TRANSPORT GROUP INC
C/O TRANSPORT GROUP INC, NEW YORK, NY 10018 www.transportgroup.org

---

Organizations Filed Purposes: PRODUCING AND DEVELOPING PLAYS AND MUSICALS

TRANSPORT GROUP IS A NEW YORK-BASED, OFF-BROADWAY THEATRE COMPANY THAT STAGES NEW WORKS AND REIMAGINED REVIVALS BY AMERICAN WRITERS. OUR PRODUCTIONS OF EMOTIONALLY CLASSIC, AND VISUALLY PROGRESSIVE STORIES EXPLORE THE CHALLENGES OF RELATIONSHIP AND IDENTITY IN MODERN AMERICA. FOUNDED BY JACK CUMMINGS III IN 2001, OUR PRINCIPAL ARTISTIC PROGRAMMING IS THE ANNUAL PRODUCTION OF TWO MAINSTAGE PRODUCTIONS. SINCE OUR FOUNDING IN 2001, WE HAVE STAGED THIRTY-THREE SHOWS COMPRISED OF THIRTEEN NEW WORKS, SEVENTEEN REVIVALS AND THREE NEW YORKPREMIERES, CONSISTING OF EIGHTEEN PLAYS AND FIFTEEN MUSICALS. OUR NEW WORKS TACKLE DIFFICULT AND CHALLENGING TOPICS RELEVANT TO CONTEMPORARY AUDIENCES FEATURING EMERGING WRITERS AND OUR REVIVALS ARE SIGNIFICANT REIMAGININGS OF INFREQUENTLY PRODUCED CLASSIC MATERIAL. WE ALSO COMMISSION NEW WORK AND PRODUCE READINGS, DEVELOPMENTAL LABS, CONCERTS AND OTHER SPECIAL EVENTS. PRODUCTIONS ARE ATTENDED BY 4,000-8,000 PEOPLE ANNUALLY AND OTHER ONE-NIGHT CONCERTS, EVENTS AND WORKSHOPS ATTRACT AN ADDITIONAL 500-800 PEOPLE ANNUALLY. OUR AUDIENCES ARE THEATERGOERS IN THE NEW YORK TRI-STATE AREA.OUR 2020/2021 SEASON BEGAN WITH A FREE FOUR-WEEK STREAMING OF OUR PRODUCTION OF BROADBEND, ARKANSAS. ORIGINALLY PRODUCED IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE PUBLIC THEATER IN THE FALL OF 2019, BROADBEND, ARKANSAS FOCUSES ON THREE GENERATIONS OF A BLACK FAMILY OVER THIRTY YEARS APART AS THEY GRAPPLE WITH DECADES OF INEQUALITY, VIOLENCE AND OPPRESSION IN AMERICA. THE STREAMING EVENT INCLUDED SALARIES FOR THE FOUR MEMBERS OF THE CREATIVE TEAM, FOUR DESIGNERS, TWO ACTORS, TWO STAGE MANAGERS, THE ORCHESTRATOR AND COPYIST STAVES AND SIX MUSICIANS WHO ORIGINATED THIS PIECE; EACH ARTIST WAS PAID IN ACCORDANCE WITH CONTRACTED RATES (INCLUDING PENSION AND HEALTH FOR UNION MEMBERS) FOR THE DURATION OF THE STREAMING. WE ARE PROUD TO HAVE CONTINUED SUPPORTING TG ARTISTS DURING THESE UNPRECEDENTED TIMES. STREAMING THIS PARTICULAR WORK IN THE SUMMER OF 2020 INSPIRED US TO ENGAGE IN CONVERSATIONS WITH THE COMMUNITY. WE HOSTED FOUR VIRTUAL PANELS THAT WERE AVAILABLE TO THE PUBLIC, GARNERING A COLLECTIVE AUDIENCE OF OVER 1,000 PARTICIPANTS FEATURING LIVE DISCUSSIONS THAT INVITED DIALOGUES ABOUT SOCIAL JUSTICE, MAINTAINING CREATIVELY IN A PANDEMIC, AND THE POWER OF ART IN ACTIVISM. THESE PANELS INCLUDED THE COMPANY OF BROADBEND AND SEVERAL KEY LEADERS IN THE BIPOCTHEATRICAL COMMUNITY FROM NATIONAL BLACK THEATRE, HARLEM STAGE, PENUMBRA THEATRE, AND MORE. BROADBEND, ARKANSAS WAS STREAMED IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE BLACK THEATRE NETWORK FROM 7/20 -8/16/2020, REACHING 2,597 VIEWERS IN 46 STATES AND 20 COUNTRIES. MADE AVAILABLE TO THE PUBLIC FOR FREE, ALL DONATIONS RECEIVED DURING THE MONTH-LONG STREAMING EVENT WERE REGRANTED TO THE BLACK THEATRE NETWORK. THIS YEAR WE HAVE CONTINUED DEVELOPMENT FOR OUR COMMISSIONED MUSICAL, SPLIT WITH A 29-HOUR WORKSHOP AND RECORDING SESSIONS. SPLIT REPRESENTS THE 1950S IN OUR 20TH CENTURY PROJECT. WITH BOOK AND LYRICS BY MICHELE LOWE AND MUSIC AND LYRICS BY ZOE SARNAK, SPLIT FOLLOWS KAREN SCHIFF, A GIFTED SCIENTIST WHO FEELS CONSTRAINED BY HER GENDER AND HER PAST, AS SHE FORGES A HALF-BAKED PLAN FOR A ROAD TRIP TO THE GRAND