Speed Date has Zoomed into the Virtual World! More tech, less noise – each writer will be in an individual breakout room with each of our 11+ producers. 

Sunday 03/23/25, submission deadline 03/09/25
Early submissions will be given priority consideration.
Session 1: coaching at 2:00, pitching at 4:00 ET (there will be an hour wait time between coaching and pitching)
Session 2: coaching at 3:00, pitching at 5:30 ET (there will be a 90 minute wait time between coaching and pitching)

You meet a producer at a party, and have two minutes to interest him in your work. Do you have the skill to sell yourself? Here's a chance to practice your pitching with real producers who are open to and interested in meeting you. Okay, they probably won't option you on the spot, but they'll give you valuable feedback about your work and your ability to talk about it. And you'll have the opportunity to start developing a relationship. And that's what this business is all about. Relationships.

The Speed Date is the only event I know of that gives writers the chance to meet high level producers one-on-one in a room. To me, that's what makes the Speed-Dates so valuable. And you do it with kindness, which I value in life. ~Vincent Amelio (How Alfo Learned to Love)

Click here: WriterSpeedDateApp-90-75virtual-rev3 for application. Please fill out and email to TRUStaff1@gmail.com (PLEASE - add your name to the document name, and put your name FIRST when you "save as").

We'll have eleven producers lined up, from both the commercial and not-for-profit worlds, all with an interest in new projects; we also may have eleven aspiring producers from our Producer Development program. So you'll be pitching to as many as 22 producers in total! Come with a willingness to learn, because the real value is the chance to practice your pitching. And you'll be getting invaluable coaching from experts, as well.

Confirmed producers include (subject to change):

• Maxwell Beer, producer (Cellino v. Barnes, associate on A Commercial Jingle for Regina Comet, Marcel on the Train at Williamstown), recipient of the 2023 Prince Fellowship for producing, in association with Columbia University School of the Arts;
• Corey Brunish/Corey Brunish Productions, producer (Tony Awards for Pippin, Porgy and Bess, Once on This Island, Company, Parade; also Pulitzer Prize winning Fat Ham, The Play That Goes Wrong, Beautiful, the Carol King Musical, Come from Away, Mothers and Sons, On the Town revival, A Night with Janis Joplin, Bonnie and Clyde) - "I look for theater that heals, uplifts informs and inspires. I want the audience to feel better when they leave than when they came in";
• Charlotte Cohn, producer (Here Lies Love on Broadway; Without You with Anthony Rapp, Handle with Care, Church and State);
• Dani Davis, Emmy winner, Tony nominee, director and producer (Broadway and national tours include The Lonesome West, Little Women the musical, Billy Elliot, The Wedding Singer, Flashdance and Dreamworks' Shrek the musical, original and current) -"I focus on musicals, balancing the business and creative agenda,  and  cultivate a show's long term success, strategizing far beyond the Broadway stage."
• Merrie L Davis, creative producer, (Tony award for Parade, Tony award for Company Broadway, Olivier award for Company London, Cabaret, The Who’s Tommy, 6 Tony nominations for Eclipsed, Gigi; off-Broadway: Himself and Nora; Museum of Broadway; upcoming: Working Girl, Just In Time: Bobby  Darin; Bran Castle; Dead Outlaw; London: Farewell Mister Haffmann);
• Jane Dubin, producer (Still off-Broadway, Is This a Room, Dana H., The Prom, Tony winning The Norman Conquests, An American in Paris, Farinelli and the King, Bandstand, Peter and the Starcatcher, Absolute Brightness of Leonard Pelkey, The 39 Steps, Ann; upcoming: The Village of Vale, an original fantasy musical);
• Sharon Fallon/Sharon Fallon Productions, executive producer, general manager and consultant (Indecent, Beautiful Broadway, London & National Tour, Matilda The Musical, Lysistrata Jones);
• R.K. Greene, executive director, The StoryLine Project (current: Beau the Musical, Fifth Avenue; previous: Harmony, Peter and the Starcatcher, The Lightning Thief tour, Farinelli and the King, A Time to Kill, Terms of Endearment, Cougar the Musical, Room Service); 
• John Lant, producer/director/showrunner/consultant specialist for musicals/plays off-Broadway;  (17 off-Broadway shows: Frankenstein, Wicked Frozen, It Came from Beyond, Wicked City Blues, Fabulous; Earnestly LGBTQ+, XIMER), artistic director Write Act Rep NYC/LA (20 years); 2-time NAACP, 4-time DramaLogue & 4-time CA for the Arts Winner; PM Carnegie Hall (13 years), TV/Film Studio Operator for 2 Studios for stage to screen or film productions NY & NJ;  
• Stephanie McCabe, New York/New Orleans based producer/investor (Gypsy, Ain’t Too Proud, Tony Award-winning The Inheritance; Off-Broadway’s Little Girl Blue) - "I’m looking for stories that grab me and don’t let go, especially female and LGBTQ-driven projects. I also gravitate towards work that balances commercial and artistic interests in equal measure.";
• Christopher Michaels, founder/producing artistic director IndieWorks Theatre Company;
• Tamra Pica, TV, film and theater producer and casting director for Write Act Repertory - "My work centers on developing writers in theater, film and television. Though I tend to produce more musicals, I am interested in writers in all genres with a strong voice who write the stories they are uniquely meant to tell.";
• Blair Russell, producer (Lizard Boy at Edinburgh Fringe & Off-Broadway, DIVA: Live From Hell! at Edinburgh Fringe & Off West End, Pop Off, Michelangelo! at Edinburgh Fringe; Broadway: Tony nominated Slave Play; off-Broadway: STILL, Sweeney Todd revival).

