PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Business-related Development for the Theatre Professional, Theatre Groups and Entertainment Organizations

For information on TALENT related development, click on TALENT Workshops & Classes

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TRU Boot Camp - Raising Money for Theater: Who, How and When to Ask

Sunday, Jan., 29th, 2012 (9:30 - 6:30PM)

The Players Theatre, 115 Macdougal Street

GOT SHOW? NEED MONEY? Theater Resources Unlimited opens up the possibilities for tomorrow's productions with an all-day intensive workshop about many crucial aspects of raising money for theater. Faculty this year will include legendary producer Ben Sprecher (Rebecca, Sly Fox, Three Tall Women, Fortune's Fool, Lisbon Traviata, The Shape of Things, Moon for the Misbegotten revival), Cheryl Wiesenfeld (Porgy & Bess, Play Dead, A Steady Rain, Legally Blonde, Elaine Stritch: At Liberty), Patrick Blake (The Exonerated, Play Dead), Jane Dubin (Peter and the Starcatcher, The 39 Steps, The Norman Conquests), Meredith Lucio (Porgy & Bess, The 39 Steps), Van Dean and Kenny Howard of The Broadway Consortium (Ching•lish, Bonnie & Clyde, Porgy & Bess, upcoming Evita); plus attorneys LisaRoxanne Walters and Erach Screwvala, international fundraising consultant Laura Fredricks; financial advisor Bailie Slevin; and accountant Dave Spaulding.

For more information:
Visit http://www.truonline.org/BootCampMpney12.htm - An informative, empowering and inspiring day.

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SHRINK YOUR BUDGET WORKSHOP - FREE

T'is the season to start figuring out your show budgets for 2012.

Together we'll create your budget for your specific show. We'll figure out where to get the most out your dollar.

Also, this will be a wonderful opportunity to network and exchange ideas. I look forward to meeting and talking with you.

REGISTER HERE

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ALEC BALDWIN ANNOUNCES FELLOWSHIP AT THE SINGERS FORUM

New York, NY; December 16, 2011 - Alec Baldwin and Singers Forum are pleased to announce their partnership in the Alec Baldwin Fellowship at the Singers Forum. This unique program will support playwrights in the development and advancement of original theatrical works. Singers Forum, located at 49 West 24th Street, 4th Floor, is a non-profit organization committed to providing the highest quality vocal training in New York City. Alec Baldwin is a New York based actor who has received two Emmy Awards, three Golden Globe Awards, and six Screen Actors Guild Awards for his work on 30 Rock.

"In this age of digitized movie making, it is our duty to find a way to nurture the next generation of great theatrical storytellers," says Alec Baldwin. "I'm excited to lend my support and guidance to the Fellowship at the Singers Forum as it seeks to stimulate the community through unique voices and groundbreaking ideas."

"Singers Forum's mission has always been to create opportunities for artists of every level," says Artistic Director Don Rebic. "The Alec Baldwin Fellowship at the Singers Forum will create the opportunity for promising new theatrical projects to get personalized attention, while giving performers the invaluable opportunity to help in the development of an exciting new work. It's the perfect marriage of writer and performer and we're thrilled to have Mr. Baldwin's support!"

At a time when the commercial viability of theater has superseded its Artistic merit, The Alec Baldwin Fellowship at the Singers Forum will be a year program devoted to the development and advancement of groundbreaking and original theatrical works. With the assistance of Mr. Baldwin, Singers Forum will provide professional mentorship, fine-pointed dramaturgy, and a rigorous, individualized workshop process for each chosen project. Culminating in the Fellowship Festival, where each piece is presented in a highly staged backer's auditions, with the goal to create four pieces ready for production by the Summer of 2013.

