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Photo Credit: Isaiah Tanenbaum. The following remarks were delivered at the 2019 TCG Gala.

Thank you, Jacob – and congratulations to you and our friends at Long Wharf.    They are certainly lucky to have you!

And thank you for your powerful words about TCG’s commitment to addressing one of the largest issues facing our field, and our country; the urgent need for greater equity, diversity and inclusion. 

I’m thrilled to be here tonight, considering I just arrived from my hometown of sunny Chicago.  I have now officially defrosted and I’m grateful to be in a room – a warm room with heat - with so many friends, colleagues, mentors and people I have admired or so many years.

I also grateful to be here because I get the chance to talk to you about this truly special organization. 

I have been on the TCG Board now for 6 years and this year is my first serving as Chair of the Board.  It is a privilege and it is my honor and I thank my fellow board members for their partnership and support and the incredible staff of TCG for the work they do to make this evening come together but more especially for their tireless hard work, advocacy and leadership they provide all year long to all our members!

It means a great deal! Thank you TCG!

Now, in a few minutes I’m also going to introduce our auctioneer and fundraiser for the evening.  He is going to help us raise some big dollars for TCG – so, I want you to start thinking generous thoughts – and while you do that, I want us to take a moment to consider ALL that TCG does:

• We fiercely advocate on a federal level for more than 500 theatres and affiliates across the country.
• We take a strategic long-term view of many of our field’s deepest challenges, like our need to grow and diversify our audiences.
• We leverage convenings, publications, grant programs and more to provide a systemic approach to systemwide problems.
• We provide surveys and research and analysis – all those fun facts and figures that help our organizations stay on trend and healthy
• And for the first time in years, we’re seeing a rise in theatre attendance and in the reading of plays, because oh yes, TCG publishes plays, too.

So, when I ask you to give to TCG - and I’m about to - I’m not just asking you to give to an organization I believe in.  I’m asking you to make an investment in the American theatre. 

What we do tonight – what we raise tonight – I promise you will have a direct impact on artists and theatre companies and in communities all across the county.

Remember, together we are creating a better world for theatre and a better world because of theatre.