Theatre Communications Group and TRG Arts Announce the Launch of the Single Ticket Theatre Collective
by Kevin Bittterman
May 16, 2019
NEW YORK, NY – Theatre Communications Group (TCG), the national organization for theatre, and TRG Arts, the data-driven consulting firm for arts and cultural professionals, are pleased to announce the launch of the Single Ticket Theatre Collective. Ten theatres from across the country will participate in a five-month initiative that will include personalized single ticket campaign plans, classroom-style shared learning, and one-on-one consulting to maximize single ticket revenue and deepen patron loyalty. The Collective will be comprised of “mid-sized” TCG Member Theatres, defined by the Collective as theatres with budgets that range from one to three million dollars. Learnings from the Collective’s work will be shared at TCG convenings and disseminated broadly to the field.
The participating theatres are: Central Square Theater (Cambridge, MA); Cygnet Theatre (San Diego, CA); Theatreworks (Colorado Springs, CO); Virginia Stage Company (Norfolk, VA); American Stage Theatre Company (St. Petersburg, FL); TheaterWorks (Hartford, CT); Dad’s Garage (Atlanta, GA); Theater J (Washington, DC); Timeline Theatre Company (Chicago, IL); and New Repertory Theatre (Watertown, MA).
“Our research shows that theatres within this budget range have the highest subscription renewal rates, making a focus on single ticket sales a particularly viable growth opportunity,” said Teresa Eyring, executive director, TCG. “We’ve found cohort-learning to be an effective way of building community and results, and we’re grateful to serve as a bridge connecting our theatres with thought leaders like TRG Arts.”
“We are constantly looking for new ways to partner with, teach, and learn from arts and cultural organizations. The Single Ticket Theatre Collective represents the first time we’ll have a curated cohort of peer organizations in the room together at this budget size,” said Jill Robinson, president and CEO, TRG Arts. “The results here will go beyond the bottom line: with TCG, we’ll create a network of professionals from coast to coast, through shared experiences and expert curriculum, where we will share proven strategies to maximize revenue and lay the groundwork to deepen patron loyalty.”
Administrated by TCG and led by TRG Arts, the Single Ticket Theatre Collective is a unique model combining one-on-one consulting with classroom-style learning. Programming includes:
Expert counsel to maximize single ticket revenue and deepen patron loyalty;
Hands-on, strategic working time to develop comprehensive campaigns;
Tactics to encourage early buying and change patron buying behavior;
Focused gatherings at TCG national convenings;
New reporting, analysis tools, and metrics to help measure, manage, and track campaign effectiveness; and
Peer learning with marketing professionals from across the country in intimate, focused summits, seminars, and conversations.
“We’re thrilled about being part of the TRG Single Ticket collective, which comes at an opportune time as we prepare to return to our newly renovated space in 2019-2020,” said Jojo Ruf,managing director, Theater J. “We look forward to digging more deeply and intentionally into work of this kind, to sharing the lessons we’ve learned in our year ‘around town,’ and to learning from our incredible colleagues across the country. What a gift to be part of this inaugural collective.”
TRG Arts (The Results Group for the Arts) is an international, data-driven consulting firm that teaches arts marketers, fundraisers and executive leaders a patron and loyalty-based approach to increasing sustainable revenue. Experts in the arts sector for more than 20 years, TRG Arts has gained a reputation for achieving results and building successful business models for non-profit and commercial arts organizations. TRG Arts is an industry pioneer in areas including audience loyalty development, membership and the subscription model, and dynamic pricing.
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 10,000 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, approximately $2 million per year, 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 17 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.