CANYON WITH HER EQUALLY GIFTED DAUGHTER AMY. SPLIT EXPLORES WOMENS IDENTITY POST WWII, ALLOWING US TO EXAMINE THE ROLES WOMEN PLAYED DURING THE WAR AND THE CONFUSION WOMEN EXPERIENCED WERE TOLD TO RETURN TO THEIR TRADITIONAL ROLES AFTER THE WAR. OUR FIRST 29-HOUR MUSICAL WORKSHOP INCLUDED OUR COMPOSER AND OUR MUSIC DIRECTOR, RODNEY BUSH, SAFELY GATHERED IN QUARANTINE TO WORK THROUGH EACH MUSICAL NUMBER IN THE SHOW. IN LATE JANUARY, THE COMPANY RECORDED DEMO TRACKS THAT WILL SERVE AS A PART OF OUR CONTINUED OUTREACH WITH A SERIES OF THREE FREE VIRTUAL PANELS AND INTERACTIVE DISCUSSIONS PROVIDING UNIQUE AUDIENCE ACCESS TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF THIS NEW MUSICAL THROUGHOUT OUR SEASON. WE ALSO CONTINUED OUR WEEKLY ESSAY SERIES WHILE WERE HOME. THIS SERIES, LAUNCHED IN RESPONSE TO THE COVID-19 SHUTDOWN, PROVIDES AN INSIDE LOOK INTO THE JOYS, HEARTACHES, HEADACHES, AND TRIUMPHS OF CREATING THEATRE. THESE POIGNANTLY WRITTEN ESSAYS FEATURE TG ALUMNI SHARING THEIR INSIGHTS INTO SOME OF THEIR FAVORITE MOMENTS FOUND IN THE PROCESS OF COLLABORATION THROUGH OUR 20-YEAR CATALOGUE WE WILL CONTINUE TO FEATURE THESE WEEKLY ESSAYS AS A PART OF OUR 20TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION. THIS APRIL, TO COMMEMORATE A YEARS' WORTH OF ESSAYS, WE WILL LAUNCH "WHILE WE'RE HOME: EXTENDED CUT." THIS EXTENDED SERIES WILL FEATURE A NEW VIDEO EACH MONTH HIGHLIGHTING AN ARTIST AND THEIR ESSAY. THESE VIDEOS ARE A CHANCE TO DELVE DEEPER INTO WHAT INSPIRED THE ARTIST TO WRITE THEIR PIECE AND PROVIDE A WINDOW INTO TRANSPORT GROUP'S 20-YEAR HISTORY FROM THE ARTIST'S PERSPECTIVE.FINALLY, THIS YEAR, WE ARE THRILLED TO ANNOUNCE THE OFFICIAL LAUNCH OF OUR JOANNA & STEVEN SANDERS NEW WORKS PROGRAM. A NEW, PERMANENT ADDITION TO TRANSPORT GROUP'S ANNUAL OPERATIONS, THIS PROGRAM WILL FOSTER NEW PLAYS AND MUSICALS FROM COMMISSION TO FULL PRODUCTION BY SUPPORTING PLAYWRIGHTS, LIBRETTISTS, AND COMPOSERS THROUGHOUT EVERY STEP OF THE PROCESS. EACH PIECE WILL DICTATE ITS TAILORED COURSE OF DEVELOPMENT ALL THE WAY THROUGH TO A FULLY REALIZED PRODUCTION. OUR INAUGURAL COMMISSIONS INCLUDE A NEW PLAY BY HARRISON DAVID RIVERS AND A NEW MUSICAL TO BE ANNOUNCED WITHIN THE COMING MONTHS. WHILE TRANSPORT GROUP WILL CONTINUE ITS EXPLORATION OF REVIVALS, THIS NEW PROGRAM WILL DEEPEN OUR COMMITMENT TO PRODUCING WORLD PREMIERES.AS THE WORLD WAITS FOR CURRENT COVID-19 RESTRICTIONS TO EASE, WE ARE ACTIVELY PLANNING AND PREPARING FOR OUR 20TH ANNIVERSARY SEASON. WE ARE COMMITTED TO DOING OUR PART TO HELP KEEP OUR COMMUNITY AND OUR PATRONS SAFE AND PLAN TO PRODUCE ONE PRODUCTION IN THE SPRING AND THE ANNE L. BERNSTEIN CONCERT SERIES SCHEDULED FOR JUNE 2022. AS WE RESUME NORMAL OPERATIONS, WE WILL SPEND THE FALL FOCUSING ON DEVELOPMENT WITH A FOUR-WEEK WORKSHOP OF OUR COMMISSIONED MUSICAL, SPLIT, AS WELL AS TWO 29-HOUR READINGS OF NEW MUSICALS IN OUR PIPELINE. OUR 2021-2022 SEASON WILL HIGHLIGHT OUR ONGOING DEDICATION TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF NEW WORKS AND THE NEW AMERICAN WRITERS OF THE 21ST CENTURY. WE HOPE THAT THIS SEASON WILL NOT ONLY BE A CELEBRATION OF TRANSPORT GROUP, BUT ALSO, A CELEBRATION OF OUR ABILITY TO GATHER TOGETHER AGAIN TO HONOR THE THEATRE AND ITS ARTISTS.

---

---

Data for this page was sourced from XML published by IRS (public 990 form dataset) from: https://s3.amazonaws.com/irs-form-990/202101209349300905_public.xml