Coaches: Emileena Pedigo, Chelsey Shannon, Bailie Slevin

Training Producers:  John Ewing III*, Roger Feuerman, Michael Grover, Rob Hofmann*, Mike Katona*, Maximilian Kempf, Drew Rieger*, Jeremy Sage, Jeffery Lyle Segal*,  Alan Stewart*, Soraya Sussman*, Joshua Trufant.

[*members and alumni of TRU's Producer Development program]

At TRU they not only provide you with the opportunity to meet 11 different producers, but they also provide you with tools and coaching to make your pitch night a success. They also bring producers that love the educational aspect of the pitch night and genuinely love meeting new writers. So, even if you don’t walk away with an option, which they tell you not to expect, you walk away with a better pitch, new ideas, and a bigger network. ~Kenady Sean, musicalwriters.com 

I really am impressed with the info and support from TRU. I've done several of these with [another] group. I quit last year. With you guys it's like you're setting us up for success, what a concept. ~Kurt Johns (Hello Kitty Must Die)

I just wanted to relay a huge thanks to you and everyone at TRU for this experience, it was awesome! We really felt supported the whole way through, and we feel so much better prepared to market our show after getting the chance to practice pitching. If there's anywhere we can write a review or something for this experience, please let us know. And thank you and the rest of the team for all the tech effort behind this. ~Daniel Rosen & Alara Magritte (Safe Hands)

Just wanted to say “thanks” for your Herculean efforts in making the event so worthwhile.... Honestly, I much preferred pitching via Zoom than in person with everyone else within earshot. ~Sam Affoumado (Panic Defense)

I participated in TRU's Writer's Speed Date Pitch session last year, and got a LOT out of it! I found it so motivating to have a deadline to create production assets and prepare myself for meeting producers. My partner and I worked tirelessly for days before the event to make sure we were in top form before presenting (as writers) to the "producers" on hand. My experience was one of the rare occasions where several producers expressed real interest in my work. Later, one attended my reading, and followed up with a coffee meeting to talk financing. We're still in touch. Again, this is never promised, but it does happen for some of us. In my opinion, the price of $85 for all that value is a BARGAIN! ~Ed Zareh (Long Lost John)

I've had follow-up meetings with two people I met from the event. and provided scripts to three others. I also met some fellow playwrights, and through a chain of introductions coming out of that, I'm now working on a possible film deal in Los Angeles.  If you have a project where you'd like to practice and receive feedback on your pitch; potentially make some connections that would be useful for script development or early production; and meet some other playwrights – this is an ideal opportunity. ~William Roetzheim

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  MAXWELL BEER

  is a theatrical producer and composer based in New York City. Max along with his business partner, Mitch Marois, runs Mix and Match Productions, a theatrical producing company. Together, they are the lead producers of the Off-Broadway hit play Cellino v. Barnes, currently running at AsylumNYC, and are co-producers of the Broadway musical Maybe Happy Ending. Mix and Match Productions is also developing a new play, Marcel on the Train, which recently had a workshop in Summer 2024 at the Williamstown Theater Festival. Max is also the Associate Producer at Hendel Productions and co-executive producer, as well as an engineer, on the GRAMMY-nominated world premiere cast recording of Burt Bacharach and Steven Sater’s Some Lovers. A proud graduate of Northwestern University, he is a member of the BMI Musical Theater Workshop and a recipient of the prestigious 2023-2024 Hal Prince Producing Fellowship for Creative Producing in association with Columbia University.
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  COREY BRUNISH

