MIAMI: Theatre Communications Group has announced the first plenary speaker for the upcoming TCG National Conference in Miami (June 5-7). Miami-based author Edwidge Danticat will kick off the programming, which will bring together more than 1,000 theatre professionals from across the U.S.
“At last year’s conference in St. Louis, poet Naomi Shihab Nye moved our conference attendees with her wide-ranging remarks rooted in her relationship to our host city,” said Teresa Eyring, executive director of TCG, in a statement. “We’re thrilled that Edwidge Danticat will build on our conference’s legacy of engaging deeply with the poetry and power of place.”
Danticat is the author of numerous books, including Claire of the Sea Light, a New York Times notable book; Brother, I’m Dying, a National Book Critics Circle Award winner and National Book Award finalist; Breath, Eyes, Memory, an Oprah Book Club selection; Krik? Krak!, a National Book Award finalist; The Farming of Bones, an American Book Award winner; and The Dew Breaker, a PEN/Faulkner Award finalist and winner of the inaugural Story Prize. The recipient of a MacArthur Fellowship, she has been published in The New Yorker, The New York Times, and elsewhere. She lives in Miami.
“Edwidge Danticat is not only a prolific and gifted writer of many forms, but we happily learned she is also embarking on a theatrical project with one of our host theatres, which adds a kind of synergy between her existing body of work and TCG’s theatremaking attendees,” said Devon Berkshire, director of conferences and fieldwide learning at TCG, in a statement. “She will no doubt set the perfect tone for a memorable conference focused on conversations around community, collective care, and the challenges of making art in times of rapid change.”
Additional programming for the conference ill include field trips around the Magic City, panel discussions, labs for group strategizing, model-sharing sessions, masterclasses, workshops, performances, and more. A full schedule and more information can be found here.
