Celebrating 10 Years of International Theater Institute (ITI-U.S.)
Since 2016, The Lab and Theatre Communications Group (TCG) have shared leadership of ITI-U.S. as part of the Global Theater Initiative. Dedicated to humanizing world affairs through theatre, the Global Theatre Initiative (GTI) fosters interconnectedness among theatre makers worldwide in pursuit of a just and thriving global theatre ecology. By combining the unique reach of TCG’s international programming with the Lab’s distinctive experience in humanizing global politics through the power of performance, GTI honors and intersects with the work so many theatre colleagues have invested in, cross-cultural exchange and understanding.
The International Theatre Institute (ITI), an international non-governmental organization (NGO), was founded in Prague in 1948 by UNESCO and the international theatre community. Today, the mission of ITI is to promote the international exchange of knowledge and practice in theatre arts in order to consolidate peace and friendship between peoples, to deepen mutual understanding and increase creative co-operation between all people in the theatre arts.
Our work is an engine to support and amplify global exchange with three core areas of focus:
1. Connecting practitioners with resources, knowledge, and partnerships to strengthen their work.
2. Promoting cultural collaboration as essential for international peace and mutual understanding.
3. Innovating new strategies to maximize the global theatre field’s opportunities and impact. GTI also serves as the collaborative leadership of the U.S. Center of the International Theatre Institute (ITI/U.S.) GTI believes in the power of theatre to create a stronger experience of global citizenship and safer, healthier communities around the world.
For more information or questions about GTI, please contact info@tcg.org
Collaborations and Performances
ABOUT WORLD THEATRE DAY
World Theatre Day was created in 1961 by the International Theatre Institute (ITI), and is celebrated annually on March 27 by global ITI centers and the international theatre community.
Various national and international theatre events are organized to celebrate an international message and remarks from national cultural leaders.
The Global Theatre Institute hosts and supports many global gatherings, festivals, conferences, conversations, collaborations, and experiences in solidarity with global communities working towards peace and equity. Our work seeks to connect people. Check this page often for updated events.
Convenings, Artistry and Exchange
ITI-U.S. has a long history of producing convenings to foster interconnectedness among theatre makers worldwide. Convenings included:
A Hyperlocal Meets Universal
TCG Virtual Conference · Pittsburgh, PA · 2022
A featured session at the 2022 TCG Virtual Conference exploring how community-driven theater can connect local stories to global conversations.
The Gathering
Georgetown University · Washington, DC · 2022
A four-day festival produced by The Lab featuring performances, workshops, and panel discussions led by Global Lab Fellows and internationally recognized artists. Programming centered on indigeneity, climate, and racial and social justice.
CrossCurrents Festival & The Gathering
Washington, DC · 2019
The Lab launched its inaugural CrossCurrents Festival and The Gathering, welcoming over 400 artists from 40 countries, including Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka, with programming presented at the Kennedy Center and leading DC theaters.
Global Pre-Conference
Georgetown University · Washington, DC · 2016
An international pre-conference hosted at the Davis Performing Arts Center, convening artists, scholars, and cultural leaders for global dialogue and collaboration.
See more
- The Americas meeting via Zoom in February 2022 to facilitate conversations among ITI centers throughout North, Central, and South America.
- A Global Roundtable at the 2021 TCG Virtual Conference: Our Theatre Ecology.
- A Global Roundtable at the 2020 TCG Virtual Conference: Re: Emergence.
- A Long Table working session about Proud Performing Arts in collaboration with ITI-Sweden in January 2020, New York, NY.
- A Cultural Exchange and International Producing: Ethics and Problem Solving session at the 2019 TCG National Conference: Miami, FL.
- A Global Theatre Initiative: Collaboration and Exchange in Polarizing Times session at the 2018 TCG National Conference: St. Louis, MO.
- A Global Pre-Conference: Beyond the Four Walls at the 2017 TCG National Conference: Full Circle, Portland, OR.
- A World Theatre Map: Creating A Global Theatre Community session at the 2017 TCG National Conference: Full Circle, Portland, OR.
- A Global Citizenship through Theatre: Winning a Fulbright Grant at the 2017 TCG National Conference: Full Circle, Portland, OR.
Artistry
ITI-U.S. also has a strong history of artistic programming, including:
- Here I Am — an original multimedia production developed at The Lab by Mélisande Short-Colomb, a descendant of the GU272, the enslaved people sold by Georgetown University and the Maryland Jesuits in 1838. Supported by two National Endowment for the Arts grants, the work invites audiences to confront histories of racial injustice and imagine paths toward equity in America.
- Remember This: The Lesson of Jan Karski — an original play about Georgetown professor and Holocaust witness Jan Karski, starring Academy Award nominee David Strathairn and written by Derek Goldman and Clark Young. Following acclaimed runs in Washington, DC and Chicago, the production appeared Off-Broadway at Theatre for A New Audience’s Polonsky Theatre and toured nationally and internationally. The project also inspired the award-winning feature film Remember This and the Georgetown course Bearing Witness: The Legacy of Jan Karski Today.
