Happy spring! I want to remind you of the April 15 early bird deadline for the 2019 National Conference in Miami. That date should be easy to remember (#TaxDay) but please don't wait!: the programming is shaping up beautifully, and we may sell out of early bird rates.
Earlier this month, I traveled to Florida for Palm Beach Dramaworks' (PBD) Dramalogue series. During two public panel discussions, I was honored to share the stage with arts advocacy veteran Sherron Long and director J. Barry Lewis. We discussed the state of theatre in the U.S. with an audience that was passionate about trends in artistry, attendance, arts education, federal and state arts funding, ticket price, philanthropy, and progress on EDI.
This week, we celebrated World Day of Theatre for Children and Young People by launching our first post-conference gathering in many years: Envisioning the Future of Theater for Young Audiences. This one-day convening, co-organized with the National Endowment for the Arts and Theatre for Young Audiences/USA, will bring together TYA leaders, funders, arts journalists, and the wider theatre community to discuss the impact and importance of the TYA sector.
On March 27 we’ll be celebrating World Theatre Day! I encourage you to read and share the International and U.S. World Theatre Day messages. On the day itself, you might consider posting the messages in your lobby, sharing them in your programs, or reading them as part of a curtain speech. This year, we’re grateful that our friends from Indigenous Direction wrote the U.S. message, giving a decolonizing call to reconsider our relationship to the ground we share.
Finally, we extend our congratulations to TCG board member Nataki Garrett on her appointment as the new artistic director of Oregon Shakespeare Festival. Nataki was a recipient of the NEA/TCG career development fellowship for directors and I encourage you to read her great American Theatre interview as well as this powerful piece in the New York Times about the generational leadership transition in our field. On that front, congrats as well to Carson Grace Becker and Michael J. Bobbitt on their appointments as artistic directors of Chicago Dramatists and New Rep, respectively.
#WorldTheatreDay#TheatreForYoungAudiences#TCGboard