Theatre Alliance of Buffalo Casts A Net

What is the Theatre Alliance of Buffalo (TAB)? That's what I wanted to know when I recently saw that the organization was hosting its 1st Annual World's Largest Cast Party at the Lafayette Tap Room (391 Washington Street). After reading the group's profile...

"TAB is a consortium of Western New York professional theatre companies dedicated to promoting the welfare of its member organizations, the appreciation of the art of theatre, and its vital community impact."

... I then wanted to learn more about the World's Largest Cast Party. Constance McEwen Caldwell, Director of Communication & Community Relations for the group sent me the following, which describes the event:

"It's a call for volunteers to seek support in achieving some of its goals with an eye on developing new audience, generating a mid-season buzz, profiling the theatres, and nurturing the concept that a creative class drives economies."

I find the unification of the theaters to be refreshing. How many times have we (as Buffalonians) talked about consolidating resources in order to strengthen the sum of the parts? Now here we have a coalition of theaters that is doing just that. The group was actually founded in 2004 and thanks to a grant awarded by the John R. Oishei Foundation was able to fund the position, Director of Communications & Community Relations, in 2007. The goals of TAB (from Constance) are to:

"Establish a central structure and function that enhances communication and coordination among and between our members; provide opportunities to stabilize and strengthen TAB as a cultural asset; encourage and strengthen marketing efforts that enhance TAB's image in the region and beyond while fostering the appreciation of its members and the art of theatre. Sixteen theatres came together, pooled their databases, and honored Studio Arena's subscription tickets when the theatre closed and then applied for the Oishei grant."

So grab a ticket stub from one of the following theaters and head on over to support one of Buffalo's cultural consortiums. The theaters are:

Alleyway Theatre
American Repertory Theatre of WNY
Buffalo United Artists
Irish Classical Theatre Company
Jewish Repertory Theatre
Kaleidoscope Theatre
Kavinoky Theatre
MusicalFare Theatre Company
New Phoenis Theatre
O'Connell & Company
Paul Robeson Theatre
Playhouse of American Classics
Road Less Travelled Productions
Shakespeare in Delaware Park
Shea's Performing Arts Center
Theatre of Youth
Theatre Plus
Torn Space Theatre
Ujima Company

And the event is: THEATRE ALLIANCE of BUFFALO seeking VOLUNTEERS - "We're throwing the 1st Annual WORLD'S LARGEST CAST PARTY!"

What: Rally
Host: Theatre Alliance of Buffalo
Start Time: Saturday, March 21 at 9:00pm
End Time: Sunday, March 22 at 12:00am
Where: Lafayette Tap Room 391 Washington Street