  In just the last ten seasons on Broadway, Brunish has garnered 15 consecutive Tony Award Nominations and has won five Tony Awards. His producing credits include Beautiful, The Carole King Musical, which is one of the longest running musicals in Broadway history, landing in the top 3%. He is also a producer on Come From Away, which ran for five years on Broadway. He was involved in Dear Evan Hansen, Matilda and The Play that Goes Wrong, some of the most successful shows in history. Corey has helped produce two cast recordings which won the Grammy: The Color Purple and Beautiful. He has two Emmy Nominations (NY Chapter) and produced the concert “Women of Soul” in the Obama White House. In 2020 Corey helped bring Slave Play to Broadway, which the New York Times called “the single most daring thing I’ve seen in a theatre”. The play garnered a record number of nominations for a play, at 12. He also served as a producer on Fat Ham, winner of The Pulitzer Prize. Tallying up the total number of Tonys which productions, either invested in or produced by Brunish, have won, the number is an astonishing 79 Tony Awards.
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  CHARLOTTE COHN

  is a producer (Here Lies Love on Broadway; Without You with Anthony Rapp, Handle with Care, Church and State; upcoming: The Sound, a new musical and The Whole Shebang). Directing highlights include Best Friends at JAZZ at Lincoln Center and Church & State at Berkshire Theatre Group. Acting highlights include La Boheme and Coram Boy on Broadway. Charlotte has been an Ovation Award Winner and was nominated for the Bay Area Critics’ Circle Award for her performance as ‘Hallelujah Lil’ in Happy End at A.C.T. She offers ongoing private consulting in both dramaturgy and development. She is known for her master class on raising funds "From anyone, anywhere for any project." For more please visit:  www.charlottecohn.com
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  DANI DAVIS

  is an Emmy award-winning writer, a Tony-nominated Broadway producer, a Helen Hayes Award recipient for producing, an award winning theater director and choreographer, a television producer, and an entertainment entrepreneur. Her Broadway and national tour producing credits include The Lonesome West, Little Women the musical, Billy Elliot, The Wedding Singer, Flashdance and Dreamworks' Shrek the musical (original and current national tour and international tours). For Sony Classical Records and PBS, Dani wrote the libretto (Emmy award), and directed the film of Handel's Messiah Rocks (7 Emmy noms), starring LaChanze, Keith Lockhart and the Boston Pops. She also directed the national tour. For national television, she was the co-creator and executive producer for the series Girl Starter with Al Roker Productions (Discovery networks). Dani's award-winning regional directing and choreography credits include Mamma Mia, The Full Monty, Xanadu,  and The UMPO Series: Summer Blockbusters, Jaws at the White Lotus, Rock the Bard.  In New York: Grief Dialogues: The Experience (Virtual Stage Lab, A.R.T.), and various workshops and lab productions through spring 2025, Cindy of Arc starring Cynthia Kaplan (The Intiman, Baltimore Theater Project, Philadelphia Fringe Festival ) in residence at the Laurie Beechman Theater, raising money for voting and reproductive rights. Films: Cindy of Arc (festival laurels), Grief Dialogues, Rock Me Amadeus, Jack Kornfield and Bill Ford, an unlikely pair. Through her media production company EveryDay Dreams, Dani produced the Inner MBA Certification series for Sounds True and LinkedIn, along with annual awards shows for WBEC national and Pacific. Dani produces Broadway based benefit recording projects for various charities, and is a graduate of Duke University. She is the proud mother of two young artists, Noah and Nina, and lives in New York City www.thedanidavis.com   Photo by Kim Roderiques
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  MERRIE L. DAVIS

  is a Tony & Olivier Award-Winning Creative Producer New York & London. Her award-winning productions include: Parade, Broadway, Best Musical Revival 2023; Company Broadway, Best Musical Revival 2022, West End, Olivier Award Winner Best Musical Revival 2019. Other Broadway Productions: Just in Time; 2 Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York); Cabaret; Dead Outlaw; The Who's Tommy; Working Girl; Giant; Liberation; Eclipsed with 6 tony nominations; Gigi, the Musical. London: The Code; Farewell Mister Haffmann; Dr. Semmelweis; The Picture of Dorian Gray. National/ International Tours: Dear Evan Hansen; Company; Parade; Moulin Rouge; To Kill a Mockingbird; Come From Away; The King and I; The Talented Mr. Ripley. Merrie is also a Co- Producer on the Museum of Broadway. She is an Out-of-the-Box Marketer who founded Next Act 2 Follow, a marketing /producing company, utilizing her unique creative talent to help generate inventive ideas that introduce fresh concepts to the Broadway scene. For over 20 years, prior to her career change into producing, Merrie owned her own Visitor Magazine Publishing Company, IN New York and WHERE Magazines,  which were distributed in the Hotels, Cunard Lines, British Airways and over 300 other points of distribution. She had the pleasure of working with New York City's Tourism & Hospitality industries, including the Theatre agencies and the Concierge Community.  Merrie is an Honorary Concierge and continues to support the Concierges in their interactions with the visitor markets and theater community. Merrie is on the Board of TRU, Abingdon Theatre Company, The Broadway Association and Big Apple Greeter.  Merrie thoroughly enjoys working with students and newcomers to the Theater world to help welcome them into a world she has always loved. 
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  JANE DUBIN

