TCG Reveals Third Round Global Connections Recipients

Theatre Communications Group (TCG), the national organization for theatre, has announced the Cycle A recipients for the third round of Global Connections. Supported by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, this grant program encourages reciprocity and cultural exchange throughout the world through ON the ROAD grants to foster new relationships with international colleagues and IN the LAB grants to further pre-existing international collaborations. Now in its third year, the Global Connections program awarded up to $5,000 to seven projects through ON the ROAD and $10,000 to three projects through IN the LAB.

"Twelve countries and at least eight different languages are represented in this round of the Global Connections program," said Teresa Eyring, executive director of TCG. "Through advancing cultural exchange and collaboration, we not only enhance our art form, but deepen peace and mutual understanding."

The following seven recipients were each awarded up to $5,000 for unrestricted travel support to foster new relationships with international colleagues that will inspire future collaborations:

Alexander Borinsky (Brooklyn, NY) will collaborate with theatre-makers Rahel Zegeye and Daniel Balabane in partnership with Masrah Ensemble in Beirut, Lebanon to reimagine both his American monodrama Baltimore and Ethiopian playwright Tesegaye Gebre-Medhin's Tomorrow's Man, resulting in new translations into Arabic, Amharic and English.

Anisa George (Philadelphia, PA), the artistic director of Penn Dixie Productions, will forge a new relationship between herself and Lindalinda (Buenos Aires, Argentina) through the creation of a new work, and widen her understanding of and collaboration with the broader Argentine theatre community.

Hartford Stage's (Hartford, CT) ElizaBeth Williamson, senior dramaturg and director of new play development, will travel to Tallinn, Estonia to meet with the artists at Teater NO99 and pave the way for future collaboration.

Interact Center for the Visual & Performing Arts (Minneapolis, MN), whose Twin Cities home embraces one of the largest Hmong communities in North America, will travel to Hmong Hill Tribes of Chiang Mai Province in Northern Thailand to research stories, music and ceremonies towards the development of a multi-disciplinary, dual-continent, original theater event.

The Playwrights' Center's (Minneapolis, MN) producing artistic director, Jeremy B. Cohen, will travel to Australia to build relationships with play development, training, and producing organizations towards the creation of a multi-faceted U.S./Australian playwright exchange.

Théâtre du Rêve (Atlanta, GA) will bring Béleck Georges of Haiti to Atlanta, GA to create a dialogue with young artists and Atlanta-based professionals in a five-day workshop, exploring their artistic and socio-political voices.

Anna Vigeland (Amherst, MA) and Peter Balov of Quebec, Canada will travel to Sofia, Bulgaria in preparation for a collaborative cross-disciplinary theatre production with the Red House Centre for Culture and Debate, uniting Bulgarian, U.S. and Canadian artists.

The following three recipients were each awarded $10,000 to further pre-existing international collaborations by supporting residencies that advance the development of a piece and/or explore elements leading up to a full production:

Bond Street Theatre (New York, NY) will continue their collaboration with Thukhuma Khayeethe Theater of Myanmar on a contemporary production of Ben Johnson's Volpone adapted to reflect current political and social realities, now beginning the next phase of the creative process, including set and costume preparation, rehearsals, music and choreography.

Dell'Arte International (Blue Lake, CA) will bring French director/designer Alain Schons to the U.S. to collaborate with company members Joan Schirle and Laura Muñoz on research and development of Elisabeth's Book leading to completion of a script.

The TEAM (Brooklyn, NY) will collaborate with the National Theatre of Scotland on a new work exploring the political legacy of the Scottish Enlightenment on both modern American politics and the pending referendum on Scottish Independence.

The Global Connections selection panel included Suzanne Appel, managing director, The Cutting Ball Theater (San Francisco, CA); Seth Bockley, playwright and director (Chicago, IL); John Flax, producing artistic director, Theater Grottesco (Santa Fe, NM); Terry Greiss, executive director, ensemble actor and co-founder, Irondale Ensemble Project (Brooklyn, NY); and Lauren Ignaut, director of studio programming, Guthrie Theater (Minneapolis, MN).

The next application deadline for the Global Connections program is March 3, 2014. To learn more and the program and how to apply, please visit www.tcg.org/globalconnections and register for our Grant Info Session teleconference being held on February 6, 2014.