Important Dates for the Alec Baldwin Fellowship:

• Fellowship Open to Applicants: December 15th, 2011
• Early Applications Due: February 1st, 2012
• Final Applications Due: February 29th, 2012
• Finalists Announced: April 25th, 2012
• Fellows Announced: May 23rd, 2012
• Orientation: June 6th, 2012
• Fellowship Festival: June, 2013

For More Information on the fellowship:www.SingersForum.org

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Broadway stars Liz Larsen, Jana Robbins, Orfeh, Darren Ritchie and Lawrence Clayton announced for Connections: The 2011 TRU Love Benefit, Sunday, November 6, 2011 at 12 noon

Theater Resources Unlimited (TRU) will celebrate its 20th year as a not-for-profit service organization with their annual TRU Love Benefit, Connections: Bringing People Together to Create and Experience the Arts. The event will take place on Sunday, November 6, 2011 beginning at 12 noon at Caroline's on Broadway, 1626 Broadway between 49th and 50th Streets, NYC. It will.be hosted by the comedy twins, the Stone Brothers, and will include songs from musicals that TRU has helped develop over the years: Orfeh (Legally Blonde, Saturday Night Fever) will recreate her performance from The Great American Trailer Park Musical, Darren Ritchie (Wonderland) will sing a song from Saint Heaven, Lawrence Clayton (Les Miz 25th anniversary, The Civil War, Saturn Returns) will perform a number from the 2010 TRU Voices musical Ocean in a Teacup. There will also be a special performance by Liz Larsen (Tony nominee for The Most Happy Fella, Hairspray, Damn Yankees revival); and Jana Robbins (Gypsy, Tale of the Allergist's Wife) will help pay tribute to TRU friend and advisory board member, the late Randall Wreghitt.

The 2011 recipient of the TRU Spirit of Theater Award, given to a member of the theater community who has demonstrated exceptional generosity of spirit and a willingness to support emerging artists and producers, will be Bruce Lazarus, a producerof Broadway and off-Broadway shows including Say Goodnight Gracie, The Gathering, Only Kidding, Shakespeare's R&J and Maybe, Baby It's You . Lazarus is also an entertainment attorney who in his 20 year career has represented such shows as the original productions of Blue Man Group and The Lion King, Disney's Beauty and the Beast and Aida in his capacity as head of business and legal affairs for Walt Disney Theatricals.

TRU will also present their annual TRU Humanitarian Award to Ben Cameron on behalf of Doris Duke Charitable Foundation for their invaluable work supporting the arts during this period of economic crisis, and for their commitment to supporting theater as a means of improving the quality of people's lives. This year's award for a successful self-producing artist, the TRU Entrepreneur Award, will be given to Lou Rodgers for keeping her company Golden Fleece Ltd. vital for over 36 years, supporting new works of musical theater and commissioning new works nearly every year.

A prominent lineup of industry luminaries lends their names to the event. The Honorary Benefit Committee includes attorney Brooke Barona of Sterling Publishing; Andre Bishop, artistic director of Lincoln Center Theater; Anne Bogart, artistic director of SITI Company; entertainment attorney and general manager Peter Breger, chairman of the Off-Broadway Alliance; Lauren Class Schneider, executive producer of Play On Broadway; Oskar Eustis, artistic director of the Public Theatre; Carl Flanigan, creative producer of Blue Man Group; producer Marty Gasparian; producer and general manager Roger Gindi; advertising executive Bill Hofstetter of hofstetter+partners / agency212; Todd Haimes, artistic director of Roundabout Theatre; Susan Lee of Camp Broadway; producer Barbara Ligeti; producer Dana Matthow; director Eleanor Reissa; marketing consultant and producer Michael Roderick; Tim Sanford, artistic director of Playwrights Horizons; publicist Keith Sherman; and producer Elsa Suisman.

The proceeds from this event directly benefit the programs of Theater Resources Unlimited, a not-for-profit service organization that educates people in the business of the arts, with a focus on producers, emerging theater companies and self-producing artists. Programs include monthly panels, workshops, a Producer Development and Mentorship Program, a new plays and new musicals reading series and a community e-newsletter of jobs, services, resources and theater events. Caroline's on Broadway, the scene of the last four TRU benefits, will again host.

The afternoon will feature a cocktail hour with passed hors d'oeuvres, a three-course luncheon and an awards show with entertainment. Talent from the Broadway and cabaret stages that have performed at TRU benefits over the past 10 years have included Joanna Gleason (Into the Woods), Melba Moore (Purlie!), Nancy Anderson (Yank!), Fisher Stevens, Jana Robbins, Chuck Cooper (The Life) and Tonya Pinkins (Caroline or Change). 

