Theatre Communications Group (TCG)

Theatre Communications Group, universally known as TCG, is the national organization for professional nonprofit theater in the United States, serving as the connective tissue that binds together the vast and decentralized network of regional theaters, resident companies, and nonprofit performing arts organizations that produce the majority of professional theater in America outside of Broadway. Founded in 1961 with a grant from the Ford Foundation, TCG was created to strengthen, nurture, and promote the professional nonprofit theater sector, and over more than six decades it has grown into the most important institutional resource for this community, with over 500 member theaters and approximately 7,000 individual members nationwide. For actors, TCG is significant because nonprofit regional theaters represent the largest source of professional acting employment in the United States, employing far more actors annually than Broadway and the commercial touring sector combined. Understanding TCG's role and accessing its resources is essential for actors who work in or aspire to work in the regional theater system that TCG supports. The organization's programs, publications, and convenings create the infrastructure that enables nonprofit theaters to discover talent, share best practices, and maintain the artistic vitality that makes the American regional theater movement one of the most dynamic in the world. TCG received the Tony Honor for Excellence in Theatre in 2005, recognizing its extraordinary contribution to the American theater landscape.

TCG publishes American Theatre magazine, the most widely read publication covering the professional nonprofit theater sector, providing news, feature articles, critical commentary, production listings, and in-depth reporting on the trends, challenges, and achievements that shape the American theater landscape. For actors, American Theatre magazine is an invaluable resource for staying informed about which theaters are producing what work, which playwrights are emerging, what artistic directors are programming, and what conversations are animating the field — information that directly supports career planning, audition preparation, and professional networking. The magazine covers new play development, casting trends, diversity and equity initiatives, labor issues, and the artistic visions of theater leaders across the country, providing actors with a comprehensive understanding of the professional environment they work in. American Theatre's production listings provide a national overview of what is being produced at theaters across the country, revealing trends in programming that can inform actors' decisions about where to audition, what material to prepare, and which markets offer the most opportunities for their specific type and skills. The magazine is available in print to TCG members and accessible digitally to a broader audience. The depth and quality of American Theatre's journalism has made it the essential trade publication for the nonprofit theater community.

ARTSEARCH is TCG's job bulletin and the most comprehensive employment resource specifically serving the professional nonprofit theater community. ARTSEARCH publishes job listings from TCG member theaters and other performing arts organizations across the country, covering positions in every department including artistic, administrative, production, education, and management. For actors, ARTSEARCH is most valuable as a source of information about artistic staff positions, directing opportunities, and administrative roles at theaters where personal relationships with artistic leaders can lead to casting opportunities. The bulletin also lists fellowship and apprenticeship positions at major regional theaters, providing entry-level pathways for emerging theater professionals to gain experience and build connections within the institutional theater system. ARTSEARCH listings frequently include positions that are not advertised elsewhere, as TCG's member theaters trust the bulletin to reach the most qualified and committed theater professionals. The service is available to TCG individual members as a benefit of membership, providing access to a curated stream of professional opportunities that reflect the breadth and vitality of the American nonprofit theater sector. ARTSEARCH has been connecting theater professionals with employment opportunities for decades, establishing itself as the go-to resource for career development in the nonprofit theater world.

TCG Books is the largest independent publisher of dramatic literature in North America, publishing an extensive catalog of plays and translations that make the work of contemporary playwrights available to actors, directors, theater companies, and readers worldwide. The publishing program focuses on new American plays and translations of significant international works, with a commitment to representing the diversity of voices and perspectives that characterize contemporary theatrical writing. For actors, TCG Books is a primary source of published plays by the playwrights whose work is being produced at theaters across the country, providing access to scripts for audition preparation, scene study, and personal reading that deepens familiarity with the contemporary dramatic canon. The catalog includes works by many of the most important American playwrights of the last several decades, including Pulitzer Prize winners, MacArthur Fellows, and recipients of every major playwriting award. TCG Books' publication of translations brings international dramatic literature to English-speaking actors and audiences, expanding the range of material available for production and study. The publishing program serves the entire theater ecosystem by ensuring that significant dramatic works are preserved in print and accessible to future generations of theater artists.

