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We've missed you!

The last two years were unprecedented. The COVID pandemic wreaked havoc on our community, causing hardship for so many. It has not been easy. We want to take this moment to congratulate you, your companies, friends, and families on weathering this storm and emerging with newfound hope and determination.
 

Like many of you, NHTA embraced recent circumstances as an opportunity to review, reset, and reimagine.  We've prepared this overview of where we’ve been, what we are working on now, and where we are headed in the future.  We hope you’ll agree there are many reasons to be optimistic about the road ahead, and we’re excited you’ll join us on the journey.

What We Have Accomplished

Throughout the pandemic and its aftermath, members of the Board and community volunteers worked together on key initiatives to move forward:
 

  • The NHTA #UnAwardsShow
    On April 10, 2021 members of the NHTA community gathered for the first ever #UnAwardsShow. This virtual event highlighted the many creative and innovative ways our participating companies - and individual artists - kept the arts alive during the first year of the pandemic.
     

  • Ballot Redesign Project
    A diverse and dedicated team of theatre professionals, artists, academics, and volunteers from the NH theatre community worked for several months to completely rebuild the adjudication ballot. After an open review process involving stakeholders from our community as well as members of the larger theatre community outside New Hampshire, we’ve arrived at something we’re quite proud of.

    The new ballot features a comprehensive rubric, carefully designed to meet the unique needs of our adjudication process and the wide variety of artistic style and intent reflected in our community’s work. The ballot will be part of a fully automated system to allow online submittals of productions, management of adjudication assignments, and completion of ballots.

    While the new ballot will eventually be a part of our digital adjudication tools, the ballot content can be viewed online here:     https://nhta.link/newNHTA/adjudication-ballot
     

  • Appointment of Interim Board 
    Many of our previous board members' terms ended during our operational pause. To ensure continuity and help move the organization forward, the Board met and amended our by-laws to allow the appointment of an Interim Board and slate of officers.

    The Interim Board was chosen from individuals who had continued volunteer work with the NHTA throughout 2021. We will re-energize planning and lead existing operations until a new Board of Directors is identified.

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Where We Are Today

With a renewed sense of energy and purpose, our goal is to re-invent an active and engaged NHTA community.

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  • Interim Board In Action
    The first Interim Board meeting took place in August. Meetings have been held regularly since that time – and will continue until the new Board is in place. You can meet the Interim Board here. 
     

  • Updated Bylaws and Administrative Organization
    Bylaws were reviewed and updated to more accurately reflect current operations and standard procedure. Additionally, several administrative and compliance tasks were completed to ensure the long-term legal and financial viability of the organization.
     

  • Community Engagement
    The Interim Board is committed to promoting active engagement and participation within the NHTA community. To support these efforts, we are planning updates to the NHTA website, social media channels, and recurring outreach communications.

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What Happens Next

To achieve our goals and ensure long-term success and sustainability of the NHTA, the Interim Board has identified the following priorities to guide our activities for the next 6 - 12 months:

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  • NHTA Open Meeting
    On November 9th at 7pm the Interim Board will host a virtual open meeting for all interested members of the NHTA community. We will provide insight into the current state of the organization, our plans for the next 12 months, and what it will take from our community to get there. The Zoom session will be recorded and posted to our YouTube channel for those who cannot attend live.
     

  • Building a New Board 
    To continue the momentum generated by the Interim Board, it is imperative that we identify and establish a new, diverse and inclusive board in the next 6-12 months. A call for nominations will be sent in November to begin the process, with the goal of having new members identified and appointed in the late spring/early summer of 2023.
     

  • Establish Core Communities and Volunteers
    A large number of volunteers from across the state is needed to support a full return to production adjudication. Core Communities – a team of volunteers who share ownership and responsibility for the activities that make NHTA work – will take care of tasks that previously fell to a single individual. This will require participation from across our community.
     

  • Implement New Training Program and Adjudication Ballot 
    Adjudicator training is a critical component to the success of NHTA and will be even more important this year, with the release of the new ballot. Existing training programs will be reviewed and updated to accurately reflect the new ballot rubric, format, and submission process. Additionally, we are excited to shift our training to a virtual program, with content available on our website for additional reference throughout the year.
     

  • Re-start production adjudication
    While we are all excited to re-start the adjudication process and return to celebrating our accomplishments at the Annual Awards Ceremony, the Interim Board is fiercely dedicated to doing so in a thoughtful, informed, and manageable manner. We will not succeed unless we have the people, technologies, and resources required to support and sustain us.

    While our goal is to be up and running by late spring/early summer of 2023, there are many things that need to happen before this can become a reality. We look forward to sharing additional details with you at the Open Meeting.

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Be Part of the #NewNHTA

Your involvement in the future of NHTA matters! Over the next few months we’ll be sharing additional details about specific volunteer opportunities. Until then, there are plenty of ways to get involved: 

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  • Say hello to the Interim Board
    Send us a message at ​⁠newNHTA@nhtheatrealliance.org​⁠ and let us know how you would like to be involved.
     

  • Attend the (virtual) Open Meeting on November 9th
    You can RSVP for the open meeting here.  Can't make the open meeting?  We understand completely!  We'll be recording the session and sharing it on our YouTube channel.  If you have specific questions you'd like us to cover in the meeting, let us know at ​⁠newNHTA@nhtheatrealliance.org.    ​
     

  • Volunteer!
    We have big plans but can't do our work without your help!  You can volunteer to work with us by filling out this online form: https://nhta.link/newNHTA/volunteer
     

  • Help us build a new Board
    We are committed to building a diverse, equitable and inclusive Board of 7-10 leaders, with terms beginning sometime in 2023. Nominees can come from varied backgrounds, education and experience and should represent the diversity of theatre organizations in New Hampshire (professional, regional, community, youth, etc.). We encourage you to help us identify strong candidates from your personal and professional networks.
     

With so many productions happening all over the state, the resiliency and dedication of our community is clear. We believe a rejuvenated NHTA can be a catalyst to grow and strengthen our community, engage and grow our audiences, and celebrate artistic achievement. New Hampshire theatre is best when we are working together and supporting one another’s success.

We’re looking forward to partnering with you and getting to work!

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