Tuesday, January 19 – TCG to Host Webinar for Theatres
Tuesday, 1/19/21, 3:00-4:30pm ET
With the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) issuing new guidance for the “second draw” of the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), and guidelines for the Save Our Stages (SOS) grant program coming soon, theatres need support in accessing these major relief and recovery funds.
On Tuesday, January 19, from 3:00-4:30pm ET, TCG will host a webinar for all theatres with a cross-sector group of arts leaders. Focusing on the current PPP and SOS opportunities, as well as newly expanded Employee Retention Tax Credits (ERTC), we will also look ahead to additional advocacy opportunities with the new administration, this webinar will feature remarks from: Teresa Eyring and Laurie Baskin, TCG; Nataki Garrett, Oregon Shakespeare Festival; Oskar Eustis, The Public Theater; Heather Noonan, League of American Orchestras: Tony Shivers, Dance/USA and Opera America, and representative from Arnold & Porter, a lobbying firm that worked closely on Save Our Stages. All theatres are welcome to register for this webinar here.
Additionally, TCG staff will be supporting peer-led technical assistance over the coming weeks through the Finance Directors Circle Group, an online professional affinity space for finance staff. This online community and listserv was a major resource during the last round of federal relief funds, and we encourage interested finance staff to join by emailing Corinna Schulenburg at cschulenburg@tcg.org.
SPEAKERS
Laurie Baskin,
director of advocacy, TCG, (she/her/hers): Laurie joined Theatre Communications Group (TCG) in 1997 and is director of Advocacy. Ms. Baskin is TCG’s liaison to the Performing Arts Alliance. She directs advocacy efforts at the federal level on behalf of the professional, not-for-profit American theatre field. She regularly provides advocacy updates for TCG’s website, Action Alerts to the field, and provides witnesses and testimony for legislative hearings. Ms. Baskin created the Blue Star Theatres program, which connected theatres and military families. She has overseen TCG’s research, including the Fiscal, Salary & Education Surveys. She has administered TCG’s Education Programs, including teleconferences & Special Report series. Her endeavors in theatre education over the last twenty years include conceiving and spearheading an assessment project, Building a National TEAM: Theatre Education Assessment Models. Prior to joining TCG, Ms. Baskin served for 15 years as executive assistant to the Chairman of the NYS Council on the Arts, working for then-Chairman, Kitty Carlisle Hart. She attended Mount Holyoke College, earned her B.A. from Colgate University, and a degree in arts administration from Adelphi University.
Teresa Eyring,
executive director and CEO, TCG (she/her/hers): Teresa joined TCG in 2007. Teresa Eyring has served as executive director of TCG since 2007. Under her leadership, TCG has invested in building greater equity, diversity, and inclusion in the American theatre field and promotes a vision for “a better world for theatre, and a better world because of theatre.” Prior to joining TCG, Eyring spent more than 20 years as an executive in theatres across the U.S. Prior positions have included: managing director of the Children’s Theatre Company in Minneapolis; managing director of the Wilma Theater in Philadelphia; assistant executive director of the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis; and development director of the Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company in Washington, D.C. Eyring holds a BA in International Relations from Stanford University and an MFA in Theatre Administration from Yale School of Drama. She is on the boards of the Actors Fund, the Performing Arts Alliance, and the Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone. She is also an advisory board member of SMU DataArts.
