About Free Night of Theater 2010
The idea for Free Night of Theater is so simple, it can be easy to miss how ground-breaking it is and how remarkably effective it has proven to be. Many individual theatres and regional service organizations have free ticket giveaways or discounted ticket programs, but Free Night has several unique components that set it apart from those programs.
First, it is a nationwide program offering tickets to a broad range of performances. Second, from the outset, the program has gone beyond one-night success stories to focus on what happens after a participant sees a show for free. Participating theatres are offered tools, suggestions, and training on how best to work with Free Night patrons to encourage them to return, and retention rates and patterns are carefully measured. Finally, Free Night is aimed at people who can (and do) become paying customers, while still successfully reaching groups that are currently under-represented in theatre audiences across the country.
Put together, these elements add up to what really makes Free Night unique as an audience development initiative--it works. Year after year, in city after city, this program has reached people who don't go to the theatre, given them a memorable cultural experience, and converted a startling number of them into regular attendees. In 2010, TCG continues to work closely with APASO (Association of Performing Arts Service Organizations), city and state arts councils, and city and state government agencies as managing partners to produce the Free Night of Theater program.
About TCG
Theatre Communications Group (TCG) is the national organization for America's not-for-profit professional theatres. For nearly 50 years TCG has helped an ever-expanding number of theatres and theatre practitioners pursue their goals while creating a powerful voice for the field.
When TCG was established in 1961, there were just a handful of resident companies spread across the nation. As more companies opened, differing structures and aesthetics evolved and a more diverse range of voices emerged. From the beginning, TCG has been the connecting force, a touch point for knowledge and information sharing. We've helped give definition to the not-for-profit professional theatre industry, not only as a collection of individuals and organizations, but as a national movement.
In our nearly 50 years, TCG has arranged gatherings and education programs, kept its finger on the industry's pulse through research studies, advocated for federal policy and free speech, published some of the field's best writers, given grants for artistry and professional development and helped cultivate generations of artistic and administrative talent. Over time, these practical acts have unified to create a powerful leadership entity for the field.
As our industry grows, diversifies and expands its reach to embrace a global stage, TCG continues to facilitate theatre's ever-evolving impact in people's lives. We now connect hundreds of organizations and thousands of practitioners. Together we define our nation's theatrical landscape and are continuing the movement within our borders and beyond. For more information on TCG and our programs visit www.tcg.org.
In 2010, TCG continues to work closely with APASO (Association of Performing Arts Service Organizations), city and state arts councils, and city and state government agencies as managing partners to produce the Free Night of Theater program.
| TCG Management Staff | |
|---|---|
| Teresa Eyring | Executive Director |
| Ruth Eglsaer | Special Projects Coordinator |
| Dafina McMillan | Public Relations Director |
| Katie Barry | Web Associate |
| Free Night of Theater National Production Team | |
| Arts Marketing Partnership | National Web Design |
