Saturday and Sunday July 20th and 21st, 10:00am to 6pm
Clinton Cameo Studios, 307 W. 43rd Street, Studio B (take elevator down to B level)
Early Bird Discount through 7/1 - save $50 to $60!

If you’re planning to produce or self-produce, do it right, do it smart, do it cost-effectively. Learn the ins and outs from experts with this once-a-year weekend workshop that offers basic and not-so-basic training for producers, geared to those producing at the in-the-trenches reading and Equity Showcase level. And with particular application for those planning to produce in the upcoming festivals. We know producing can feel overwhelming. Let us help you break the skill sets down step by step so you can get through the experience with the greatest efficiency. You can do it!

You will meet a phenomenal lineup of experts including Broadway producers Cheryl Wiesenfeld (4-time Tony winner for Vanya & Sonia & Masha & Spike, Porgy & Bess, All the Way, Elaine Stritch: At Liberty), Jeremy Handelman (Latin History for Morons, On the Town) and Patricia Klausner (Tony winner for The Band's Visit and Pippin revival; plus The Scottsboro Boys, Stick Fly, The Trip to Bountiful); former artistic director of Midtown International Theatre festival Gerald vanHeerden; general manager Evan Bernardin of Evan Bernardin Productions; plus entertainment attorneys Lee A.G. Feldshon and Eric Goldman, Carnegie Hall production manager John Lant, marketing and public relations expert Joe Trentacosta, financial consultant Bailie Slevin, casting director Jamibeth Margolis and box office manager David Flora. The intensive will cover everything from Legal Requirements to Production Timeline and Budgeting to Raising Money and Marketing. Every aspect of showcase producing is broken down into easy-to-understand step-by-step modules, including a discussion of the differences between producing in a festival and producing on your own. Which is the best route for your project? Which will make you the most profit?

Limited to 40 participants.
Cost: $280 for non-member ($210 until July 1st)
$225 for TRU members ($175 until July 1st)
Membership/Workshop Package: $300 ($250 until July 1st)
Second attendee: $100

FESTIVAL SPECIAL: registrants accepted into FringeNYC, Dream Up, Broadway Bound, NYMF, NY Theatre Fest, or other festivals take $20 off (email TRUStaff1@gmail.com for code)

CLICK HERE FOR AN ONLINE APPLICATION
OR DOWNLOAD AND FILL OUT:
(interactive PDF) BOOT-CAMP_weekend_app-rev19 
(Word) BOOT-CAMP_weekend_app-rev19 
The information we ask for is useful in customizing the material presented to your needs. Use the online link or download application, then pay through the bright red registration block on this page or by mailing a check to the address on the application.

SCHEDULE (subject to change)

Saturday July 20

 9:30-10am - coffee and cake/bagels

10:00 - keynote speaker: tba

10:15-10:45 - “Clarifying Your Goals: Why Are You Producing This?” with producer Patricia Klausner. Should your show be commercial or not-for-profit? In a festival or produced independently? How much should you be spending? How big a theater do you need? So much depends on what you hope to achieve. 

10:45-11:45pm –"What You Need to Know Before Asking for Money" with attorney Lee Feldshon.  Investments, donations and gifts - do you know the difference? We'll look at commercial, not-for-profit and fiscal sponsorship models, and what you need to know about each when asking for money for your production.

11:45-12:00 - BREAK

12:00-1:00 – "Legal Schmegal: Contracts, Options, Underlying Rights and More" with attorney Eric Goldman.  Additional legalities to consider: Do you have the right to produce this show? How do you go about getting the option? How do you do this without encumbering your property unnecessarily? Do you need to set up a legal entity to produce a showcase?

1:00-2:00 - LUNCH

2:00-2:30 - “Watching Your Figures: Putting Together a Smart Budget” with general manager Evan Bernardin. An overview of basic line items in a showcase budget, and a realistic look at what things actually cost.

2:30-3:15 - "Union Codes & Contracts: Equity, SDC, DG, 802" with Evan Bernardin. The gospel according to Actors Equity, and how it sets the rules for readings, showcases and beyond. Plus realistic expectations when dealing with the directors' union, the Dramatists Guild and the musicians' union. 