Nataki Garrett, Artistic Director, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, (she/her/hers): Nataki Garrett is Oregon Shakespeare Festival’s sixth artistic director. As the former associate artistic director of CalArts Center for New Performance, Garrett has been hailed as a champion of new work as well as an experienced, savvy arts administrator. 2019 was Garrett’s first season at OSF, where she directed How to Catch Creation. At CalArts, Garrett oversaw all operations of conservatory training and produced mainstage, black box, developmental projects, plays, co-productions and touring productions. She is currently on the nominating committee for The Kilroys, and she recently served on the Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust Distinguished Playwright Award nominating committee and the Fox Foundation Resident Actor Fellowship panel. Garrett’s forté and passion are fostering and developing new work. She is responsible for producing the world premieres of The Book of Will by Lauren Gunderson, Two Degrees by Tira Palmquist, Zoey’s Perfect Wedding by Matthew Lopez, The Great Leap by Lauren Yee, and American Mariachi by José Cruz González. She also directed the world premieres of BLKS by Aziza Barnes and Pussy Valley by Katori Hall, and the U.S. premiere of Jefferson’s Garden by Timberlake Wertenbaker. She is well-known for her work with MacArthur Fellow-winning playwright Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, having directed the regional premieres of several of his plays, including Everybody at California Shakespeare Theater and An Octoroon at Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company. Garrett also directed the first professional production of Jacobs-Jenkins’ acclaimed play Neighbors at the Matrix Theatre Company in Los Angeles. Garrett’s production received five Ovation Award nominations—including Best Production. Garrett most recently served as acting artistic director for Denver Center for the Performing Arts (DCPA) during the $66 million organization’s 18-month leadership transition, working in partnership with the chief executive officer, managing director and board of directors to oversee all artistic operations for the theater company. During her tenure, she produced a very provocative Macbeth. The play was the most successful production in the Space Theatre’s 40-year history. She also initiated and negotiated the first co-world premieres in 10 years for two DCPA-commissioned plays—The Great Leap with Seattle Repertory Theatre and American Mariachi with The Old Globe. Garrett is a recipient of the National Endowment for the Arts and Theatre Communications Group Career Development Fellowship for Theatre Directors and a member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society. Garrett is also a member of the board of directors for Theatre Communications Group, a company member at Woolly Mammoth and an advisory board member for Mixed Blood Theatre. Garrett is a graduate of California Institute of the Arts with an MFA in directing.
Jessica Monahan, policy adviser, Arnold & Porter, (she/her/hers): Jessica Monahan is an innovative thinker who has extensive experience working with public and private sector clients on a wide variety of policy matters, including transportation, technology, appropriations, trade, tax, energy and health care issues. From grassroots advocacy to comprehensive government affairs, Ms. Monahan provides clients tailored advice and strategies for accomplishing their goals. Throughout her career, Ms. Monahan has gained a deep understanding of the federal budget process and utilized appropriations and authorization legislation to address client priorities. In addition, Ms. Monahan has helped clients secure federal grants and navigate the complexities of the federal regulatory process in order to achieve their business objectives. Prior to joining Arnold and Porter, Ms. Monahan worked for the US Senate, served as the Associate Legislative Director for Transportation Policy at the National Association of Counties and spent time advancing client priorities at two other government affairs firms.
Heather C. Noonan, Vice President for Advocacy, League of American Orchestras, (she/her/hers): Heather Noonan is the Vice President for Advocacy for the League of American Orchestras, the national service organization for the more than 1,600 orchestras in communities across the United States. From the League’s Washington, D.C. office, Heather represents orchestras to national policy leaders in the arenas of government arts funding, education reform, international cultural activity, and nonprofit and philanthropic policies, and leads the League’s efforts to communicate the public value of orchestras and to increase orchestras’ local advocacy capacity. Heather directs the League’s technical assistance to orchestras navigating the complex aviation and protected species rules related to travel with musical instruments, and represented global music interests in treaty negotiations at the 17th and 18th Conferences of the Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species. She established and edits the League web site Artists from Abroad: The Complete Guide to Immigration and Tax Requirements for Foreign Guest Artists. Heather is a participant in the Cultural Advocacy Group, the working group of national arts, humanities, and cultural stakeholders that collaborate year-round to advance federal policy priorities. Heather serves on the national advisory committee of the Arts Education Partnership, and has served on the boards of directors for the American Youth Philharmonic Orchestras and the OMG Center for Collaborative Learning. Prior to joining the League in 1996, she was a legislative associate for the American Arts Alliance. She earned a bachelor’s degree in political science and studied art history at Western Washington University in Bellingham, Washington.
Tony Shivers, director of government affairs, Dance/USA, OPERA America (he/him/his): Tony represents the interests of Dance/USA and OPERA America before Congress, the White House, and relevant federal agencies and works on a range of issues, including budget/appropriations, arts education, tax policy, cultural exchanges, foreign visas, and raising the overall awareness of the importance of arts to the global economy. Tony brings years of experience as a government affairs professional working on various education and health care issues at the federal, state, and local levels of government. One of Tony’s personal passions is ensuring that students are prepared for the global economy whatever path they may choose and believes that arts education is critical towards their success. Tony previously led government affairs operations for various national nonprofit organizations in the Washington, DC area, including the National Association of State Boards of Education and National Association of Federally Impacted Schools. Tony also held leadership positions at United Way Worldwide and the Council for a Strong America organizations based in the Washington, DC area. Tony is passionate about giving back to the community through volunteerism and is active with the PTA at all levels as well as other nonprofit organizations. Tony received his B.S. in Political Science from the Pennsylvania State University and completed his law studies at Purdue University Global Concord School of Law.