Check-in begins at 12:45 pm. 

When running a theatre company, the show doesn’t go on without steady infrastructure and funding streams. Join us for a very special afternoon event specifically for performing arts spaces and theatre artists, and learn more about the fundraising options, techniques, and systems that you may need in place to keep your organization and involvement in theatre running smoothly, along with intimate conversations on some of the most compelling issues being addressed by performing arts groups today.

We will host two rounds of concurrent sessions, followed by a very special spotlight discussion to round out the day. Join us for individual sessions, or the whole afternoon, featuring networking opportunities and closing with a special fireside chat with one of the preeminent funders of New York City’s arts community.

Note: all sessions will start precisely at their appointed times, so your promptness will be appreciated.

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1:00-1:45 pm: Concurrent Sessions

1:00 – 1:45: Talking Fiscal Sponsorship with New York Foundation for the Arts

New York Foundation for the Arts will explain the workings of fiscal sponsorship opportunities as an avenue for theatre companies who don’t currently have 501(c)(3) status, as well as for individual theatre artists. Learn the guidelines of fiscal sponsorship as a means of gaining eligibility to accept tax-exempt donations without official nonprofit status, or as an individual developing your own theatre project.

1:00 – 1:45:  Bringing the Off-Off-Broadway Community Together, with Greenhouse Ensemble

Join Hazen Cuyler, Artistic Director and Founder of Greenhouse Ensemble, a young, exciting off-off-Broadway theatre company, for an intimate discussion focusing on the movement to connect the off-off-Broadway community of artists and audiences through better communication and the establishment of a more visible support system for New York City’s renowned independent theatre scene. (Space limited to 10-15 people for this session.)

1:00 – 1:45: Theatre Opportunities for Actors and Writers with Disabilities

Join Theater Breaking Through Barriers’ Artistic Director, Nicholas Viselli, for an informative discussion about the mission of his theatre company and how, for 40 years, it has been serving actors and writers who have disabilities. If you are a theatre artist with a disability, or you know or work with theatre artists with disabilities, please do not miss this chance to discuss opportunities in this area, inside (and perhaps outside) of TBTB.

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2:00 – 2:45 pm: Concurrent Sessions

2:00 – 2:45: Funding and Resources for the Performing Arts: In Conversation with the Alliance of Resident Theatres (A.R.T./New York) 

Join Kati Frazier, Co-Director of Programs, for insights on this esteemed institution, which has been serving New York’s nonprofit theatre community for 46 years. A.R.T./New York’s four core programs consist of funding, training, space, and connections. Learn more about the infrastructure necessary to run and sustain a theatre effectively, and about the resources available from A.R.T/New York to help build this infrastructure and achieve your mission.

2:00 – 2:45: Board Development in the Performing Arts

Join Greg Cohen, Associate Director of Cause Effective, for a lively discussion surrounding board development for nonprofit theatre companies. Learn more about the essentials of board recruitment, retention, and engagement, with advice on how to attract great talent to your board, as well as how to activate board members to bring more to their roles, amp up their involvement in organizational fundraising efforts, and more.

2:00 – 2:45: Tackling Gun Violence Through Play Development

Join James Kautz, Founding Artistic Director of The Amoralists, for an intimate conversation on how his theatre company has responded to an ongoing epidemic of gun violence by devoting its current season to a series of plays dedicated to the issue. The discussion will also explore the deeper subject of how theatre is often a means to confront important social and political movements, and how you as an artist can do your part to become involved by sharing your voice and attracting societal attention to significant social issues. (Space limited to 10-15 people for this event.)

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3:00 – 4:00: SPOTLIGHT SESSION

Meet the Grantmaker: In Conversation with Anna Campbell and Emily Sproch of the Howard Gilman Foundation

The Howard Gilman Foundation supports the most robust, innovative, and promising performing arts organizations in New York City, and has made a significant impact on the city’s arts community since its inception in 1981. Join Anna Campbell, Senior Program Officer, and Emily Sproch, Program Officer, as they talk about the Foundation’s vision and strategy, the inner workings of the funding process, and what the institution looks for in its grantee partners. Please do not miss this rare opportunity to have an up-close discussion with one of the most esteemed arts funders of New York City.