span 48 states and the District of Columbia and reflect the diversity that characterizes American theatre. For the last 14 years, TCG has maintained a member retention rate of over 90%. TCG is the recipient of the 2005 Tony Award for Excellence in Theatre in recognition of its impact on the national field. The TCG Books catalog contains a number of Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award winners, including Sweat by Lynn Nottage (2017 Pulitzer Prize for Drama), and Dear Evan Hansen (2017 Tony Award for Best Musical). TCG consistently achieves high attendance at its events. The National Conference attracts 800-1,100 attendees each year and the Fall Forum on Governance draws over 250 participants., TCG also has a robust social media followings on Facebook and Twitter, making TCG's (and by natural extension, American Theatre magazine's) social media a place for individuals to engage not only with the content posted but also with each other.

TCG has also received positive feedback on its Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion efforts in the field. The Legacy Leaders of Color Video Project, a series of video interviews chronicling the stories of theatre leaders of color who created the work, founded the organizations and led the vanguards of the resident theatre movement. The project honors the legacy of those artists who opened the doors for people of color to contribute their unique aesthetic and social perspectives to the American theatre and wider culture and serves as a roadmap for future leaders. Screenings of these interviews, unique to each leader and their community, featured thought-provoking discussions and panels that offered an opportunity for intergenerational conversations with future leaders that are grappling with all too familiar societal issues. A common theme during these discussions is the imperative that these narratives be included in college curriculums so that future leaders have not only historical context but also as a path forward in their own careers as administrators and artists that have a grounding in social justice.