3:15-3:30 - BREAK

3:30-4:15 - "Box Office and Ticketing Options" with box office manager David Flora. This is a business. You need to be careful about money and accurately track your sales. There's no mystery to it: there are tried-and-true systems for handling this. And though you are ultimately responsible for your performance tallies, different ticketing options can be helpful in different ways. Which ticketing service will best serve your show?

4:15-5:00 - "Producing Smart: Fringes and Festivals, or On Your Own?" with Jeremy Handelman, Gerald vanHeerden, others tbd, moderated by Bob Ost. There are advantages to producing in the Fringe or a festival, but there are also trade-offs. We'll discuss what you need to consider before deciding the best (and potentially most profitable) path for your production.

5:00 - Keynote speaker: tba

5:30pm-6:00pm – networking reception

Sunday, July 21

9:30-10am – coffee and cake/bagels

10:00-10:45 – "Putting Together Your Production Team" with John Lant, technical director of Carnegie Hall, artistic director Write Act Rep. Things to consider when hiring your design team, and what your designers need from you. 

10:45-11:30 – "How to Find (and Book) the Right Space" with John Lant. Black box or proscenium? Wing space, fly space, lighting and tech requirements, location and more. 

11:30-11:45 – BREAK

11:45 -12:30 –“Creative Fundraising (Please Don’t Put It on Your Credit Card!)” with financial advisor and producer Bailie Slevin. Crowdsourcing, different kinds of fundraisers and how to just get over it and ask for the money you need. We'll include belief systems and how they affect us, and understanding how money works.

12:30-1:15 - "Project Management: Setting Timelines, Managing Teams, Defining Outcomes" with Bailie Slevin. It pays to get the order right. How far in advance do you book a space? Hire your creative staff? Start the marketing? Raise the money?

1:15-2:15 - lunch

2:15-3:00 - "Finding Your Audience: An Overview of Marketing" with Joe Trentacosta. Defining the basics: marketing, advertising, PR. And how does social media fit into all this? What are your most important expenses on a limited budget? How do you identify and reach your audience? Should a showcase producer ever do his own marketing?

3:00-3:45 - "The Essentials of Successful PR"with Joe Trentacosta. What goes into an effective press release? When should releases be sent out? How do you stand out from the crowd?

3:45-4:15 - "How to Run an Efficient Audition, and When, Why and How to Use a Casting Director” with Jamibeth Margolis.

4:15-4:30 – BREAK

4:30-5:15 - "Next Steps: What Happens After That Showcase (and How to Prepare)?" moderated by 4-time Tony Award winner producer Cheryl Wiesenfeld with Patricia Klausner. The best way for your show to have a future is to plan ahead the moment you decide to produce that first showcase, festival presentation or reading. A panel of producers will talk about the steps they took to grow their brand.

5:15 - Keynote speaker: Cheryl Wiesenfeld

5:30-6:00pm - networking reception

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  EVAN BERNARDIN

  Evan Bernardin Productions is a general management and production company specializing in consulting and management for theatrical productions. They have supported the development of projects headed for the Broadway and Off-Broadway markets. National Tours: Million Dollar Quartet, Charlie Brown Christmas Live. Select Off Broadway: Afterglow, Must, Diaspora, Counting Sheep. EBP has worked with the New York Musical Theatre Festival (NYMF), Broadway Cares Equity Fights AIDS (BCEFA), Fringe (NY & LA), The Workshop Theatre Company, and The Make A Wish Foundation; collaborative projects include performances at Lincoln Center, The United Nations, Cornell University, Georgetown's Gaston Hall, The Culture Project, The Ohio Theatre, and The Metropolitan Museum of Art. www.evanbernardinproductions.com 
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  LEE A. G. FELDSHON

