NEW YORK – Theatre Communications Group (TCG), the national organization for theatre, has announced new trustees and an updated list of officers for its board of directors. New trustees include Hanay Geiogamah, Merrique Jenson and Ralph Bryan.

More details from TCG:

Joining the board are: Hanay Geiogamah (he/him), professor of theater/professor of American Indian Studies, UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television, UCLA American Indian Studies University of California at Los Angeles and artistic director, The American Indian Dance Theater, Los Angeles, CA; and Merrique Jenson (she/her), director of SocialScope Productions, Director of Transformations Youth Organization, Kansas City, MO. Returning to the board will be Ralph Bryan (he/him), managing director-Investments, Bryan-Billauer-Kozo Wealth Management Group of Wells Fargo Advisors, La Jolla, CA.

Nikkole Salter (she/her), actress, playwright, educator, and arts advocate, Bloomfield, NJ, will remain as chair on a slate that includes three vice-chairs: Snehal Desai (he/him), producing artistic director; East West Players, Los Angeles, CA; Eileen J. Morris (she/her), artistic director, The Ensemble Theatre, Houston, TX; and John Fontillas (he/him), planner, architect, partner; H3, New York, NY. Remaining as treasurer and secretary respectively are Angela Lee Gieras (she/her), executive director; Kansas City Repertory Theatre, Kansas City, MO and Lisa Portes (she/her), head of directing, The Theatre School at DePaul University, Chicago, IL.

“We’re thrilled to welcome Hanay, Merrique, and Ralph to the TCG board at this exciting moment of reopening and reimagining our field,” said Teresa Eyring, executive director, TCG. “They join a dynamic group of trustees, led by Nikkole Salter as chair, who are working with TCG’s staff and the field to advance our new mission: to lead for a just and thriving theatre ecology. Drawing from their experience and leadership, TCG will continue to align our programs and operations with our new mission, moving forward with strength and responsiveness into this new era.”

“Committed to supporting TCG’s promotion of a just and thriving national theatre ecology, the board is poised to work with the solvency of Teresa’s vision and the ingenuity of the TCG staff to open a new organizational chapter and take the next evolutionary step in our invaluable service to the health and well-being of the field,” said board chair Nikkole Salter.

Returning board members include: May Adrales (she/her), artistic director, The Lark, New York, NY; Raymond Bobgan (he/they), executive artistic director, Cleveland Public Theatre, Cleveland, OH; Jeremy B. Cohen (he/him), producing artistic director, Playwrights’ Center, Minneapolis, MN; Will Davis (he/him), director and choreographer; New York, NY; Snehal Desai (he/him), producing artistic director, East West Players, Los Angeles, CA; Kelvin Dinkins Jr. (he/him), assistant dean/general manager, Yale School of Drama/Yale Repertory Theatre, New Haven, CT; Teresa Eyring (she/her), executive director, Theatre Communications Group, New York, NY; John Fontillas (he/him), planner, architect, partner; H3, New York, NY; Nataki Garrett (she/her), artistic director; Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Ashland, OR; Angela Lee Gieras (she/her), executive director; Kansas City Repertory Theatre, Kansas City, MO; Derek Goldman (he/him), co-founding director, Laboratory for Global Performance and Politics; Director, playwright/adapter, professor, Georgetown University, Washington, DC; Jamie Herlich McIalwain (she/her), director of development, Seattle Repertory Theatre, Seattle, WA; Laurie McCants (she/her), co-founder, Bloomsburg Theatre Ensemble, Bloomsburg, PA; Eileen J. Morris (she/her), artistic director, The Ensemble Theatre, Houston, TX; Lisa Portes (she/her), head of directing, The Theatre School at DePaul University, Chicago, IL; Ellen Richard (she/her), executive director, Laguna Playhouse, Laguna Beach, CA; Anthony Rodriguez (he/him), co-founder and producing artistic director; Aurora Theatre, Lawrenceville, GA; Nikkole Salter (she/her), actress, playwright, educator, and arts advocate, Bloomfield, NJ; Hana S. Sharif (she/her), artistic director; Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, St. Louis, MO; and Harold Steward (they/he), executive director and cultural strategist, The Theater Offensive, Boston, MA.

Members of TCG’s board serve up to three two-year terms. Board officers serve terms of one-year, renewable, and concurrent with the fiscal year of July 1, 2021 to June 30, 2022. The current board will focus efforts on enacting TCG’s recently approved strategic plan, which includes a transformational new vision for a governance ecology to support TCG’s mission “to lead for a just and thriving theatre ecology.” Learn more about the TCG Board here.

Theatre Communications Group (TCG) exists to strengthen, nurture, and promote professional theatre in the U.S. and globally. Since its founding in 1961, TCG’s constituency has grown from a handful of groundbreaking theatres to over 700 Member Theatres and affiliate organizations and nearly 8,000 Individual Members. Through its Core Values of Activism, Artistry, Diversity, and Global Citizenship, TCG advances a better world for theatre and a better world because of theatre. TCG offers its members networking and knowledge-building opportunities through research, communications, and events, including the annual TCG National Conference, one of the largest nationwide gatherings of theatre people; awards grants and scholarships to theatre companies and individual artists; advocates on the federal level; and through the Global Theater Initiative, TCG’s partnership with the Laboratory for Global Performance and Politics, serves as the U.S. Center of the International Theatre Institute. TCG is North America’s largest independent trade publisher of dramatic literature, with 18 Pulitzer Prizes for Drama on the TCG booklist. It also publishes the award-winning American Theatre magazine and ARTSEARCH®, the essential source for a career in the arts. In all of its endeavors, TCG seeks to increase the organizational efficiency of its Member Theatres, cultivate and celebrate the artistic talent and achievements of the field, and promote a larger public understanding of, and appreciation for, the theatre. TCG is led by Executive Director/CEO, Teresa Eyring and Deputy Director/COO, Adrian Budhu.