Through these varied programs, the Theatre Alliance strengthens and leads the region's richly diverse theatre community by promoting positive awareness and serving as a resource for information, professional development and advocacy.

The Barrymore Awards for Excellence in Theatre
Created in 1994, the Barrymore Awards increase positive public and media awareness of the theatre community by empowering artists and recognizing excellence. The Barrymore Awards are Greater Philadelphia's only comprehensive theatre awards and have become the largest and most prominent program of the Theatre Alliance. The Barrymores are a nationally recognized symbol of excellence for theatre in this region, raising the bar for the work produced by local theatres and individual artists, and generating significant coverage in all the local newspapers and in national trade publications. Each year, a volunteer nominating committee evaluates more than 100 shows produced by professional theatres culminating in a gala awards presentation at which the community celebrates its collective achievement.

The Annual Auditions
The Theatre Alliance coordinates an audition of local Equity and non-Equity actors for its organizational members. This program serves two purposes: it gives local actors the opportunity to be seen by more than fifty theatre representatives at once and the auditions are instrumental in helping our member theatres cast their shows for the upcoming season. Theatre companies from Washington, DC, Baltimore, and New Jersey are also invited to attend for a fee. In addition, the Theatre Alliance hosts an audition forum for applicants, providing them with a chance to discuss the process of auditioning with area casting directors. As a component of the program, the Theatre Alliance creates and distributes the Production Resource Book, a collection of resumes from qualified production personnel in the region.

Tessitura Arts Software Consortium
Initiated by a Development Roundtable discussion, the Theatre Alliance is coordinating a marketing initiative that will align participating member theatres into a consortium to license the use of Tessitura Arts Enterprise Software, an innovative program integrating all ticketing, marketing and development functions into one software package. For individual organizations, the consortium will provide a long-range solution to the participants' marketing and development software needs. Each organization will acquire a significant and necessary technology upgrade, enabling greater efficiency in all ticketing and fundraising endeavors. For the community, the consortium will engender unity and strength as multiple organizations work with the Theatre Alliance to build audiences and increase theatre attendance across the region.

Spark
The Spark program ignites dialogue and opportunities for small and developing theatre companies. The Theatre Alliance presents monthly meetings, January through June, on topics of importance to smaller theatre companies, including Marketing, Development, and Infrastructure, and hosts occasional social gatherings to encourage networking among the small theatre community. The Spark section of the Theatre Alliance website includes an archive of helpful materials from these meetings. The Theatre Alliance also produces the annual Spark Showcase Festival, an evening of short plays highlighting the work of Spark companies.

Theatre Alliance Website
The Theatre Alliance website provides 24/7 access to information on our member theatres with links to their websites, job postings, calendar listings, theatre news, press releases, and up-to-date information on our current programs. The website, which receives 20,000-30,000 weekly visitors, also features the Individual Members of the Theatre Alliance in the Philly Talent Database, a collection of Philadelphia theatre artists, technicians, administrators and educators.

Theatre Alliance Listserv
The Theatre Alliance hosts a free and easy-to-use listserv for anyone with an interest in receiving ticket offers, job listings, sharing or requesting information, and engaging in dialogue relevant to the theatre community. Administered by Yahoo! Groups, the Theatre Alliance listserv provides an open forum for local theatre artists, administrators, and supporters to post and reply to group messages. The Theatre Alliance also uses the service to disseminate information relevant to the theatre community at large. With over 2,000 members, the listserv has become a lively and active part of the Philadelphia theatre landscape.

Theatre Alliance Roundtable Discussions
The Roundtables provide an opportunity for theatre professionals from our organizational members to get together and discuss Marketing and Development strategies, meet with experts in their respective fields, and share information with colleagues in a casual networking environment.

• Development Roundtable
  The Development Roundtable gathers development representatives from member theatres on the last Friday of alternate months in order to network and share fundraising ideas and concerns.
  
  
• Marketing Roundtable
  The Marketing Roundtable, sponsored annually by Whole Foods Market, gathers marketing representatives from member theatres on the second Thursday of each month in order to network, share marketing ideas, and brainstorm strategies that all members can utilize to promote awareness of Philadelphia theatre and the Theatre Alliance as a central source of information. Roundtable discussions have generated the following:
  
  
• Hospitality & Tourism Listing Service
  This program fosters relationships with organizations such as the Concierge Association, the Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau, Philadelphia Hospitality Inc., the Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation, and the Independence Visitors Center. By providing the hospitality industry with a reliable source of theatre activities for out-of-town guests, the Theatre Alliance builds Philadelphia's image as a first-class theatre town and destination city.
  
  
• Press and Media Liaison
  The Theatre Alliance maintains a comprehensive and up-to-date media mailing and contact list, and also serves as an advocate for positive media relations in the community.

Joint Marketing and Promotional Opportunities
The Theatre Alliance facilitates and manages low- or no-cost methods to promote its members and the theatre community as a whole, and to build a national profile for the Greater Philadelphia theatre community. As new marketing opportunities arise and are developed, information is forwarded to the membership to solicit interest and involvement. Examples of joint marketing opportunities include Theatre Alliance participation in the XPN All About the Music Festival, the Rittenhouse Row Festival, and the Philadelphia College Festival.

• On Stage Page
  One of our most successful Joint Marketing projects to date! Modeled after similar successful programs in cities such as New York, Chicago, and Minneapolis, the On Stage page is a joint marketing venture developed in conjunction with the Marketing Roundtable. The page lists the current productions of all participating theatres, who in turn print the page in their programs, a give-and-take model that allows each individual theatre to reach thousands of patrons at other theatres with minimal expense.
  
  
• Gift Certificate Program
  Launched in 2002, the gift certificate program allows theatre-lovers to purchase a certificate that can be used at more than 30 participating theatres. Providing a valuable service to the public, this program also promotes our member theatres by offering an avenue through which they can sell full-price tickets, subscriptions, and classes, and potentially attract new audience members.
  
  
• Free Night of Theater
  The Theatre Alliance co-piloted this theatre initiative in 2005 in conjunction with Theatre Communications Group, Theatre Bay Area, and Austin Circle of Theatres, wherein participating theatres offered free admission to the public. The Greater Philadelphia region will again participate in this event on October 16, 2008, with the Theatre Alliance leading the theatres in event promotion and coordination. Best Practices and Repeat Customers
  
  
• New Play Festival
  In February 2007, the Theatre Alliance piloted a multi-organizational new play festival to celebrate the vibrancy and excellence of new play activity throughout the region. Festival activities include world premiere productions, second productions of new plays in development, workshops, readings and seminars. The festival catalyzes involvement from local and national audiences and professionals in the indigenous new play activity of the Philadelphia region.

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