Tickets for the event will be $175 Premium Patron Level reserved seating on the first tier near the stage and $150 for Patron Level reserved seating on the first tier sides and second tier. Non-reserved General Admission tickets may be purchased for $100. Tickets are available through the TRU Store at www.truonline.org/store-new.html.

For inquiries about the event or to request a formal invitation package, email TRUnltd@aol.com or call 212/714-7628. For more information about TRU membership and programs, visit www.truonline.org or call 212-714-7628.

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Back Stage will partner with NBC, Telemundo, mun2, and Grant Wilfley Casting to produce an open audition on October 23rd, 2011 during Actorfest—a one-day event for performers held at NY Metropolitan Pavilion. Basic admission is FREE.

Every year, Back Stage takes the performing arts community to new levels and provides career opportunities and development during Actorfest in New York and Los Angeles. Sponsors of Actorfest in New York include Stella Adler Studio of Acting, Atlantic Acting School, AFTRA, and SAG.

The open call auditions brings diverse and fresh faces to networks and casting agencies that are seeking talent for new and existing entertainment programming. Hundreds of performers gather in line the night before for a chance to earn television exposure. In New York, details include:

Sunday, October 23 at 9am – 6pm (early attendance recommended)
Metropolitan Pavilion
125 West 18th Street
New York, NY

During Actorfest attendees will be able to:
* Attend workshops hosted by casting directors, agents, managers, and instructors
* Visit the Exhibit Hall where performers can find the tools they need to advance and invest in their careers including headshot photographers, fitness companies, acting teachers, voice coaches and more
* Participate in casting calls with big name networks and studios
* Take part in "Meet & Drop" sessions with popular casting directors for feedback on presentation
* Interact with peers in the networking cafe

(For a full list of WORKSHOPS click HERE)

Everyone must register to attend Actorfest. Basic Admission to Actorfest is FREE and includes the exhibit hall, open casting calls and entry to the café. Special pricing packages available for workshops and panels. Seating for workshops is on a first come basis. Meet & Drop sessions are FREE to attend with the purchase of any workshop.

Some of the speakers confirmed include: Kimberly Hope (Law & Order: Criminal Intent), Paul Schnee ("The Help," "Winters Bone"), Tiffany Little Canfield —Telsey + Co ("The Big C," "Smash"), and Erin Darke ("Pan Am," "We Need to Talk about Kevin").

Actorfest is for all age groups. Anyone under the age of 18 must be accompanied by a legal guardian. Only the interested person attending should register for the event. The guardian does not need to register for the event. A "parent" badge will be provided at check-in the day of the show.

For more information on the event, location specifics and audition details, interested candidates can visit www.actorfest.com.

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The Public Theater (Oskar Eustis, Artistic Director; Joey Parnes Interim Executive Director) will continue the 2011-2012 Public Forum season in October with “Users or Used?,” a provocative discussion with Mike Daisey, the creator and performer of The Agony and The Ecstasy of Steve Jobs, and Dan Lyons, the technology editor at Newsweek Daily Beast and creator of the “Fake Steve Jobs,” the persona behind the notorious tech blog The Secret Diary of Steve Jobs. Single tickets, priced at $25, go on sale Thursday, September 29 for “Users or Used?”

In November, to coincide with The Public's production of King Lear featuring Sam Waterston, The Public Forum will explore the question “Does Culture Make Us Who We Are?” This dynamic evening, presented in association with the Aspen Institute Arts Program, will feature David Brooks, Dr. Mary Schmidt Campell, Oskar Eustis, and Damian Woetzel. In January, Stephen Sondheim and Tony Kushner will return to the NYU Skirball Center for the Performing Arts for another exhilarating, one-on-one conversation, hosted by NEA Chairman Rocco Landesman.

