fbpx The 2016 TCG National Conference: Theatre Nation | HowlRound Theatre Commons

Livestreamed on this page Thursday 23 June to Saturday 25 June 2 p.m. EDT (Washington, DC) / 1 p.m. CDT (Chicago) / 12 p.m. MDT (Denver) / 11 a.m. PDT (Los Angeles) / 18:00 GMT / 7 p.m. BST (London) / 20:00-20:45 CEST (Berlin) / 21:00 EEST (Beirut). 

Washington, D.C., United States
Thursday 23 June to Saturday 25 June 2016

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The 2016 TCG National Conference: Theatre Nation

Thursday 23 June to Saturday 25 June 2016

Theatre Communications Group presented the 2016 TCG National Conference: Theatre Nation (ASL-interpreted) livestreamed on the global, commons-based peer-produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv Thursday 23 June to Saturday 25 June. Share your thoughts and media with hashtags #TCG16 and #howlround in all social media platforms. Follow @TCG and @HowlRoundTV in Twitter for updates.

What does it mean to be a citizen of Theatre Nation?

From June 23-25, the 2016 TCG National Conference: Theatre Nation will bring together over 1,000 theatre practitioners from across the globe for performances, knowledge sharing, and thought-provoking speakers. We’ll build on the success of the 2015 Cleveland Conference—our highest-rated in history—by further innovating programming like our Skills-Building Workshops and At the Intersections arcs, empowering deeper professional development and peer connection.

We’ll also seize the unique opportunity of assembling at our nation’s capitol during an election year to imagine a more central role for our art form in civic life. In a time of political polarization and civil strife, can we imagine a Theatre Nation whose borders are not bound by walls, but opened through affinities of passion and creative practice? Can we create a Theatre Nation that welcomes everyone who shares those affinities, and equitably represents them? What is our bill of rights (and responsibilities) for citizens of Theatre Nation? How might we declare our interdependence? How can our Theatre Nation model a more perfect union for our country and world? The answers to these questions can only be found through an inclusive and participatory process that engages the full diversity of our field—which means we need you.

At the heart of this work lies TCG’s vision of “A better world for theatre. A better world because of theatre.” We’ll bring that activist spirit to visit legislators on Capitol Hill. We’ll invite practitioners from across the world, because we know members of our Theatre Nation are global citizens. We’ll continue our conversations on equity, diversity, and inclusion, and we’ll spotlight the artistry that is the center of all our work.

Livestream schedule:

Thursday 23 June

How We Show Up
2 p.m.-2:45 p.m. EDT (Washington, DC) / 1 p.m.-1:45 p.m. CDT (Chicago) / 12 p.m.-12:45 p.m. MDT (Denver) / 11 a.m.-11:45 a.m. PDT (Los Angeles) / 18:00-18:45 GMT / 7 p.m.-7:45 p.m. BST (London) / 20:00-20:45 CEST (Berlin) / 21:00-21:45 EEST (Beirut). 

Whether you’re a first-timer or a Conference veteran, this “Playbook for the Conference” will provide you with all the details you need to make the most of our three days together. This session will also kick-off our At the Intersections series, grounding attendees in shared values and goals for these important conversations about disability, gender, race & ethnicity, and sexual orientation.

 

 

Instead of Red Face
3 p.m.-4:30 p.m. EDT (Washington, DC) / 2 p.m.-3:30 p.m. CDT (Chicago) / 1 p.m.-2:30 p.m. MDT (Denver) / 12 p.m.-1:30 p.m. PDT (Los Angeles) / 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. AKDT (Anchorage) / 9 a.m.-10:30 a.m. HAST (Honolulu) / 19:00-20:30 GMT / 8 p.m.-9:30 p.m. BST (London) / 21:00-22:30 CEST (Berlin).

