Theater: from the Greek, theatron, a place of seeing. A place of insight. A place of significant action.

Austin Circle of Theaters (ACoT) began in 1974 as a loose association of local theater companies intent on fostering better communication, coordination, and collaboration. ACoT later incorporated as a performing arts service organization and was granted federal tax-exempt 501 (c) (3) nonprofit status in 1981.

From the very start, ACoT has served as the central information hub not only for the theater-going public but also for the larger arts community. As a result, over the years, artists and arts organizations of every discipline have come to value — and shape — our services.

Core services include:

• Marketing, ticketing and audience development
• Arts incubator and sponsored project services
• Technical assistance and support services
• Professional development and capacity building
• Information and referral services
• Arts learning and arts in education programs
• Advocacy.

ACoT is also an active member of the City of Austin's Create Austin task forces and has been repeatedly recommended as a Lead Partner in effecting many of its initiatives. We led the formation of an ad hoc city-wide arts coalition in 2002 that resulted in an open partnership between the arts community and the City of Austin in hiring its current Cultural Arts Director and revising its arts funding program. We also spearheaded a successful statewide lobbying campaign to eliminate a proposed ticket tax. Our executive director, Latifah Taormina, is a community-appointed trustee for the Long Center for the Performing Arts and sits on its Programming Committee. ACoT is also an active member of APASO, the national Association of Performing Arts Service Organizations, and a source of arts service organization best practices that have been introduced here in Central Texas as a result.

In 2004, Austin was one of three cities chosen to pilot "Free Night of Theater," a national audience development initiative of Theatre Communications Group (TCG). Austin was chosen because of ACoT and its leadership. Ben Cameron, Program Director for the Arts at the Doris Duke Foundation and former Executive Director of TCG writes:

"Foremost among criteria, however, were three: a belief in the artistic quality of the work produced in the community, the infrastructural strength of the local service organization and the capacity of that organization to complete this project.  After careful consideration and extensive discussion, we chose Austin Circle of Theatres, Theatre Alliance of Greater Philadelphia and Theatre Bay Area (San Francisco and the surrounding area) as our optimal partners

"The Executive Directors of these three organizations met with TCG weekly by teleconference and were responsible both for certain philosophical decision making and for the coordination and execution of logistics at the local level.  ACoT’s participation was exemplary in this regard: indeed, Latifah Taormina, ACoT’s Executive Director, was a critical player in bringing this project to fruition.  Her energy, her dedication, her keen sense of the Austin community’s needs and her creativity all were important factors in the shaping and execution of this pilot program.

". . . In short, we could never have enjoyed the success that we have had to date with this initiative without Latifah and ACoT.  All of us at TCG are in her debt and give her a strong vote of confidence in any undertaking."

Read more about

OUR PROGRAMS

OUR THEATERS

BECOMING A MEMBER

OUR STAFF AND HOW TO CONTACT US

_{Members pictured at top of page: Karen Kuykendall, Ann Ciccolella, Robert Faires, Helen Merino, and Cyndi Williams.(photos by Dirk Van Allen at 2002 B. Iden Payne Awards)}