Round 1 Guidelines - Theatre Communications Group

Program Summary and Background
Audience (R)Evolution is a four-stage program to study, promote and support successful audience engagement
and community development models across the country. The first stage of the program consists of a research and
assessment project, being conducted by AMS Planning & Research to determine the most impactful engagement
models, and why they work. The second stage of the program was the February 2013 Learning Convening in Philadelphia
where theatre professionals came together to share their own experiences and successes, and discussed how to
apply these findings to their work. In the third stage of the program theatres will be awarded grants to adapt and/or
reimagine successful audience engagement and community development models. The last stage of the program will be
widespread dissemination, through which theatres at large will have quick and easy access to the project’s findings
about how to implement effective engagement programs. These guidelines and application address the third stage of
Audience (R)Evolution, allowing theatres the opportunity to (Re)Model their audience engagement and community
development initiatives by adapting the successful practices of a newly identified partner organization; or (Re)Imagine
their own successful initiatives to deepen and expand their reach to specific audiences/communities.
TCG has long embraced the importance of audience engagement and community development efforts particularly
through the New Generations Program: Future Audiences, created in 1999, which was generously supported by the
Doris Duke Charitable Foundation and The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
Since the inception of that program, US society has experienced rapid and undeniable changes—from the rise of social
media to a new world economic reality. Throughout the changing times Future Audiences encouraged theatres to push
boundaries while building on a track record of success.
During the 11 rounds of Future Audiences TCG learned that strategies are not one-size-fits-all and that long-term
relationship building is a key component of success. TCG also learned that while many theatres have had a track record of
developing strong relationships with their audiences and communities, others need guidance and increased opportunities
to share and access information about successful audience engagement and community development models taking
place across the country. Based on these findings, TCG believes that the time is right to highlight effective models and
provide an outlet for theatres to share the knowledge garnered as a result of their efforts.
Audience (R)Evolution encourages theatre organizations to tap into technology, global consciousness, place-based
thinking about art, the new “sense of social” and “high touch” and heightened civic engagement to develop new more
relevant ways of attracting, engaging and developing specific audiences and communities.
Another goal of Audience (R)Evolution is to identify and highlight successful models that can
be adapted and shared widely—benefiting not only those who receive funding but also the field
at large. To that end recipients will be required to share their models and lessons learned as a result
of participating in the program via TCG’s website, TCG’s blog—The Circle and Conference 2.0.
ROUND 1 PAGE 2
Videos and transcripts from the February 2013 Audience (R)Evolution Learning Convening are
available at www.tcg.org/events/ar. The plenary sessions and case studies may be a helpful resource.