- I Pledge Allegiance — presented by The Lab in 2017 at the UNESCO International Theatre Festival and World Congress in Segovia, Spain. The play was devised by Velani Dibba, Cristina Ibarra, Ben Lillian, Aly Panjwani, and Devika Ranjan under the advisorship of Derek Goldman through the ITI/UNESCO Network for Higher Education in the Performing Arts.
- Finding Home: Migration, Exile, and Belonging — a Global Theater Initiative essay salon inspired by the 2016 Global Pre-Conference in Washington, DC. Curated by playwright Ruth Margraff, the series explored themes of migration, exile, and belonging through essays from artists and writers across the theatre field.
Grantmaking & Young Professional Development
ITI-U.S. has a long history of developing and administering programs that speak directly to the needs of the field and that have far-reaching impact on individuals, theatre organizations, and communities in the U.S. and abroad.
Global Connections Grant Program
Funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and designed by TCG, the Global Connections program supported reciprocal cultural exchange and international collaboration across the global theatre field. The program concluded in 2020.
Global Lab Fellows Program
Launched in January 2017, the Mellon Foundation–funded Global Lab Fellows Program convened three cohorts of international artists working at the intersection of performance and politics. Each 18-month residency fostered deep artistic exchange and experimentation. The program continues to evolve, with plans for expansion beyond 2023.
Exchanges & Visits
ITI-U.S. has a robust history of regularly facilitating delegations of U.S. theatre practitioners to travel to other countries, as well as global exchanges and visits. These travels played an integral role in strengthening theatre’s power and relevance as a universal art form and enhancing ITI-U.S.’s ability to unite theatre workers globally. Travels included:
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil · 2023
Participation in NEAP Fest, engaging with international artists and practitioners in a global exchange of contemporary performance practices.
Santiago, Chile · 2017 & 2023
Engagement with Santiago a Mil International Theater Festival across multiple years, fostering dialogue with global theatre makers and showcasing international collaboration in contemporary performance.
Germany · Spain · Italy · 2017–2022
Includes ITI-Germany visit (2022), The WellBeing Summit in Bilbao (2022), Global Lab Fellows residency at La MaMa Umbria (Italy, 2022), and ITI World Congress in Segovia (2017), highlighting cross-cultural exchange and leadership in global theatre networks.
Cuba · Chile · 2017–2018
Includes Leadership (U)niversity grantees meeting with theatre leaders and artists in Cuba (2018) and participation in Santiago a Mil International Theater Festival (2017), focused on artistic leadership, collaboration, and cultural diplomacy.
Publishing Highlights
TCG Books & International Publishing
TCG Books publishes new plays and emerging playwrights, representing over 1,600 titles. It partners with UK-based Drama Online and serves as the exclusive U.S. distributor for Playwrights Canada Press and Nick Hern Books. Internationally represented playwrights during this period include Enda Walsh, Jez Butterworth, Lucy Kirkwood, Caryl Churchill, Conor McPherson, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, and Peter Brook.
American Theatre Magazine
TCG Publication · Print & Digital
TCG’s American Theatre magazine features a recurring Global Spotlight column highlighting international theatre practices and perspectives.
Remember This: The Lesson of Jan Karski
Play by Derek Goldman & Clark Young
An original play about Georgetown professor and Holocaust witness Jan Karski. A special script edition published by Georgetown University Press includes contributions from Madeleine Albright, Samantha Power, Timothy Snyder, Stuart Eizenstat, and others, expanding the work’s historical and civic dialogue.
Climate Actions
Climate action as a major programmatic focus of the 2022 TCG Virtual Conference: Pittsburgh, and the 2021 TCG Virtual Conference: Our Theatre Ecology.
Earth Commons Partnership
The Lab continues to deepen its partnership with the Earth Commons at Georgetown University on the creation of performance-based curriculum and artistic projects, including We Hear You – A Climate Archive, a global performance project centering youth artist and activist voices in the climate justice movement, and Ferry Tales, in collaboration with The Kennedy Center’s RiverRun Festival.
Young Professionals
ITI-U.S. takes an active role in the development of early-career arts professionals:
NEAP Fest 2023 Support
ITI-U.S. provided financial support for young professionals to participate in NEAP Fest 2023, expanding access to international artistic exchange and collaboration.
Network of Emerging Arts Professionals (NEAP)
Since March 2021, the ITI-U.S. team at TCG has guided ITI’s Network of Emerging Arts Professionals, facilitating 12 international planning meetings and supporting cross-cultural collaboration among emerging leaders.
World Theatre Day 2022
ITI-U.S. spotlighted both an emerging U.S. artist and a veteran American author as part of its World Theatre Day 2022 programming.orting cross-cultural collaboration among emerging leaders.
Student Fellows Program
Georgetown’s Student Fellows Program supports students exploring the intersection of politics and performance through collaborative, student-led creative engagement with The Lab.