NEW YORK CITY: Theatre Communications Group (TCG), the national organization for theatre and the publisher of American Theatre, has announced that the 32nd annual TCG National Conference will take place in Pittsburgh from June 16 to 18, 2022. The TCG National Conference typically draws between 700 to 1,000-plus theatre professionals from around the world for meetings, speeches, performances, and opportunities to explore the local theatre community. In 2020 and 2021, TCG held virtual convenings, making Pittsburgh the first in-person TCG conference since 2019’s National Conference in Miami. Building on the learnings from the past two years, the 2022 Conference will also include robust online access to programming. You can learn more about the conference here.
“Known as the City of Bridges, Pittsburgh is the perfect place for our field to bridge the transformational currents of COVID-19 pandemic emergence with movements for racial justice and climate action,” said Teresa Eyring, executive director of TCG. “We’re excited to engage with the diverse perspectives of Pittsburgh’s theatremakers, and can think of no more fitting place to reunite with our community and work toward a just and thriving theatre ecology.”
“As our sector reemerges from the pandemic, it feels fitting to have Pittsburgh serve as host for the TCG national conference,” said James McNeel, managing director of City Theatre Company. “When our city found its renaissance from the industrial past, arts and culture served as a catalyst for this transformation, becoming a model for other ‘Rust Belt’ cities. We cannot wait to welcome our colleagues from across the country to join us in the Steel City to celebrate the return of professional theatre. Our community is blessed with extraordinary artists and audiences accustomed to world-class art, from the downtown Cultural District to the site-specific work seen in the old mills, and we are ready to take centerstage with Theatre Communications Group.”
“We’re very excited to welcome Theatre Communications Group to Pittsburgh and celebrate with hundreds of theatre professionals in June 2022,” said Lou Castelli, managing director, Pittsburgh Public Theater. “This a tremendous opportunity to gather in person with colleagues who are shaping the future of the art form while also spotlighting our city’s vibrant arts and culture scene. We’re looking forward to rolling out the red carpet for our peers and showing off the best of the ’Burgh.”
The growing list of Pittsburgh-area host committee organizations contributing to the planning for the National Conference currently includes: Bricolage Production Company, City Theatre Company, Off The Wall Productions, Pittsburgh Public Theater, Prime Stage Theatre, Quantum Theatre, Carnegie Mellon University, Point Park University, and Indiana University of Pennsylvania.
Through its convenings, TCG continues to serve as a connector for theatres to share best practices and new business and artistic models with one another. TCG presents plenary speakers, breakout sessions, workshops, and performances throughout the National Conference. Past keynote speakers have included such leading artists and thinkers as Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson, Edwidge Danticat, Naomi Shihab Nye, Jer Thorp, Anand Giridharadas, Samantha Power, Stephanie Ybarra, Mona Eltahawy, Jeff Chang, Jane McGonigal, Anna Deavere Smith, and Baratunde Thurston.
The 2022 TCG National Conference in Pittsburgh is supported by the following funders: the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, the Howard Gilman Foundation, and the National Endowment for the Arts. If you are interested in supporting TCG, please contact Adrian Budhu, Deputy Director/COO at abudhu@tcg.org.
Theatre Communications Group (TCG) exists to strengthen, nurture, and promote professional theatre in the U.S. and globally.
