TCG to Launch Second Round of $1.4 Million 'Audience (R)Evolution' Program

Theatre Communications Group (TCG) has received $1.4 million from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation to launch a second round of the audience engagement and community development program, Audience (R)Evolution. Building off the learnings from round one, the second round will include four components to achieve these goals: research and assessment, a convening, grant-making and widespread dissemination of audience engagement models that work.

"We're excited to continue our long-standing partnership with the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation to take the next steps in strengthening the bonds between theatres and the communities they serve," said Teresa Eyring, executive director of TCG. "The wide-ranging research and relationships advanced in the first round of Audience (R)Evolution will empower the second round to go even deeper, to help increase our understanding of programs and strategies that work when it comes to both engaging and building audiences."

The second round of Audience (R)Evolution will take place over three years through the following four phases:

Phase I: Research -- Round one's partnership with AMS Planning and Research surveyed a broad range of strategies being utilized by theatres in the area of audience engagement and community development. In addition, five "clusters" of successful audience engagement and community development strategy were identified. For the second research round, TCG will conduct a robust investigation of Theatre Facts longitudinal data to discover the common traits of theatres which have had stable or growing attendance over the past five to ten years.

Phase II: Convening -- The 2015 Audience (R)Evolution Convening will assemble 200 theatre, arts and cultural professionals in Kansas City from March 25-27 to engage with research, dynamic speakers and knowledge sharing around successful audience engagement and community development strategies. A special focus will be given to peer exchange and relationship building to help inform the Phase III cohort grant programs. For more information: http://www.tcg.org/events/ar/2015/info.cfm.

Phase III: Cohort Grants -- In Round 2 of the program, TCG will award over $1.2 million via a combination of: cohort grants to develop collective strategies for audience engagement among teams of TCG Member Theatres; and travel grants to individual organizations to observe best practices in audience engagement. In addition, general operating support and bridge funds can be requested for cohort grants. Revised guidelines and application information will be available in summer 2015.

Phase IV: Dissemination -- Theatres at large will have fast access to the project's findings to implement effective programs through TCG's website, social media outlets and American Theatre magazine.

"Audience (R)Evolution has been an inspiring program, elevating the discourse about developing audiences and supporting outstanding projects and activities," said Ben Cameron, Program Director for the Arts at the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation. "We are proud to renew support for this program and look forward to its continuing impact in the months to come."

For more information about Audience (R)Evolution, visit www.tcg.org/fifty/audrev2.cfm or contact audiencerev@tcg.org.

Doris Duke Charitable Foundation's mission is to improve the quality of people's lives through grants supporting the performing arts, the environment, medical research and child well-being, and through preservation of the cultural and environmental legacy of Doris Duke's properties. For more information, visit ddcf.org.

For over 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 12,000 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 U.S. 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 13 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. For more information, visit www.tcg.org.

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