TRU PRODUCER BOOT CAMP
Raising Money for Theater:
How, Who and When to Ask

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 Broadway producers Kristin Caskey of Fox Theatricals, Cheryl Wiesenfeld, Jane Dubin, Tom Smedes and Randall Wreghitt, plus attorneys Mark Beigelman and Lisaroxanne Walters, business consultant Sheila Speller and personal coaches Jane Petrov and Roy Havrilack.

Click here for a NY One on-line feature about last year's workshop!
Click here for a great feature article in the Columbia Spectator!

It's a tough economy, no doubt about it. All the more reason why people need support and the skills to go about the business of producing. We invite you to come acquire some basic tools and information that will help you to function effectively in these times and the better days that are surely ahead. From networking techniques to legal requirements and effective business planning, plus a wealth of first-hand experience from more than a half dozen producers who are currently active in the Broadway and off-Broadway worlds, we promise you an informative, empowering and inspiring day.

Here's what attendees had to say about the day:

It was a fun, informative day and a great opportunity to meet people! ~Laurence Holzman, '10

Yesterday was fantastic. I look forward to be more involved with TRU as I continue this journey of becoming a producer. Thank you for your hard work and generosity. ~ Eric Ruben, '10

Yesterday was very intense (a good thing). I left very depressed. Then I got mad. And now I'm ready to just get going. I think it is all part of the process of hearing information and having questions answered you didn't even know you had! That in itself is helpful. It was very insightful. I'm very grateful for the opportunities that TRU provides. ~David Flora, '10

In addition to the informative and interesting program it was fun to be in the theatre with 55 people as obsessed with the theatre as I am. ~Sheila Steinberg, '09

The most valuable 8 hours I've spent in my theatre career. ~William Roetzheim, '09

TRU consistently delivers extremely useful insights and information to develop smarter producers. ~Lary Brandt, '09

TRU is always true to their word when they say their workshops are the best in town! Excellent information is always provided and I can put it to practical use the next day. ~Michael A. Pizzi, PhD, Founder and Artistic Director, Touching Humanity, Inc., '09

Just wanted to send out a quick thank you for yesterday’s Producers Boot Camp. We learned so much and left feeling uplifted, not only about what we were doing for our company at present, but about what we could do in the future. We felt honored to be part of such a wonderful community of artists and business people, and that will stay with us long into the new year; it was a perfect springboard for the work that awaits us all. ~Bob Combe, Annie Wolf; E Phoenix Idealis Theater, '09

I just want to say what a fantastic workshop you put together last Saturday. Not only did I obtain valuable information but met a lot of wonderful people as well. ~Fred Rohan, '09

I thought the workshop was terrific! I had no idea how ignorant I was about raising money. So many thanks to you and all the terrific presenters - not to mention the lovely and talented attendees I met there. ~Pam Tate, '09

Your workshop was probably the most valuable one I've ever attended. ~Toni Wellman, '09

The speakers at TRU's Boot Camp for Producers offered such important information, so effectively, that my knowledge of how to raise money for both commerical and non-commercial projects was significantly enhanced. I want to thank TRU for conceiving and presenting the excellent Producer's Boot Camp and to thank TRU for its consistently excellent work in helping Producers and Theater Artists. ~Janet Conrad, '09

Thanks for yesterday - very informing and well put together - congrats. Keep up the good work - you are making a diffference - Frankel was great as were many of the others. ~Doug Claybourne, '09

I felt the Producers' Boot Camp was the single best TRU event you have opened up to individuals. Not because of its nature or theme. For me it was simply this: that all the efforts from TRU sort of melded with the times we all are in today. ~Catherine Gropper, '09

Saturday January 23rd, 10am to 6pm
The Players Theatre, 3rd floor Loft,
115 MacDougal Street

Cost: $175
- $25 off for all current paid TRU members -

Click here for Curriculum
Click here for Faculty Bios
Click here for Application as web page
Click here for Application as Word Document (preferred)