  has over 25 years of experience in entertainment and corporate law. He launched his private practice, Feldshon Law PLLC, in 2018.  He represents producers, co-producers, composers, bookwriters, lyricists, directors, and other creatives in the live theatrical industry. He represented the New York Musical Theatre Festival from its 2004 founding to its dissolution.  He was production counsel for the Broadway revival of Pump Boys & Dinettes, and represented a Tony-award winning actor) in connection with the Tony-award winning Broadway musical The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.  He represents the producers and/or authors of other live theatrical works including Stranger Sings! The Musical Parody, EPIC, Lizard Boy, Islander-A New Musical, Mozart-The New Musical, Dangerous-A New Musical, Who's Your Baghdaddy? Or How I Started the Iraq War, Desperate Measures (2018 Drama Desk Awards for Original Music and Original Lyrics), Rooms, and others. He is also co-producing Austen's Pride: A New Musical of Pride and Prejudice.  He negotiates screenplay option/purchase agreements and financing documents for film producers, and has worked as film production counsel for  Fly Away (SXSW Official Selection) and the documentary Darkon: An American Fantasy (2006 SXSW Audience Award). While Director of Legal Affairs and Business Development of the Radio City Entertainment division of Madison Square Garden, L.P., he worked on The Radio City Christmas Spectacular, A Christmas Carol, and Rockettes performances. As a Levine Plotkin & Menin associate, he worked on Rent (Broadway, touring), The Wild Party (Broadway), De La Guarda (Off Broadway), and other shows. He started his career as a corporate associate at White & Case.  In addition, he handles trademark and copyright registrations for clients, and represents talent management companies.  He received a B.A. from Columbia College in 1991 (magna cum laude, Rhodes Scholar State Finalist) and a J.D. from Columbia Law School in 1994 (Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar). Bar Admissions: New York.
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  DAVID FLORA

  has worked as Box Office Treasurer for some of the major off-Broadway and showcase theaters in the New York area including both the 98-seat and 55-seat Abingdon Theatre Company spaces, the 99-seat Peccadillo Theatre Company, the 130 seat Stage 72 at The Triad,  the flexible 99 to 160-seat St. Clement's Theatre and the 499-seat Gramercy Theatre, among others. He has worked with Ovation and Webtix, Vendini, Brown Paper Tickets and Telecharge. Outside of Manhattan he has run box office for the Molloy College Madison Theatre, Actors Theatre of Louisville and Merrimack Repertory Theatre. He worked as Charlotte Wilcox's assistant at Charlotte Wilcox general management and is currently running box office at St. Clement's Theatre for off-Broadway's Babette's Feast. 
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  ERIC GOLDMAN

  For over 25 years, Eric has provided legal services to Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony award winning talent, and to technology and internet entrepreneurs. Recent projects include representing the writers of the Broadway smash hit Come from Away and the producers of the highly successful Off-Broadway musical parody of the television show Friends. Before launching his own firm in 2011, Eric worked for 15 years as a Senior Associate for entertainment attorney Mark Sendroff of Sendroff & Baruch LLP. Eric also served as in-house counsel for St. Martin’s Press and Hertz Computer. His first job out of law school was working as an associate for copyright guru Stanley Rothenberg.  Eric is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and New York University School of Law.
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  JEREMY HANDELMAN

  is a two-time Tony Award nominated producer whose many credits include John Leguizamo’s Latin History for Morons (Broadway and National Tour), the Broadway revival of On the Town, the Off Broadway and regional production of the rock musical comedy Brooklyn Crush, formerly F#%king Up Everything (NY Times Critics' Pick & Best New Musical nominee), White’s Lies and the acclaimed production of The Chekhov Dreams. He is one of the lead producers of Dearly Beloved, a fully immersive theater production slated for 2020, and is on the producing team for several Broadway-aimed musicals currently in development. Jeremy is the founder of Off The Leash Productions, where he produces a wide range of marketing and entertainment video including commercials, promos, web videos and performance shoots (OffTheLeashProductions.com). Past Lives: Vice President, Programming of CBS Sports; Vice President, Programming Sales for Wink Communications. Other Lives: Co-President of the Brown University Club in New York; serves on the board of Houses on the Moon Theater Company and served for many years on the board of Theater Resources Unlimited.
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  JOHN LANT