The Forum began its second season earlier this month with "The 9/11 Decade," an incisive look at the legacy of the World Trade Center attacks. Host Alec Baldwin led a conversation that featured the insights of Kurt Andersen, Carl Bernstein, and Richard Nelson, the writer and director of the play Sweet and Sad.

The popular series continues on Sunday, October 23, at 7:00 p.m. in The Public’s Martinson Theater with "Users or Used: Is Our Technological Future Locked Down and Less Free?" Mike Daisey, the creator and performer of The Agony and The Ecstasy of Steve Jobs, will consider how our relationship with iPhones, iPads, and all the other gadgets that we love – and the companies that make them – is changing our society. He will be joined by Dan Lyons, the technology editor at Newsweek Daily Beast, who created "Fake Steve Jobs," the persona behind the notorious tech blog "The Secret Diary of Steve Jobs."

On Monday, November 21 at 8:00 p.m., the third program in the fall Public Forum season draws its inspiration from Thomas Jefferson's remark that a sense of filial duty is better instilled by King Lear than all the volumes on ethics ever written. To coincide with The Public's production of Shakespeare's great tragedy, The Public Forum, in association with the Aspen Institute Arts Program, will ask: “Does Culture Make Us Who We Are?”

This special event will feature noted author and New York Times columnist David Brooks; Dr. Mary Schmidt Campbell, the Dean of the Tisch School of the Arts and the Vice-Chair of the President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities; and Damian Woetzel, former principal dancer at New York City Ballet and the new Director of the Aspen Institute Arts Program. The evening will also feature remarks by Public Theater Artistic Director Oskar Eustis on the arts and our democracy. Tickets for “Does Culture Make Us Who We Are?” go on sale Monday, October 24.

In one of the highlights of The Public Forum’s inaugural season, Stephen Sondheim and Tony Kushner held a dazzling one-on-one conversation about their work, their inspirations, and the theatrical life. To mark the publication of the second volume of Sondheim’s memoir and lyric anthology, Look, I Made a Hat, Sondheim and Kushner will continue their conversation, with a special focus on the shows covered in the new book, including the masterful Sunday in the Park with George, the politically charged Assassins, and more. The Public Forum on Tuesday, January 17, 2012 at the NYU Skirball Center for the Performing Arts will be hosted by Rocco Landesman, the Chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts. Tickets for “Sondheim/Kushner” go on sale in late November. 

THE PUBLIC FORUM is a high-profile series of lectures, debates, and conversations now entering its second season. Curated by Jeremy McCarter, the Forum features leading voices in politics, media, and the arts. Alec Baldwin, Sam Waterston, Cynthia Nixon, and NEA Chairman Rocco Landesman hosted programs in its inaugural season, which featured the insights of Stephen Sondheim, Jay McInerney, Arianna Huffington, Richard Foreman, Hendrik Hertzberg, and young veterans of the war in Afghanistan – plus performances by Anne Hathaway and Michael Cerveris, among others.

Tickets for “Users or Used?” on Sunday, October 23 at 7:00 p.m. are $25 and go on sale Thursday, September 29. Tickets for “Does Culture Make Us Who We Are?" on Monday, November 21 at 8:00 p.m. will go on sale Monday, October 24 and tickets for “Sondheim/Kushner” on Tuesday, January 17 at NYU Skirball Center for the Performing Arts will go on sale in late November.

The Public Theater is located at 425 Lafayette Street and the box office number is (212) 967-7555. For more information, visit www.publictheater.org.

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Workshop with SLAVA STEPNOV 

Artistic director of Steps Theatre, begins on September 9, 2011

Slava Stepnov, DirectorIn the course of the workshop, participants will enjoy an unexpected, modern take on Chekhov's "The Seagull". 

With the analysis of a few select scenes, we reveal that the renown playwright Chekhov is not a dry bygone of the classics who drones about the Russian melancholy, but a lively modern dramatist - complex, mischievous, full of humor... Actors will become familiar with his depth and wit as they rehearse these scenes--and have a lot of fun doing it!  

