TCG National Conference in San Diego to 'Cross Borders' Between Cultures, Now thru 6/21; Heads to Tijuana

Theatre Communications Group (TCG), the national organization for theatre, announces that Crossing Borders will be the theme of the 24th annual TCG National Conference in San Diego from today, June 19 to 21, 2014. In addition to challenging both the practical and conceptual barriers to strengthening the theatre field's vitality, literal borders will also be crossed when attendees journey to Tijuana, Mexico to engage with local artists and culture. This multi-day, international event will draw more than 1,000 theatre professionals from around the world for artistic and intellectual exchange through meetings, speeches and performances. Lauded theatre performer and playwright Taylor Mac will be one of the featured presenters.

"Global Citizenship is a core value for TCG, and international collaborations are increasingly valued by theatres and the communities they serve," said Teresa Eyring, executive director of TCG. "We're thrilled to not only celebrate the thriving cultural community of our host city San Diego, but to also engage with the vibrant artistry of Tijuana, Mexico."

Through its convenings, TCG continues to serve as a connector for theatres to share best practices and new business and artistic models. TCG presents over 100 sessions and related events during the Conference: plenary speakers, breakout sessions, workshops, performances and more. Past keynote speakers have included leading artists and thinkers, such as Egyptian journalist Mona Eltahawy, author Seth Godin, playwright August Wilson and theatre director Julie Taymor. Learn more about Crossing Borders and TCG's National Conferences: www.tcg.org/events/conference/2014/about.cfm.

The 2014 TCG National Conference: Crossing Borders will focus programming into four main areas of exploration, each with a unique "border" to cross:

• {Art | People} How are relationships changing between theatres and communities?
• {Survive | Thrive} How can we move our financial practices from surviving to thriving?
• {Theatre | Technology} How can the live arts better engage with our digital culture?
• {Conflict | Confluence} How can we have productive conversations about difference?

TCG will also integrate the core values of Artistry and Diversity & Inclusion into every aspect of Conference programming. Learn more about the programmatic arcs: www.tcg.org/events/conference/2014/arcs.cfm.

Before the Conference, on June 18, TCG will convene two full-day Pre-Conferences in Tijuana, Mexico: the International Artistic Collaboration Forum and the third in-person convening of TCG's Diversity & Inclusion Institute. The Forum will provide a unique opportunity for U.S. theatre practitioners to experience the culture in Tijuana, exchange models and strategies with Mexican artists, as well as cultivate relationships to seed future cross-border artistic collaborations. The Institute will reconvene TCG's peer learning community dedicated to creating and implementing diversity and inclusion action plans. Learn more about both Pre-Conferences: www.tcg.org/events/conference/2014/preconference.cfm.

TCG's 2014 National Conference plenary speaker and performer Taylor Mac is a theatre artist (who uses the gender pronoun, judy), which means judy's a playwright, actor, singer-songwriter, cabaret performer, performance artist, director and producer. Time Out New York has called Mac "One of the most exciting theatre artists of our time," naming judy the best cabaret performer in New York in 2012, and a future theatre legend. American Theatre wrote "Mac is one of this country's most heroic and disarmingly funny playwrights." The New Yorker says, (of Mac's acting in the title role of Brecht's Good Person of Szechwan), "One of contemporary theatre's more unforgettable performances," and The New York Times says of Mac in general, "Fabulousness can come in many forms, and Taylor Mac seems intent on assuming each and every one of them." Judy's work has been performed at New York City's Lincoln Center Theater and The Public Theater, the Sydney Opera House, American Repertory Theater (A.R,T.), Stockholm's Södra Teatern, the Spoleto Festival USA, Dublin's Project Arts Centre, London's Soho Theatre, and hundreds of other theatres, museums, music halls, cabarets, and festivals around the globe. Read more about Taylor Mac here: www.tcg.org/events/conference/2014/speakers.cfm#mac.

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.