Theatres as Civic Institutions, Arts Advocates, and Agents of Change—2017 TCG National Conference
Channel: HowlRound Theatre Commons
Date: 10/06/2017

Theatre Communications Group presents the 2017 TCG National Conference: Full Circle (ASL-interpreted) livestreaming on the global, commons-based peer-produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv Thursday, June 8 to Saturday, June 10. Share your thoughts and media with hashtags #tcg17 and #howlround in all social media platforms. Follow @TCG and @HowlRound in Twitter for updates.

From June 8-10, the 2017 TCG National Conference: Full Circle will welcome 1,000+ theatre practitioners from across the globe to Portland, OR, for peer connection, professional development, and inspiring thought-leaders from within and beyond the field. We’ll build on the success of the 2016 DC Conference by strengthening core programming like our Skills-Building Workshops and At the Intersections arc, as well as conduct bold new experiments like last year’s visits to Capitol Hill.

Full Circle will also draw inspiration from our host city of Portland’s central role in the “Maker” culture—a network of artisans and hackers dismantling industrialized systems through a return to a more local, human scale. In a region renowned for its commitment to sustainable ecosystems, could our most local and human of art forms be a natural partner in these movements?

This will also be our first major gathering after a contentious election process that featured profoundly different visions of our country’s past, present, and future. As storytellers and community-builders, how can we bridge the divisions of our country and world? How can we create ‘virtuous circles;’ feedback loops where our vision for a better world for and because of theatre reinforce each other?

Friday, June 9 2017 

Description: 2017 promises to be a year of historic political and social importance. Theatres have the opportunity, some might say the obligation, to be a civic resource to their community, staff, and artists. But where do you start? What’s allowed? Who are models to learn from? What impact might this have on the art and how you work? This panel will share civic engagement practices from theatre artists/managers, advocacy coalition leaders, and advocacy trainers. We’ll discuss how theatres are bringing civic engagement to the core of their work, what’s happening in arts advocacy at the city, state, and national level, and where to find inspiration from other nonprofit sectors and movements who have successfully galvanized around an issue of importance in their community.

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