Essentially, Slava Stepnov believes, it is time to remove words "to play" from professional theatrical lexicon. Instead, he suggests we replace them with the term "to take action.” That’s exactly how ballet dancers “work” – with body and soul, and that’s exactly why their art is universally luminous. This advanced workshop titled "Drama is ballet, just with words" presents the inspiring opportunity for professional actors to perfect their talent and – by a chance of luck! - to touch the creative process of one of New York’s most distinguished directors.

Actors who wish to participate in the workshop, please send your resumes to stepstheatre@gmail.com You will be notified about your acceptance into the workshop shortly. 

If you have any questions, please call us at 212-841-5454

Dates & Times 
Friday, 9 September 6:30 - 9:30 pm. 
Saturday, 10 September 2 - 5 pm. 
Sunday, 11 September 2 - 5 pm.

Location 
Philip Coltoff Center 219 Sullivan Str.
New York, NY 10012   

Pricing 
Three sessions $210**
One session $75   

**The first 10 applicants will have receive a $60 discount after first session.

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Wed., June 29, 2011 at 7:30PM  -  Theater Resources Unlimited in association with The Players Theatre and Back Stage Present the Industry Panel

Strategic Social Media and New Media Marketing: Keeping Ahead in the Age of Technology

Presented at The Players Theatre, 3rd Floor Loft Theatre, 115 MacDougal Street (below W. 3rd Street), NYC.
 
The panel will include Ruben Brache, Producer (Little Women, Shout!) and Director of Social Media at studentrush.org; Shoshana Greenberg, Marketing Assistant at Primary Stages and formerly Roundabout Theatre Company; Kathryn Jones, New Media Producer, former Vice President of For Your Imagination; Angie Gannon, Social Media Manager at Situation Interactive.  Moderated by Meredith Lucio, Producer, Rooms: a rock romance, The 39 Steps Off Broadway, Social Media Director for Theater Resources Unlimited.
 
The employment rate for Internet Technology professionals has never been so high, and with good reason. Today's world is literally accessible at the tweet of a button and more and more companies are using social networks, blogging communities, video hosting, and engaging online media to grow their business by collecting an infinite amount of statistical information with metric results. It's no different in theatre and it is here to stay.
 
Doors open at 7:00pm for networking and refreshments, panel starts promptly at 7:30pm. FREE for TRU members; $12 for non-members. Please call at least a day in advance (preferably sooner) for reservations: 212-714-7628; or e-mail Christopher Massimine, Programming Director at ChrisM@truonline.org.
  
Programs of Theater Resources Unlimited are supported in part by public funds awarded through the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA) and the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs, as well as generous support from the Friar's National Foundation Association.
 
For more information about TRU membership and programs, visit www.truonline.org or call 212-714-7628.

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May 25th, 2011 at 7:30PM  -  Theater Resources Unlimited in association with The Players Theatre and Back Stage Present the Industry Panel

Catch Me If You Can Get the Rights: Adapting Films into Musicals

Wednesday, May 25, 2011 at 7:30pm at The Players Theatre, 3rd Floor Loft Theatre, 115 MacDougal Street (below W. 3rd Street), NYC.

The panel will include Tony-nominated producers Margo Lion (Catch Me If You Can, Hairspray, The Wedding Singer, Come Fly Away, Caroline or Change) and Hal Luftig (Catch Me If You Can, Legally Blonde, Movin' Out, Come Fly Away, Thoroughly Modern Millie). Their first-hand experiences will throw light on specific issues such as identifying a movie property with musical potential, how many hoops do you have to jump through to get the rights, what makes it sing, and how do you put together the right creative team to translate it into something stage-worthy? Other areas to be covered include: when is a familiar movie a marketable brand, and when is it just a good story with a proven structure? How open (or resistant) are movie fans to tampering with their beloved classics? Does a stage version of a film attract a wider audience than a show written directly for the stage?

Doors open at 7:00pm for networking and refreshments, panel starts promptly at 7:30pm. FREE for TRU members; $12 for non-members. Please call at least a day in advance (preferably sooner) for reservations: 212-714-7628; or e-mail Christopher Massimine, Programming Director at ChrisM@truonline.org.

For more information about TRU membership and programs, visit http://www.truonline.org or call 212-714-7628.

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