Theater Communications Group held their national conference "Building Future Audience" in Atlanta June 8-10. Over 700 artists and arts administrators from around the nation met for three days to discuss various issues and practices facing theaters today. Among the the several panels, plenary and breakout sessions, was a fully-attended meeting on international collaborations. Ma-Yi Theater Company's Executive Director, Jorge Ortoll, along with Daniella Groenberg from Theater Instituut Nederland; Megan Wanlass-Szalla, Managing Director for the SITI Company, and Joy Zinoman, Artistic Director of the Studio Theatre, discussed the role of art and funding in international collaborations.

"Our nations' artists are hungry," stated Ortoll in a follow-up interview. "They're starving to play a role in the global development of theater. Evidence of their desire can be found in the sheer number of people who attended the session. It was beyond capacity."

"And why shouldn't they be interested? Perhaps no other time in the country's history has the need for cultural understanding and global collaboration been greater. But unfortunately, for many, the money needed to finance projects just isn't there. With new rules and regulations on visa requirments, many arts producers don't know where to begin."

"The U.S. Department of State was the biggest funder of international touring, but once the Cold War was won, the percepted need to promote the country's soft power -its art, its theater, its culture- dissipated. And the funding soon followed. And with the current administration, who'd rather spend a billion dollars to fight a war than a million dollars to prevent one, in power, the funding levels of the pre-1990's isn't likely to come back."

"But for artists to go seaching for the dollars before they focus on their art is sophomoric. I understand the catch-22, but if you create quality theater; create relevant art, there will be people there to support you. We found support to bring The Romance of Magno Rubio to the Philippines, and Flipzoids before that."

"We recently committed to bring a delegation of artists to the World Social Forum in Nairobi, Kenya in 2007. The WSF strives to provide a global home for the free exchange of ideas -united in the belieft that another world is possible. For us, it's vital we play a role in that discussion. And although we still haven't secured all the funding needed, we are confident in the project. We are collaborating with the Foundry Theatre and Hip Hop Theater Festival. This collaboration shows buy-in from others outside the sphere of Ma-Yi and it helps with fundraising."

"The art of raising dollars for international collaboration lies in your conviction for the need for your project; your belief in your work; thick skin and a little faith. I recognize the difficulty and I recognize the risk. But that risk is minimal when compared to the risk of us not participating in a global exchange -not participating in this worldly dialogue."