TCG's convening and networking functions create opportunities for theater professionals to connect, collaborate, and share knowledge across the typically isolated silos of individual theater companies. The annual TCG National Conference brings together artistic directors, managing directors, playwrights, directors, designers, and other theater leaders from across the country for several days of panels, workshops, performances, and networking that constitute the most important annual gathering of the American nonprofit theater community. For actors, the TCG conference and regional convenings provide opportunities to meet artistic directors and casting personnel from theaters across the country, learn about upcoming seasons and production plans, and build the relationships that lead to audition invitations and casting opportunities in the relationship-driven world of regional theater. TCG also administers grant programs and awards that support theater artists and organizations, including programs that fund new play development, international exchange, and artistic innovation. The organization's role as the US Center for the International Theatre Institute connects American theater to the global theatrical community, facilitating international collaborations and exchanges that expand opportunities for American theater artists. TCG's advocacy work represents the interests of the nonprofit theater sector to government agencies, foundations, and policymakers whose decisions affect public funding, tax policy, and regulatory environments that impact theater organizations and the artists they employ.

TCG operates on a freemium model with a range of membership options and some resources available to the general public at no cost. Individual membership in TCG is available at several tiers, with basic individual membership typically costing around $40 to $75 per year depending on the membership level selected. Individual membership benefits include a subscription to American Theatre magazine, access to the ARTSEARCH job bulletin, discounts on TCG Books publications, and participation in TCG's networking events and professional development programs. Some content from American Theatre magazine and general information about TCG programs and member theaters is available on the TCG website without membership. TCG Books publications are available for purchase individually through the TCG website, major online retailers, and theatrical bookstores, with play scripts typically priced between $14 and $18 and larger collections priced higher. Institutional membership for theaters involves separate fee structures based on theater budget size. Compared to the value of the professional connections, job listings, publications, and networking opportunities that membership provides, TCG's individual membership fees are modest and represent a worthwhile investment for any actor who works in or aspires to work in the nonprofit theater sector.

TCG membership is recommended for every actor who works in or aspires to work in the professional nonprofit theater sector, which encompasses the vast majority of professional theater employment in the United States outside of Broadway and commercial touring. The combination of American Theatre magazine, ARTSEARCH access, and networking opportunities provides an infrastructure for career development in regional theater that is not available through any other single organization. Actors who are building careers in regional theater should consider TCG membership essential, as the magazine keeps them informed about the theaters and artistic leaders who will be making casting decisions that affect their careers. The TCG Books catalog should be familiar to every theater actor, as it represents the most comprehensive collection of contemporary American dramatic literature available from a single publisher. Actors interested in the nonprofit theater sector who are not yet ready to commit to membership should explore the free content available on the TCG website, including production listings, news, and information about member theaters across the country. For actors at the beginning of their careers, TCG's fellowship and apprenticeship listings through ARTSEARCH provide structured entry points into the institutional theater system.

Join TCG as an individual member and immediately set up ARTSEARCH alerts for the types of positions and geographic regions that interest you, using the job listings both for direct employment opportunities and as intelligence about which theaters are growing, hiring, and producing work that aligns with your artistic interests. Subscribe to and read American Theatre magazine regularly, treating it as an ongoing education in the landscape of nonprofit theater that will inform your career decisions and audition preparation. Explore the TCG Books catalog and purchase plays by playwrights whose work is being widely produced, as reading current dramatic literature is one of the most effective ways to stay artistically current and prepared for the material you will encounter in auditions. Attend the TCG National Conference if possible, as the networking opportunities with artistic directors, casting personnel, and fellow actors are unmatched in the nonprofit theater community, and the panels and presentations provide professional development content that addresses the specific realities of careers in institutional theater. Research TCG member theaters in markets where you are willing to work, familiarizing yourself with their seasons, artistic missions, and leadership to prepare for targeted outreach and audition opportunities. Use TCG's resources to develop a comprehensive understanding of the nonprofit theater ecosystem, including its economic realities, artistic values, and career pathways, so that your career decisions are informed by the full picture of professional theater in America rather than limited to the most visible commercial sector.