TRU BOOT CAMP FACULTY

	KRISTIN CASKEY (Producer) heads Fox Theatricals with partner Mike Isaacson. Broadway: The Seagull; Legally Blonde (currently on National Tour and in London); ‘night, Mother; Caroline, or Change; Thoroughly Modern Millie (Tony Award); One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest (Tony Award); Death of a Salesman (Tony Award), You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown and Jekyll & Hyde. Chicago: Fully Committed, And Neither Have I Wings To Fly, Rum & Coke. Upcoming: Bring It On for Universal Studios and Beacon Pictures, Traces, and Mad Hot Ballroom. Kristin is chair of the Marketing Committee and on the Board of Governors for the Broadway League. She is a board member of Early Stages, a non-profit program dedicated to providing the arts in New York City public schools.
JANE DUBIN is the President of DOUBLE PLAY CONNECTIONS, a theatrical production and management company committed to supporting emerging artists & playwrights in the creation and development of new works. Jane is a graduate of the Commercial Theatre Institute's 14 week (NYC) and O’Neill Center Intensive (CT) Producing Workshops and a member of TRU’s Producer Mentorship Program. Broadway: The Norman Conquests (7 TONY nominations, winner – TONY, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Best Play Revival); Off-Broadway: Groundswell, starring Larry Bryggman, David Lansbury and Souleymane Sy Savane; Beebo Brinker Chronicles at 37 Arts (2008 GLAAD Media Award for Theatre); National Tour: The 39 Steps. Other: OPA! at TBG Theatre (Best Commercial Production, MITF 2008; TRU Voices Award for Most Promising New Musical 2007), Take Me America by Bill Nabel and Bob Christianson (Best Musical, MITF 2007), Count Down, by Dominique Cieri, at the Bank Street Theatre and MentalPause by Margaret Liston, at the WorkShop Theatre (MITF 2006) and Solo Play Lab (NYC) and Society Hill Playhouse in Philadelphia. Jane is also the consulting producer for Moving Mantras, a dance company inspired by the practice of yoga. www.DoublePlayConnections.com
	BEN FELDMAN - a principal of the law firm Beigelman, Feiner & Feldman, P.C. since 2007, is a theatre and independent film entertainment lawyer, also practicing in the areas of book publishing, television, and other media. His varied clientele includes publicists (including the Karpel Group), talent agencies (including Harden, Curtis & Associates), venues (including Ars Nova), casting directors (including Mackey Sandrich) and not for profit theaters (including Naked Angels, the Hourglass Group, and the Peccadillo). In film he has acted as production counsel for a number of movies (ranging from his first, Kissing Jessica Stein, to Trumbo, currently in theaters), the most recent of which is Black Dynamite (post production) which is being handled by the Endeavor Agency worldwide and for which Mr. Feldman raised a portion of the financing. He handles major motion picture theatrical distributors (including Roadside Attractions/Lions Gate), including rights acquisition and delivery. As producer rep he has made historic sales both at Sundance (Deadline, a documentary sold to a major television network for primetime) and at the most recent SXSW, where his film Second Skin made a record sale for that festival and for which Mr. Feldman sold all territories worldwide. He was production counsel, producer rep, and filmmaker’s lawyer for Southern Comfort (Sundance Grand Jury Prize). His artist representation includes Academy Award nominees (including documentarian Robert Stone) and writer/directors (including Daniel Barnz, who’s Phoebe in Wonderland was a critical and commercial highlight at the most recent Sundance Festival). Ben’s talent clients include current stars of The Starter Wife, The Daily Show and the recent one-woman Broadway play Golda’s Balcony.