This session is an ally-inclusive space dedicated to celebrating and supporting the #InsteadOfRedFace movement, which challenges American theatre to honor authentic Indigenous voices over redface. The session will include background on the movement, the current state of the field in relationship to engaging with integrity with Native artists and communities, and a planning/brainstorming session of future action steps for the entire theatre community.

 

 

Opening Plenary, Anna Deavere Smith (American Sign Language-interpreted, live captioning, closed captioning on archival video)
Download the live caption text or text with timestamps.
6:30 p.m.-7:45 p.m. EDT (Washington, DC) / 5:30 p.m.-6:45 p.m. CDT (Chicago) / 4:30 p.m.-5:45 p.m. MDT (Denver) / 3:30 p.m.-4:45 p.m. PDT (Los Angeles) / 22:30-23:45 GMT / (Friday, June 24, 2016 at 8:30 a.m.-9:45 a.m. AEST (Sydney). 

 

 

Friday 24 June

Morning Plenary, Creative Leadership: Change by Design​ (American Sign Language-interpreted, live captioning, closed captioning on archival video)
Download the live caption text or text with timestamps.
9 a.m.-10 a.m. EDT (Washington, DC) / 8 a.m.-9 a.m. CDT (Chicago) / 13:00-14:00 GMT / 2 p.m.-3 p.m. BST (London) / 15:00-16:00 CEST (Berlin) / 11 p.m.-12 a.m. AEST (Sydney). 

 

 

Recruiting and Retaining a Diverse Board
10:30 a.m.-12 p.m. EDT (Washington, DC) / 9:30 a.m.-11 a.m. CDT (Chicago) / 7:30 a.m.-9 a.m. PDT (Los Angeles)

As the theatre field increasingly prioritizes equity, diversity, and inclusion, theatres are turning their attention toward board diversity. TCG’s Governing Boards Survey reveals that almost 90% of trustees identify as white, while less than 20% of theatres have written diversity policies. Yet many best practices and positive models have emerged from theatres participating in TCG’s Equity, Diversity & Inclusion Institute. This session will share the strategies and tactics employed by these theatres making change at the governance level.

 

 

Making Room for Deaf Artists in a Hearing Industry (American Sign Language-interpreted, live captioning, closed captioning on archival video)​
Download the live caption text or text with timestamps.
12:15 p.m.-1:15 p.m. EDT (Washington, DC) / 11:15 a.m.-12:15 p.m. CDT (Chicago) / 9:15 a.m.-10:15 a.m. PDT (Los Angeles) / 16:15-17:15 GMT / 5:15 p.m.-6:15 p.m. BST (London) / 18:15-19:15 CEST (Berlin). 

We are a hearing privileged industry, and (setting sign language barriers aside) the way we make our work unknowingly excludes the deaf experience. Panelists have been able to produce deaf-centric art in mainstream hearing institutions and will share techniques, insights, and the real functional challenges that hearing theatremakers will undoubtedly face when embarking on this new area of deaf inclusivity.

 

 

Afternoon Plenary Session
Download the live caption text or text with timestamps.

3:30 p.m.-4:30 p.m. EDT (Washington, DC) / 2:30 p.m.-3:30 p.m. CDT (Chicago) / 1:30 p.m.-2:30 p.m. MDT (Denver) / 12:30 p.m.-1:30 p.m. PDT (Los Angeles) / 19:30-20:30 GMT / 8:30 p.m.-9:30 p.m. BST (London) / 21:30-22:30 CEST (Berlin). 

