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News Releases 
The Children's Theatre Company's Eyring Tapped for Theatre Communications Group's Top Post 
For Immediate Release: December 20, 2006
Minneapolis — CTC Board Chair Bruce Smith (Marsh USA Inc.) announced today that the theatre's managing director Teresa Eyring has accepted the post of executive director of Theatre Communications Group (TCG) effective March 2007. Located in New York, TCG is the national service organization for the American not-for-profit theatre. Eyring replaces executive director Ben Cameron who left the position in June 2006.
Smith said, "It is with mixed feelings that I announce Teresa Eyring's decision to become the next executive director of TCG. Most important, however, is the tremendous opportunity ahead for her. Clearly, her work at CTC has been pivotal in moving this organization forward and now TCG will have Teresa to move the entire field of theatre forward. TCG's selection also confirms the fact that the national arts community recognizes the phenomenal work happening at CTC and much of that work benefits the aggregate of theatre across the U.S."
Eyring will be the first woman since 1961 to head TCG and its third executive director in the recent past with very close ties to Minneapolis, the others being Peter Zeisler and Ben Cameron.
According to Tim Shields, "As vice-president of TCG's board, and chair of the TCG executive director selection committee, I can say that we're all thrilled at the prospect of joining with Teresa to continue TCG's work in making the non-profit theater field the strongest that it possibly can be."
Slated to join TCG in mid-March 2007, Eyring will assume the management responsibilities for the agency, taking over for Gigi Bolt, who joined TCG as interim executive director last June.
About leaving CTC, Eyring said, "Taking on the leadership of TCG allows me to pursue my own lifelong mission of making theatre a central part of community life in this nation and beyond. TCG's programs are exemplary, and I am excited by the chance to move the organization and the field to a new phase of growth and development. At the same time, I will miss The Children's Theatre Company profoundly, especially its staff, artists, audiences, board and community supporters. CTC is a beacon nationwide for its groundbreaking artistic and educational work, which excites young people about theatre-going as an essential part of life."
Brosius and Eyring have been an exceptional team. Together, they have been responsible for physical as well as programmatic changes at CTC. With the addition of the Cargill Stage and McGuire Education Center, CTC not only welcomes new audiences with respect to the ages served (pre-school through teens), it is also seeks to attract an audience that reflects the Twin Cities' growing cultural diversity. With the theater expansion up and running and sound financial footing, CTC is now well positioned not just to be part of the arts and entertainment community in the Twin Cities, but part of how people in the Twin Cities explore issues together with theater and theater education as the jumping off point.
CTC artistic director Peter C. Brosius said, "This is a tremendous opportunity for Teresa and we are thrilled for her. This not only honors Teresa, it also honors the incredible staff, artists and board of The Children's Theatre Company. Teresa is a terrific leader and TCG is lucky to have her assume the leadership role as it advocates for the power of the theatre, seeks new funding and brings the professional theatre community together to exchange ideas and challenge ourselves to create work that is inspiring and of critical importance to our communities. Teresa will be deeply missed here but we are pleased that we will continue our work with her as she moves to this position of national leadership of our field.
While at CTC, Eyring fostered an environment that enabled CTC to pursue an ambitious artistic and programmatic agenda. She guided a $30 million capital campaign and construction of CTC's new Michael Graves-designed facility for pre-schoolers and teens; led the effort to secure $5 million in bonding from the state of Minnesota; negotiated for the New York transfer of A Year with Frog and Toad, later spearheaded and managed a $1 million, multi-camera DVD version of the show; and collaborated in the creation of two new business ventures for CTC: Costume Rentals, LLC and Plays for Young Audiences. In the community, she has served as treasurer of Minnesota Citizens for the Arts and board member of Intermedia Arts. She is currently a board member of Ten Thousand Things Theatre Company, a steering committee member for the Ivey Awards, and a member of Minnesota Women's Economic Roundtable.
Eyring began her theatre career as director of development for the Woolly Mammoth Theater Company in Washington, DC in 1983. From 1989-93, she was assistant executive director of the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis, where she handled artist contracts, play commissions, and oversaw a $5 million theater renovation project. From 1994-99, she was managing director of the Wilma Theater in Philadelphia, overseeing completion of an $8 million capital campaign and construction of a new 24,000 square foot theater facility on Philadelphia's Avenue of the Arts.
CTC is moving quickly to begin the search for a new managing director. Smith announced that CTC board member Peter Carter (Dorsey & Whitney) will chair the selection committee which will be convened shortly. There is strong departmental and board leadership at CTC, and the theater feels confident it will navigate this transition smoothly. CTC will attract very strong leadership candidates based on its strong staff and board, its receipt of the 2003 Tony Award for Outstanding Regional Theater, and its recognition by colleagues, constituents and funders nationally.
Established in 1965, The Children's Theatre Company (CTC) has grown to become the leading professional theatre company for young people in North America, and among the three largest in the world. Recipient of the 2003 Tony Award for Outstanding Regional Theatre, as well as numerous other honors, CTC is committed to improving the quality of life for children and families in our community, state and region. In addition, the theatre is held in high esteem by its peers nationally and internationally, and serves as a catalyst for the field. CTC serves 275,000 to 350,000 young people and families annually in five key program areas each year: stage productions, new play development, community partnerships, theatre arts training, and an annual regional tour. The Children's Theatre Company exists to create extraordinary theatre experiences, and to advance theatre as a means of educating, challenging and inspiring young people.
Theatre Communications Group (TCG), the national organization for the American theatre, offers a wide array of services in line with its mission: to strengthen, nurture and promote the professional not-for-profit American theatre. Artistic programs support theatres and theatre artists by awarding approximately $3 million in grants annually, and offer career development programs for artists. Management programs provide professional development opportunities for theatre leaders through workshops, conferences, forums and publications, as well as industry research on the finances and practices of the American not-for-profit theatre. Advocacy, conducted in conjunction with the dance, presenting, opera and symphony orchestra fields, includes guiding lobbying efforts and providing theatres with timely alerts about legislative developments. As the country's leading independent press specializing in dramatic literature, TCG's publications include American Theatre magazine, the ArtSEARCH employment bulletin, plays, translations and theatre reference books. As the U.S. Center of UNESCO's International Theatre Institute, a worldwide network, TCG supports cross-cultural exchange through travel grants and other assistance to traveling theatre professionals. Through these programs, 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 field. TCG serves over 440 member theatres nationwide and has 17,000 individual members.
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