	ROY HAVRILACK has been training attorneys and executives in presentation, marketing and management skills for several years.  He has taught and coached attorneys and partners at top law firms including Sullivan & Cromwell, Milbank Tweed, Gibson Dunn & Crutcher, Brown Rudnick, Allen & Overy, Shearman & Sterling, and White & Case.  He has also worked extensively with senior executives at leading financial institutions such as Merrill Lynch and Deutsche Bank.  Other clients include Avon Products, Inc. and Gemini Systems.  Roy has worked as a Client Services Manager for BusinessTalk, Inc., a training consultancy whose clients include Microsoft Corporation and leading accounting firms.  Roy is co-president of SkyTown Entertainment, LLC, a video and film production company that produces corporate sales and industrial videos, as well as short and feature-length films.   In addition to his experience as a trainer, Roy is also an actor in NYC. He starred in the award-winning independent film, “Say That You Love Me”, and was a recurring character on “One Life To Live”. Roy holds a BA in Theatre Arts from Oneonta State University.
	TOM SMEDES is a Theatrical Producer and General Manager with experience spanning twenty-five years. He is currently producing the critically acclaimed Next Fall at the Helen Hayes Theatre in February 2010. Also, Tom is producing Ace for Broadway. He recently was a producer on the Broadway show [title of show] at the Lyceum Theatre and is one of the producers of the musical revue Naked Boys Singing! now playing at New World Stages in New York City and the 3rd longest running musical off-Broadway. NBS! has played in over 35 cities under Tom’s supervision / license. Tom’s recent productions include the London Productions of Side By Side By Sondheim and Musical of Musicals (the Musical!); the off Broadway productions of Dog Sees God: Confessions of a Teenage Blockhead; The Black & White Blues, A New Orleans Restaurant Musical; The Women of Lockerbie, with The New Group; the one man show entitled 21 Dog Years: Doing Time @ Amazon.com, written and starring Mike Daisey at the historic Cherry Lane Theatre prior to its international tour of London, San Francisco, Seattle, Chicago and Sydney and People Are Wrong at The Vineyard Theatre. General Management credits include: Criss Angel: Mindfreak; Altar Boyz; The Musical of Musicals; High Infidelity starring Morgan Fairchild and John Davidson at The Promenade Theatre; Now Hear This, starring Kathy Buckley at the Lamb’s Theatre; Love Janis at the Village Theatre; Captain Louis by Stephen Schwartz; Ann Randolph’s Squeezebox produced by Anne Bancroft.
	SHEILA L. SPELLER is president and founder of Orielle Creative Company, a business consulting company for creative artists, creative professionals, arts organizations and entertainment companies. She now combines her wealth of knowledge from both the creative and business arenas, to help empower artists and creative professionals to assist them with integrating the business of their artistic discipline into their creative life. Sheila is a seasoned professional with over 20 years experience in front of the camera and behind-the-scenes in the performing arts and entertainment industry, and holds an M.B.A. with a specialization in Media Management. A theater producer and general manager, Sheila is a 2007 graduate of the Commercial Theatre Institute, and was awarded a partial TRU Scholarship to attend. She produced George Brome's Another Man's Poison Off-Broadway at the Peter Jay Sharp Theatre, and currently has 4 plays in development. Her company creates business plans for theatre productions, handles production General Management (contracts, union, payroll, insurance, pre-production and production budgets, accounting, statistical survey reporting/analysis), essentials for any production that wishes to move their project forward. Sheila is a frequent speaker on entrepreneurship and business planning and has presented seminars for creative professionals at the School of Visual Arts, colleges, and Art Councils.
	LISAROXANNE WALTERS, ESQ. (Commercial/Not-for-Profit/Fiscal Sponsorship) enjoys her "day jobs" of corporate attorney, tax preparer, as well as business and law professor. When this seasoned actor is not on stage or a set, she is often starting up and advising small for- and non-profit businesses, drafting contracts, or preparing taxes. Before starting her private practice in 2004, she worked for six years in the corporate departments of leading firms such as Skadden Arps, Phillips Nizer, and others. LisaRoxanne was a legal specialist for non-profits and enjoyed a ten-year appointment to New York City's Neighborhood Advisory Board. This bi-coastal actor is a member of Actors Equity Association and Screen Actors Guild. LisaRoxanne's acting resume, "day job" curriculum vitae, and pix can all be found at www.lisaroxannewalters.com.
