TCG Appoints Lisa L. Patterson as Director of Individual Giving

Theatre Communications Group (TCG), the national organization for theatre, has announced the appointment of Lisa L. Patterson as its new director of individual giving. Patterson will partner with TCG's executive-leadership team to create, implement, and measure a development plan to grow a million-dollar annual fundraising budget. In this role, Patterson will activate and grow fundraising through major gifts and planned giving.

"As TCG prepares to launch our first-ever capital campaign, we're thrilled to welcome Lisa Patterson to the team," said Adrian Budhu, deputy director and COO, TCG. "Her experience in leading major fundraising campaigns will play a pivotal role in resourcing TCG at a critical moment in our field's history. Her commitment to racial justice, disability justice, and her passion for theatre will be a welcome addition to TCG's senior leadership as we lead for a just and thriving theatre ecology. "

"I have enjoyed getting to know TCG's dedicated and knowledgeable staff through its outstanding events and conferences over the years," said Patterson. "I feel very fortunate to have the opportunity to reconnect with the organization to further support its critical work in this new role, and to deepen my relationship with the theatre community on a national level now."

Lisa L. Patterson (she/her) is pleased to be joining the staff of Theatre Communications Group as the Director of Individual Giving. Passionate about theater in all its forms, she has worked in non-profit and commercial theater management for over thirty years. She holds a Masters in Performing Arts Administration from New York University in conjunction with the Stern School of Business. She recently completed leading a $26.5 million capital campaign for the 100-year-old State Theatre New Jersey in New Brunswick.

Patterson was successful as the Director of Individual Giving at McCarter Theatre Center in Princeton, NJ for over ten years, consistently exceeding budgeted fundraising goals. She has also served as the Director of Development at the Bucks County Playhouse and the Director of Development and Marketing at the Arts Council of Princeton.

In Philadelphia, Patterson was on the capital campaign staff for The Wilma Theater during a period of time prior to Teresa Eyring's tenure there. In New York City, she worked in general management, marketing and development for the New York Shakespeare Festival/Public Theater, the Brooklyn Academy of Music, Circle in the Square Theater, and Theatre for a New Audience, where she was the General Manager. Patterson was a management associate for several Broadway shows, including The Who's Tommy, and the revivals of Guys and Dolls, The King and I, and How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying (all with Dodger Productions), as well as many British imports, including Art and The Judas Kiss, with the late Stuart Thompson. She was also an independent producer of multiple shows, with her favorite collaborators being the legendary songwriting team of Kander and Ebb.

Patterson taught Marketing the Arts at Westminster Choir College (Rider University) and often serves as a guest lecturer at Rutgers' Mason Gross School of the Arts. She has served as a marketing and development consultant for American Repertory Ballet, Dance/NJ, and Crossroads Theatre Company.

A resident of Princeton, she has written for American Theatre magazine (published by Theatre Communications Group) and Pointe magazine, has served on the advisory board of her undergraduate alma mater's arts center, Williams Center for the Arts at Lafayette College in Easton, PA, and is on the fundraising committee for American Repertory Ballet/Princeton Ballet School. She speaks French fluently and is proud of her two children, Jackie (21) and Audrey (16).

Theatre Communications Group (TCG), the national organization for theatre, leads for a just and thriving theatre ecology. Since its founding in 1961, TCG's constituency has grown from a handful of groundbreaking theatres to over 700 Member Theatres and affiliate organizations and over 7,000 Individual Members. Through its programs and services, TCG reaches over one million students, audience members, and theatre professionals each year. TCG offers networking and knowledge-building opportunities through research, communications, and events, including the annual TCG National Conference, one of the largest nationwide gatherings of theatre people; awards grants and scholarships to theatre companies and individual artists; advocates on the federal level; and through the Global Theater Initiative, TCG's partnership with the Laboratory for Global Performance and Politics, serves as the U.S. Center of the International Theatre Institute. TCG is North America's largest independent trade publisher of dramatic literature, with 18 Pulitzer Prizes for Drama on the TCG booklist. It also publishes the award-winning American Theatre magazine and ARTSEARCH®, the essential source for a career in the arts. TCG believes its vision of "a better world for theatre, and a better world because of theatre" can be achieved through individual and collective action, adaptive and responsive leadership, and equitable representation in all areas of practice. TCG is led by executive director and CEO Teresa Eyring and deputy director and COO Adrian Budhu. www.tcg.org.

Photo credit: Peter Cook

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