2026.05.13

Circle Up at WAA OAK: Registration for WAA’s Annual Conference – Sept 8-11, 2026 in Oakland, CA – is open!

Circle Up at WAA OAK’s annual conference – your conference, your way, with opportunities that align with your priorities: Experience the next great performance through Juried and Independent Showcases, engage in professional development and networking, and connect with your colleagues in The Commons to get business done.

Circle Up with Keynote speaker W. Kamau Bell! With his mantra, “Who’s With Me?”, and celebrated work across stages, screens, and streets advocating for justice and lifting up connection and community, we can’t think of a better way to kick the week off than with this renowned Oakland native.

Three thematic Conference Circles link WAA OAK showcases and PD:

Youth & Family: Serving multigenerational audiences with intentional engagements that don't start or end at the matinee.
Arts & Entertainment: Tribute shows, nostalgia, holiday, Broadway, and more that balance financial and artistic considerations
Beyond the Circle: Navigating, promoting, discovering, sharing work that defies definition, crosses boundaries, and goes... beyond.

Registration is open now! More info, including the conference schedule, can be found on the WAA website

Circle Up online and get WAA Ready with The World of WAA: Online Mixer and Webinar, dedicated to giving you the inside scoop on the conference experience and an opportunity to connect with colleagues. Friday May 15 at noon PT/1p MT/2p CT/3p ET.   

More info and register for the World of WAA at our website.
Stay tuned for more programming announcements throughout the spring: Sign up for the WAA enews!

SPECIAL EVENTS @ WAA OAK
Performing Arts Challenge Sponsored by Opus 3: Wednesday Sept 9 12-130pm

Design the future in this interactive arts salon. Over lunch, table hosts facilitate roundtable discussions about an arts challenge, and participants work together on rapid-fire solutions to solve the problem. Join Opus 3 and other solutions-oriented colleagues for the ultimate power lunch. A list of hosts and topics will be published before the conference, and attendees sign up for the challenge they’d like to solve.

$55 includes lunch. Registered conference attendees can sign up for the question you’d like to attack in July.

 

WAA Awards Luncheon: Thursday, Sept 10 12-130pm

Since 1985, the annual WAA Awards have celebrated and recognized colleagues and organizations who have advanced the performing arts field and strengthened the WAA community. Honorees are recognized for their exemplary leadership, creativity, service, and mentorship within the field, serving to inspire our work and energize our industry to reach new heights.

$75 includes lunch. Purchase a ticket as part of the registration process.

*Nominees for the WAA Awards – in the categories of Leadership, Emeritus, Mentoring, the Tim Wilson Distinguished Service Awards, and the Vanguard Award – come from the community; voting is open until Friday May 8. More info on the WAA website.