Global Theater Initiative
TCG and the Laboratory for Global Performance and Politics (the Lab), based in Washington, DC at Georgetown University, developed the Global Theater Initiative (GTI) over the course of 2015, and launched it officially in February 2016. By combining the unique reach of TCG’s international programming with the Lab’s distinctive experience in humanizing global politics through the power of performance, GTI strengthens, nurtures, and promotes global citizenship and international collaboration in the U.S. professional and educational theatre field. It also honors and intersects with the work so many theatre colleagues have invested in cross-cultural exchange and understanding.
Through the alignment of programming and resources, the GTI partners serve as a hub of global exchange with three core areas of focus: connecting practitioners with resources, knowledge, and partnerships to strengthen their work; promoting cultural collaboration as essential for international peace and mutual understanding; and innovating new strategies to maximize the global theatre field’s opportunities and impact. GTI also serves as the collaborative leadership of the U.S. Center of the International Theatre Institute (ITI/U.S.).
The programs of GTI consist of all current international programming conducted by TCG and the Lab, as well as a range of new activities that will be collaboratively created. The first will be an International Pre-Conference with performances at the 2016 TCG National Conference in Washington DC. Held on Wednesday, June 22 at the Davis Performing Arts Center at Georgetown University, the Pre-Conference will launch a stream of programs around global citizenship and exchange throughout the conference, curated by GTI. In their joint stewardship of ITI/U.S., both organizations will share administration of and representation on the ITI Worldwide Executive Board. A Global Theater Initiative website with more information and resources will be launching in 2016.
The Global Theater Initiative was originally conceived and is coordinated by: Teresa Eyring, executive director, TCG; Derek Goldman, co-founding director, the Lab; Kevin Bitterman, director of institutional advancement and partnerships, TCG; Emilya Cachapero, director of artistic & international programs, TCG; Kevin E. Moore, former managing director, TCG; and Jojo Ruf, managing director, the Lab. For more information about GTI, contact Kevin Bitterman and Jojo Ruf.