TCG Unveils New Audience (R)Evolution Grant Program for Member Theatres

Theatre Communications Group (TCG), the national organization for theatre, is pleased to announce the grant phase of the Audience (R)Evolution program. Funded by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, the Audience (R)Evolution grant program will give approximately ten awards of up to $65,000 each, with an additional general operating support equivalent to 30% of the grant award, through two initiatives:

- (Re)Modeling grants will support TCG Member Theatres who aim to increase their proficiency in reaching specific audience(s)/community(ies) by observing, adapting and/or implementing successful models used by newly identified partner organization(s);

- And (Re)Imagining grants will support TCG Member Theatres with a high level of proficiency and successful track record of reaching audience(s)/community(ies) who now seek new and/or different ways to deepen or expand this work.

Audience (R)Evolution is a four-stage program to study, promote and support successful audience engagement and community development models across the country. The first stage is an ongoing research and assessment project conducted by AMS Planning & Research to study the most impactful engagement models. The Second Stage of the program was the Audience (R)Evolution Learning Convening, which brought over 250 theatre professionals to Philadelphia in February 2013 to share the success and challenges of their own engagement models and strategies. In this third stage of the program, theatres will be awarded grants to adapt and/or reimagine successful audience engagement models. The final stage of the program will be widespread dissemination, through which theatres at large will have quick and easy access to the project's findings about how to implement effective audience engagement and community development programs.

"Building on the findings of AMS Planning & Research, and the new relationships and strategies developed at our Learning Convening, we're excited to launch this third phase of our Audience (R)Evolution program," said Teresa Eyring, executive director of TCG. "Our long-standing partnership with the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation empowers us to take this bold, multi-pronged effort to strengthen the bonds between theatres and the communities they serve."

"Supporting Audience (R)Evolution has been an important grant for us at the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, and we have watched it unfold with great interest," said Ben Cameron, program director for the arts at the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation. "The initial meeting of theatres inPhiladelphia was deeply impressive and demonstrated a field hunger for new ways to reach audiences. We look forward to learning more through the upcoming grants program and to supporting important theatre activities across the country."

Applications will be accepted online starting August 5, 2013. All submissions MUST be received by noon ET, September 23, 2013. Late applications will not be considered. For more information about Audience (R)Evolution, visit http://www.tcg.org/grants/aud_rev/index.cfm or contact audiencerev@tcg.org.

Doris Duke Charitable Foundation's (www.ddcf.org) mission is to improve the quality of people's lives through grants supporting the performing arts, environmental conservation, medical research and the prevention of child abuse, and through preservation of the cultural and environmental legacy of Doris Duke's properties.

Since 1988, AMS Planning & Research (www.ams-online.com/) has been supporting the success of the arts and cultural sector through applied research and strategy development. From major research studies of the theatre and music sectors nationally to the development of creative solutions to improved effectiveness, AMS has developed innovative methodologies and deep perspectives on cultural markets, cultural consumers and cultural organizations. Their work is characterized by objectivity and rigor and grounded in real-world data. From their leadership role in research around the Wallace Foundation's investments in more than 45 not-for-profit theatres in the 1990s to their seminal work with 15 symphonies participating in the Knight Foundation's Magic of Music Initiative in 2002-2003, they have served hundreds of clients with thoughtful and creative research. AMS has also taken a leadership role in the dialogue regarding the changing dynamics of the arts and cultural sector and the related impact on organizations and facilities.

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 12 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.