STAGE TUBE: I AM THEATRE Project - Sean Chang

BroadwayWorld.com is excited to share a weekly series developed by the Theatre Communications Group! This week student Sean Chang shares pivotal moments in his theatre career and why the arts matter to him!

Sean Chang has been a member of the Young Adult Council at Steppenwolf Theatre for three years. A recent graduate of the Latin School of Chicago, Sean was first introduced to theatre in his freshman year of high school and has since fallen in deep love with the art. After being among the first teens to ever attend a TCG conference in his hometown of Chicago last year, Sean was thrilled to be back at TCG 2011 representing his peers again. Participation in the I AM THEATRE project was icing on the cake, and Sean looks forward to helping teens continue to be part of conversations at TCG and at theatres around the country year-round. Last year, Sean worked as the outreach intern for the Chicago Fringe Festival in its inaugural year, and he has also worked as a teaching assistant for a theatre and writing class at a local academic enrichment program for economically disadvantaged middle schoolers. In school, Sean has acted, costume designed, and directed his first show this year (Sarah Ruhl's EURYDICE) and hopes to pursue directing in the future. Sean will be moving out east to study at Vassar College in the fall.

I AM THEATRE spotlights the stories of theatre practitioners, in their own words. With 50 videos over the next 50 weeks, TCG is celebrating its 50th anniversary by sharing stories from a diverse group of people who are creating, supporting, and engaging with theatre. YOU ARE THEATRE: We want to hear your stories! TCG will release a new video each week of individuals sharing pivotal moments in theatre - and hope they will inspire you to tell your stories too. Join us as we seek to raise the international awareness of the depth, diversity and impact of the theatre field. WE ARE THEATRE! Today, not-for-profit professional theatres in the U.S. employ 130,000 people annually, inspire more than 30 million attendees and contribute $2 billion directly to the U.S. economy. What if thousands of theatre artists across the world posted their own video testimonies of why they do what they do and why theatre matters? How might that transform communities' awareness of our work? Please share the stories we've recorded, and we'll share the videos you make, and together we'll testify in a voIce That everyone will hear...I AM THEATRE. YOU ARE THEATRE. WE ARE THEATRE!

For 50 years, Theatre Communications Group (TCG), the national organization for the American theatre, has existed to strengthen, nurture and promote the professional not-for-profit American theatre. TCG's constituency has grown from a handful of groundbreaking theatres to nearly 700 member theatres and affiliate organizations and more than 13,000 individuals nationwide. TCG offers its members networking and knowledge-building opportunities through conferences, events, research and communications; awards grants, approximately $2 million per year, to theatre companies and individual artists; advocates on the federal level; and serves as the US Center of the International Theatre Institute, connecting its constituents to the global theatre community. TCG is North America's largest independent publisher of dramatic literature, with 11 Pulitzer Prizes for Best Play on the TCG booklist. It also publishes the award-winning AMERICAN THEATRE magazine and ARTSEARCH®, the essential source for a career in the arts. In all of its endeavors, TCG seeks to increase the organizational efficiency of its member theatres, cultivate and celebrate the artistic talent and achievements of the field and promote a larger public understanding of, and appreciation for, the theatre. www.tcg.org