 

 

Saturday 25 June

The Zone of Provocation
10:30 a.m.-12 p.m. EDT (Washington, DC) / 9:30 a.m.-11 a.m. CDT (Chicago) / 7:30 a.m.-9 a.m. PDT (San Francisco) / 14:30-16:00 GMT / 3:30 p.m.-5 p.m. BST (London) / 16:30-18:00 CEST (Berlin)

Is the “zone of provocation" in the American theatre shrinking? Is there still room for work that is truly provocative and controversial? The political right pressures us through their assaults on arts funding; the political left pressures us through their demand for political correctness. As both these forces reach new levels of virulence, is our field moving toward a narrow comfort zone of acceptable ideas and images, but away from real provocation that stimulates debate? Panelists will share three recent examples of productions that have pushed against the limits of comfortability and managed the fallout successfully including Neighbors by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins at Mixed Blood Theatre, The Admission by Motti Lerner at Theater J, and Women Laughing Alone With Salad by Sheila Callaghan at Center Theatre Group. Attendees will be encouraged to share additional examples; and together we’ll explore whether courting controversy can play a role in enlarging the footprint of our field.

 

 

Refugee Nation: Activating Art from a Borderless Perspective
12:15 p.m.-1:30 p.m. EDT (Washington, DC) / 11:15 p.m.-12:30 p.m. CDT (Chicago) / 9:15 a.m.-10:30 a.m. PDT (Los Angeles) / 16:15-17:30 GMT / 5:15 p.m.-6:30 p.m. BST (London) / 18:15-19:30 CEST (Berlin) / 19:15-20:30 EEST (Beirut).

This session is for those who call more than one nation home or have had to leave a country or culture behind to assimilate into the mainstream. This includes transnational, international, and nation-less identities. Specifically artists or administrators who are themselves, working with, or want to work with immigrant, refugee, migrant, or indigenous communities. This session will be interactive and will include a short performance, a variation on cultural mapping, a quick slide show, writing exercise, and group story sharing. Participants will have the opportunity to learn and practice TeAda’s methodology within the session. The artists will also be sharing stories from their latest work in development, Masters of the Currents, a project on the experiences of recent environmental refugees from Pacific Islands of Micronesia.

Led by Leilani Chan and Ova Saopeng the creators of Refugee Nation, the 1st nationally touring play about the Lao American experience and founding members of L.A. based TeAda Productions. With over a decade of doing this work, Leilani & Ova have developed strategies for working with refugee and immigrant communities. They will share the TeAda Methodology the transformative nature of theatre to unite people from all types of backgrounds, ethnicities.

 

 

At the Intersections: HOW WE MOVE FORWARD
1:30 p.m.-2:45 p.m. EDT (Washington, DC) / 12:30 p.m.-1:45 p.m. CDT (Chicago) / 10:30 a.m.-11:45 a.m. PDT (Los Angeles) / 17:30-18:45 GMT / 6:30 p.m.-7:45 p.m. BST (London) / 19:30-20:45 CEST (Berlin)

At the Intersections culminates with a Town Hall that empowers all of us to share what we’ve experienced across these interwoven areas of identity.

 

 

Closing Plenary, Ambassador Samantha Power (American Sign Language-interpreted, live captioning, closed captioning on archival video)​
Download the live caption text or text with timestamps.

3:15 p.m.-4:30 p.m. EDT (Washington, DC) / 2:15 p.m.-3:30 p.m. CDT (Chicago) / 12:15 p.m.-1:30 p.m. PDT (Los Angeles) / 19:15-20:30 GMT / 8:15 p.m.-9:30 p.m. BST (London) / 21:15-22:30 CEST (Berlin) / 22:15-23:30 EEST (Beirut)

 

About HowlRound TV

HowlRound TV is a global, commons-based peer produced, open access livestreaming and video archive project stewarded by the nonprofit HowlRound. HowlRound TV is a free and shared resource for live conversations and performances relevant to the world's performing arts and cultural fields. Its mission is to break geographic isolation, promote resource sharing, and to develop our knowledge commons collectively. Participate in a community of peer organizations revolutionizing the flow of information, knowledge, and access in our field by becoming a producer and co-producing with us. Learn more by going to our participate page. For any other queries, email [email protected], or call Vijay Mathew at +1 917.686.3185 Signal/WhatsApp. View the video archive of past events.

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