NEW YORK CITY and SAN JUAN, P.R.: Theatre Communications Group (TCG), the national organization for theatre and the publisher of American Theatre, has announced that its 34th National Conference will be hosted in San Juan, Puerto Rico, June 10-13, 2026. Each TCG National Conference is designed as a crossroads for theatre professionals where learning, collaboration, and innovation intersect with the unique spirit of that year’s host city. In 2026, that spirit will be shaped in collaboration with conference partners Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña (ICP), a government agency that investigates, conserves, promotes, and shares Puerto Rican culture, and Teatro de la Universidad de Puerto Rico (Teatro UPR), home to the island’s oldest university-level drama program.
Moving to a biennial schedule in 2024, TCG’s National Conference is one of the nonprofit theatre sector’s most influential convenings, creating a space for timely conversations, imparting new business and artistic models, and nurturing a thriving theatre ecology. Each National Conference features plenary speakers, workshops, and performances that reflect the evolving field. The most recent conference in Chicago highlighted voices such as James Rhee, Valerie Curtis-Newton, Dominique Morisseau, Ifa Bayeza, and Erika Dickerson-Despenza.
“We are thrilled to bring our 2026 National Conference to San Juan,” said Emilya Cachapero, TCG’s co-executive director of national and global programming, in a statement. “Puerto Rico’s theatre community is dynamic, resilient, and uniquely positioned at the intersection of Latin America and the continental United States. The artists, theatres, and cultural institutions embody a legacy of expression and connection that resonates deeply with TCG’s mission. Hosting in San Juan allows us to convene a truly global community of theatremakers in a place where culture, identity, and imagination converge, inviting us to celebrate the transformative power of theatre.”
San Juan, Puerto Rico, sits at a vibrant confluence of cultures, making it an ideal location for TCG’s national gathering. The city features historic theatres, cutting-edge performance venues, and a community deeply embedded in Latine, Afro-Caribbean, and Indigenous traditions. The historic Teatro Alejandro Tapia y Rivera, built in 1832, and one of the oldest continuously operating theatres in the United States, stands alongside the Centro de Bellas Artes Luis A. Ferré, where multiple theatres and concert halls embody the modern energy and ambition of San Juan’s arts community. San Juan’s artists sustain a dynamic calendar of performances and festivals, including the Festival de Teatro Puertorriqueño, organized by the ICP each spring, along with other major theatre events held throughout the year and across the island, all of which showcase Puerto Rico’s extraordinary range of voices and visions.
While full programming will be developed in partnership with the local community and TCG’s membership, key focus areas for the 2026 National Conference include marking the 10th anniversary of TCG’s Global Theater Initiative with the Laboratory for Global Performance and Politics at Georgetown University; hosting the next Rising Leaders of Color cohort of Puerto Rican theatremakers at the National Conference; programming that supports artistic and managing leaders, trustees, and professionals, including dialogue, skill-building, and collaboration across roles, budget sizes, and career stages; deepening TCG’s local engagement and legacy with Puerto Rico’s theatre community; and dual-language access, supported by the Graduate Program in Translation at the University of Puerto Rico, with all major conference materials and sessions available in English and Spanish.
The 2026 TCG National Conference is supported by a growing list of funders, including Arts Consulting Group, Arts FMS, Charcoalblue LLP, the Edgerton Foundation, Fisher Dachs Associates, the Opportunity Fund, Schuler Shook, and Spektrix. TCG receives additional support from the Distracted Globe Foundation, the Ford Foundation, the Howard Gilman Foundation, the Mellon Foundation, the Sheri & Les Biller Family Foundation, the Paul M. Angell Family Foundation, the Shubert Foundation, and the Venturous Theater Fund of the Tides Foundation. TCG’s annual programs are also made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature. Registration will open in February 2026. For sponsorship opportunities, please contact Kamilah Long at klong@tcg.org.
Theatre Communications Group 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.