	CHERYL WIESENFELD - Broadway: A Steady Rain, Legally Blonde; Dirty Rotten Scoundrels; Caroline, or Change; ‘night, Mother; Elaine Stritch: At Liberty (Tony). Off-Broadway: In the Continuum; Shockheaded Peter; The Exonerated; Talking Heads; The Waverly Gallery. Ms. Wiesenfeld was the recipient of Theater Resources Unlimited's 2007 "Spirit of Theater" Award for her ongoing generosity to young producers in the New York community, as well as her selfless support of the work that TRU does. She is one of the founding Mentors in the TRU Producer Mentorship Program, and to date has mentored six aspirants, including guiding one production to win four Audelco Awards, and helping another production find success in regional theaters.
	RANDALL L. WREGHITT - Upcoming Broadway productions include THE MIRACLE WORKER and THE GREAT GAME, as well as, the musicals PURE COUNTRY, PEPITA: Senorita Matador, and EDDIE AND THE CRUISERS. Broadway productions include the Tony Award winning musical GREY GARDENS (10 Tony nominations including Best Musical);  Martin McDonagh’s LIEUTENANT OF INISHMORE (five Tony nominations including Best Play); LITTLE WOMEN - the musical starring Tony winner Sutton Foster (Best Actress Tony nomination) and Maureen McGovern; GOLDA’S BALCONY starring Tovah Feldshuh (Best Actress Tony nomination) and written by William Gibson; Mary Zimmerman’s Tony Award winning METAMORPHOSES (three Tony nominations including Best Play); HEDDA GABLER starring Kate Burton (Best Actress Tony nomination); the Tony Award winning revival of ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’S NEST starring Gary Sinese (two Tony nominations); McDonagh’s THE LONESOME WEST (four Tony nominations including Best Play); McDonagh’s four-time Tony Award winning play, THE BEAUTY QUEEN OF LEENANE (six Tony nominations including Best Play); the acclaimed revival of ELECTRA starring Zoe Wanamaker (three Tony nominations including Best Revival); and the musical, BAND IN BERLIN.  He was the Associate Producer of the Tony Award winning Broadway revival of Tom Stoppard’s THE REAL THING. Off Broadway productions include: THE WAVERLY GALLERY by Kenny Lonergan starring the legendary Eileen Heckert in the role that won her every major theater award (including the Tony, Drama Desk, Obie, Lortel and Drama League).  He also produced Douglas Carter Beane’s hit comedy, AS BEES IN HONEY DROWN; Karen Trott’s acclaimed one person musical, THE SPRINGHILL SINGING DISASTER; the hit revival of Mart Crowley’s THE BOYS IN THE BAND; Nicky Silver’s long running hit, THE FOOD CHAIN; Mark St. Germaine’s award- winning comedy, CAMPING WITH HENRY AND TOM; and the Off-Broadway cult hit musical, ZOMBIE PROM.  He was the Associate Producer of Edward Albee’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play THREE TALL WOMEN. www.RandallWreghitt.com
	MICHAEL RODERICK (Boot Camp Director) started Small Pond Entertainment five years ago when he found that it was virtually impossible for an artist to be at their best when they also had to produce. He developed a system for the advancement of a producing organization to be the umbrella for shows that lacked producers. Over the years Small Pond has become a major name in the NYC Theatre Community having presented shows in numerous venues and with hundreds of different artists. As Artistic Director, Michael has produced over 30 shows since his arrival in NY in September 2002. He has also been the organizer of networking events that have included representatives from The New York Musical Theatre Festival, Fractured Atlas, and RWS casting and Associates. He holds a BA in Secondary Ed English and Theatre performance from Rhode Island College and an MA from NYU in Educational Theatre Colleges and Communities. Michael also teaches English at LaSalle Academy where he is the head of the drama program. He has written 15 plays and his play "I'll do it Tomorrow" will be published in the 2004- 2005 Best American Short Plays published by Applause books. www.smallpondentertainment.com

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