NEW YORK CITY: Theatre Communications Group (TCG), the national organization for theatre and the publisher of American Theatre, has announced that the 2025 Fall Forum on Governance will take place in New York City on Nov. 7-9. With the theme “Leadership for the Long Arc,” this year’s gathering will convene hundreds of theatre leaders and trustees to navigate urgent governance questions at a time of unprecedented complexity and opportunity for the theatre ecology. Registration is open to TCG members.
As theatres contend with financial precarity, challenges to hard-won progress, and evolving expectations around equity and impact, Leadership for the Long Arc plans to offer a space for connection, courage, and clarity. With a focus on fiscal research, scenario planning, and change management, the forum will provide practical tools and peer exchange to help build a more just and thriving theatre ecology.
“Governance is not just about oversight—it’s about stewarding growth, sustainability, and imagining the futures our theatres deserve,” said LaTeshia Ellerson, co-executive director of national engagement at TCG, in a statement. “TCG’s Fall Forum creates a space where trustees and theatre leaders can work in collaboration, welcome diverse thought leaders into the conversation, and share bold ideas that lead to a thriving theatre ecology. We’re thrilled for its return as a place to dream together and align action with our shared values.”
From 1998 to 2019, TCG hosted the annual Fall Forum in New York City. The Fall Forum was held virtually in 2020, and from 2021 to 2024, TCG hosted a series of hybrid governance convenings, including 2023’s “Governance at the Crossroads.” In response to strong support from TCG’s member theatres, this year, the Fall Forum returns to its traditional November home in New York City. Program highlights will include:
- A plenary on the rapidly evolving economic landscape facing theatres
- Breakout sessions on governance best practices
- A scenario-planning plenary, followed by breakouts led by trustee/leader teams
- A town hall featuring facilitated conversation about critical challenges and opportunities
- Affinity gatherings for board chairs, new trustees, and trustees of color
Past plenary speakers have included Donna Walker-Kuhne, Malcolm Gladwell, Larissa FastHorse, Rich Mintz, Katori Hall, Thomas Friedman, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Richard Florida, Stephanie Ybarra, and David Henry Hwang.
Through its convenings, TCG aims to foster collective leadership in the theatre field. In addition to the Fall Forum, TCG convenes more than 1,000 theatre practitioners for its national conference, held biennially each June. The location for the 2026 national conference will be announced soon.
Theatre Communications Group (TCG), the national organization for theatre, leads for a just and thriving theatre ecology. Since its founding in 1961, TCG’s constituency has grown from a handful of groundbreaking theatres to over 750 organizations (including member theatres, affiliates, universities) and over 3,000 individual members.