  (Creative Producer / Artistic Director / Consultant) 40-year veteran in the entertainment in over 700 television, film, theatre/music tours, and live theater. Pre-Covid: Production Manager at Carnegie Hall since 2006-2020 season for over 2,000 events. Award-winning producer, director, writer, lighting/set designer at Interlochen, Cal Arts, Ricardo Montalban, Powerhouse, Glendale Center, Hollywood Playhouse, Long Beach Playhouse, the Jewel Box Theatre Center and Write Act Repertory garnering DramaLogue, Diamond, ADA, NAACP Awards, LA Weekly and Backstage Pick of the Week, Garland and Valley Theatre (LA) nods. Executive Producer New Frequency - Theatre of the Mind 150 original Radio Dramas for SIRIUS/XM Radio's Sonic Theatre - Ranked #1 Radio show. Mentored with Jonathan Sanger & Chanticleer Films for two shorts that won an Emmy and an Oscar, Howard Storm CBS Radford and TRU PDMP Master fellow under Jane Dubin and Jennifer Issacson.  Directed TV / Pilots Symphology, Carrot Talk, BET JAZZ Master Awards (1&2), Toronto Independent Shorts Awards, Funiki-Jam Season 2, and Anonymous Confessions. 14 Off-Broadway Lead Producing (union and non-union) credits include FABULOUS! 2By Tennessee Williams, Lili Marlene, Frankenstein, It Came from Beyond, Wicked Frozen, Teen Party Massacre, SWING!, Wicked City Blues, Great Cat Massacre, GEEKS! (St. Luke's & Actors Temple). Recent Pre-COVID LA productions: Finest Hour (Winston Churchill), Wicked Wicked Mae West, The Lester Young Story, and Frank and Eva. TV/Film Credits include King of New York, The Freshman, Army of Darkness, Renegade, Power Rangers, and HBO Max's The Flight Attendant (CCO Supervisor). Tours include Phantom of the Opera, Singin' in the Rain, Gypsy, and Evita. Current Off-Broadway pre-production Pearl Bailey Musical (with Tony winning team members of Dreamgirls! and Hamilton). Development Director/Consultant - Twisted Media NYC, Nathan Murphy Prod, Gatehouse Entertainment, Tin Mirror Prod and Trinity Theatrics for new network and streaming content. COVID Compliance Officer for Film/TV/Theatre.
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  JAMIBETH MARGOLIS

  is a professional casting director in New York. She has worked with Johnson-Liff Casting, Cameron Mackintosh, and Margolis-Seay Casting and is now out on her own as a freelance casting director.  Her company is Jamibeth Margolis Casting and Productions. Previous credits include the Broadway and National Touring Companies of such mega hits as Les Miserables, The Phantom Of The Opera, Miss Saigon, The Producers, Cats, and Jane Eyre as well as two dozen other shows on Broadway. She also currently casts for Off-Broadway, National Touring Companies and shows for prominent regional theaters and the major theater festivals in NYC. Her casting office is dedicated to the development of new plays and musicals. Additional casting credits include multiple television pilots and on-camera industrials for major US companies. Current And Recent Casting Projects: Fiddler On The Roof In Yiddish (Stage 42 Off-Broadway/Winner of 2020 Artios Award For Casting), National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene Season, Sistas: The Musical (Off Broadway), Cleveland Musical Theatre Season, Parity Productions, Streaming Musicals and more. Jamibeth served as assistant director to Tony Award winner Jerry Zaks on the Broadway revival of The Caine Mutiny Court Martial and also on Jules Feiffer’s A Bad Friend at Lincoln Center Theatre. She has also helmed developmental productions and readings of the new works, including Naked In Encino, Owl Creek, Far From the Madding Crowd, Plane Crazy, Great Googley Moo, 1812, and Warsaw. Jamibeth also teaches musical theater, acting, and audition technique in studios all around NYC. She serves on the BFA Acting Faculty at Pace University. Member: Casting Society of America.  She served as a Tony Awards Voter for three Broadway seasons. Member: Lincoln Center Directors Lab.
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  BAILIE SLEVIN

  is the founder of Financial Wellness Companion, Entertaining Finance, and is the current Sales Trainer at MediaRadar. She has made a study of language and how people communicate value, be it screenwriting, playwriting, sculpting, performing, painting, or commercial sales. Bailie helps to translate the creator’s passions to others in a business setting. With her15 years in the personal financial planning industry, Bailie developed a niche in the arts and freelance communities, specializing in working with people with an uneven income. She has also spent significant time in the theatre industry as a stage manager, general manager, and producer. She is a Life Purpose Life Coach and a New York Mental Health Peer Specialist. She lives in New York City with her rescue pup, Lorelai.
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  JOE TRENTACOSTA

  is the President of JT Public Relations, a full-service entertainment public relations firm. He began his career in public relations over 17 years ago as an assistant at Springer/Chicoine PR, his first project was the PR assistant on the Tony Award-winning show Side Man and Tony Randall’s National Actors Theatre. In a short time, he rose in the ranks and eventually became Vice-President of Springer Associates PR, overseeing all live theatrical and special events including running the PR campaigns for campaigns for the Earth, Wind and Fire musical Hot Feet, multi-cultural Broadway productions of Tennessee William’s A Cat on a Hot Tin Roof with James Earl Jones and Terrence Howard and A Streetcar Named Desire with Blair Underwood. Off-Broadway companies have included The Actor’s Company, Theatre For a New Audience, Cherry Lane Theatre, The Women’s Project, Tada Youth Theatre, The Storm Theater, Broken Watch Theatre, Royal Family Productions, Amas Musical Theatre. Off-Broadway productions include The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical, The Golden Girl Show! A Puppet Parody, Clinton the Musical, The Other Josh Cohen,  and the Gazillion Bubble Show (which has been featured on many national television shows including: “Oprah Winfrey Show,” “Today Show,” “Good Morning America,” “Regis and Kelly” and many more). Throughout his career, he worked with a number of celebrities such as James Earl Jones, Tom Cruise, Will Smith, John Travolta, Al Pacino, Debbie Allen, Steve Buscemi, Anika Noni Rose, Phylicia Rashaad, Vincent Pastore, David Proval, Taye Diggs, Blair Underwood, Lou Diamond Philips and many more.  JT Public Relations also represents a variety of non-profit organizations including National Meningitis Association and Stuttering Association for the Young,  check http://jt-pr.net/clients for updated list of clients. 
• 

  GERALD vanHEERDEN

  is a graduate of The Boston Conservatory and an alumnus of Webster University Theater Arts Conservatory.  He is an emerging, East Coast director of New Works.  Gerald has a long and storied, career of experience in the NYC, Off Broadway and Off-Off Broadway theater community, working with new plays and creative, musical theater endeavors as Artistic Director of Plays (MITF), Producer/Director (vMHF Theatricals) and Conceptualist/Director (SDC).  As Artistic Director of Plays for the Midtown International Theatre Festival, Mr. vanHeerden, helmed Break A Leg’s award winning production of Farm Hall in July 2014, where he is Resident Director and in February 2015 Dangerous Walk by Mathew Ethan Davis as Producer/Director at the Venus Theatre Festival.  Stage Directors and Choreographers national and Broadway union (SDC) member. 2016: Caldwell’s Bomb (Producer/Director) by William Rogers at the Venus Theatre Festival, February 2016, Encore as Finalist and Nominated as Best Director. Your Name on My Lips, a new musical, (Director) Theater For The New City, March-2017: The Imperfect Hour A new musical (Fall 2017) and a solo play and reminiscence, based on the poetry of Tennessee William’s with Miller Lide, (Fall 2017). Website:  www.geraldvanheerden.com
• 

  CHERYL WIESENFELD

  Following a career in publishing, Cheryl began her theatre producing career in 1998. Broadway: The Great Society, The Heidi Chronicles, All The Way, Rocky, Vanya & Sonia & Masha & Spike, The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess, A Steady Rain, Legally Blonde, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, ‘night Mother, Caroline or Change, Elaine Stritch At Liberty, and Hedda Gabler. Off Broadway: 10th Anniversary Exonerated, Play Dead, In The Continuum, Shockheaded Peter, Talking Heads, The Exonerated, The Waverly Gallery. Film: Elaine Stritch: Shoot Me. Current: Ain’t Too Proud- The Temptations musical. Upcoming: The Harder They Come. Cheryl has produced shows that have spawned national and international tours and sit down productions, regional productions, and London engagements which have grossed hundreds of millions of dollars. Cheryl has won numerous awards for her productions including the Drama League, Drama Desk, Lucille Lortel, New York Drama Critics Awards and 4 Tony Awards. She has been honored by Theater Resources Unlimited with “The Spirit of Theater” award in 2007, and The Houses on The Moon Amplify 2015 Award for her support in championing the unheard voice. Her board commitments: Theater Resource Unlimited where she co-founded the TRU mentorship program. The program to date has mentored over 200 commercial producers and self producing artists. Cheryl is on the board of Silver Hill Hospital in New Canaan, Connecticut, and is on the Honorary Council of Long Wharf Theatre in New Haven Connecticut. Cheryl continues her mentoring work and speaks at universities, on panels and for different organizations. She is in her second year of curating a theatre program with the title - Theatre that changes OUR World- at The Quick Center at Fairfield University.