  is a Tony, Drama Desk and Drama League Award-winning producer and the President of Double Play Connections, a theatrical production company committed to supporting the development of new work. Jane is a graduate of the CTI 14-week (NYC) and O’Neill (CT) Producing Workshops and Director of TRU’s Producer Development Master Class. Ms. Dubin is co-Chair of the Board of Houses on the Moon Theater Company, a past Board member of the League of Professional Theatre Women and was a Tony voter for seven years. She is a member of the Broadway Women’s Alliance, Off-Broadway Alliance, LPTW and Off-Broadway League. She serves as an evaluator for Bethany Arts Community’s residency program. She is a frequent panelist and guest lecturer on theater-related matters. Jane serves on the advisory boards of Elizabeth Mascia Child Care Center, Axial Theatre and Dirty Laundry Theatre. Jane has an MBA in Finance from NYU and was a partner in an investment advisory firm prior to her theater career. Productions: Recent: The Village of Vale – an original fantasy musical (Adirondack Theatre Festival), Still, starring Melissa Gilbert and Mark Moses.  Broadway: Is This A Room, Dana H., The Prom (Drama Desk Best Musical), Farinelli and the King (Mark Rylance), An American in Paris (4 TONY Awards, London, National Tour), Ann, (Holland Taylor) (Lincoln Center), Bandstand, Peter and the Starcatcher (5 TONY Awards), The  Norman Conquests (TONY). Other: Absolute Brightness of Leonard Pelkey, Beebo Brinker Chronicles (GLAAD Media Award), Groundswell, The 39 Steps, The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (London). Film: Radium Girls. 
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  SHARON FALLON

  founder of Sharon Fallon Productions, Inc., is an independent theater producer, general manager, and theatrical consultant with over two decades of experience in commercial and non-profit theatre. In 2015, Sharon established her theatrical production and general management company with a mission to bridge the gap between art and business — ensuring productions are both financially sustainable and artistically fulfilling. She takes a holistic approach to her work, overseeing all stages of production from initial concept to final performance. Sharon works closely with early-career producers and artist-driven projects, providing guidance across readings, development workshops, and full productions to help bring new theatrical works to life. Her career spans roles as actress, director, general manager, managing director, and producer. Broadway credits include Indecent, Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, Matilda The Musical, and Lysistrata Jones. She has also served as Associate General Manager for both the Helen Hayes Theatre and the Lyric Theatre in New York. Sharon is currently working as executive producer and/or general manager on several projects in development. She serves on the Board of the National Alliance of Musical Theatres (NAMT), co-chairing the Member Resources and Conference Committee, and is a member of the Off Broadway League.
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  RK GREENE

  is a producer of the Tony Award winning Broadway and off-Broadway hit Peter & the Starcatcher as well as Farinelli and the King, A Time to Kill and Harmony, by Barry Manilow and Bruce Sussman.  In addition to his business career, he was a founding member of the Seattle Group Theatre, a multi-cultural ensemble that produced its own work. In 2000, he founded The StoryLine Project, LLC, a commercial theater production company, to develop new plays and musicals. SLP made its debut as an above line producer for the Off Broadway hit, Room Service, and went on to produce Love Child, by Daniel Jenkins and Robert Stanton, Cougar: The Musical, and Terms of Endearment with Molly Ringwald.  In the non-profit world, R.K. is the Marketing Director at The Directors Company and helped to transfer Irena’s Vow to Broadway and produced several shows at 59E59 Theaters. Currently in development is the new musical Beau by Douglas Lyons and Ethan D. Pakchar. The world premiere album is available on the Sony Masterworks label, www.StoryLineProject.com. 
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  JOHN LANT

  Producer/Director, Consultant specialist for musicals/plays off-Broadway and TV/Film Studio Operator for 2 Studios for stage to screen or film productions NY & NJ. 43-year veteran in the entertainment in over 750 television, film, theatre/music tours, and live theater. Production Manager at Carnegie Hall since 2006-2020 season for over 2,000 events. Award-winning producer, director, writer, lighting/set designer; Interlochen, Cal Arts, Ricardo Montalban, Hollywood Playhouse, Long Beach Playhouse, Glendale Center, 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 Radio Producer New Frequency - Theatre of the Mind for SIRIUS/XM Radio - Ranked #1 Radio show. Mentored with Jonathan Sanger/Chanticleer Films for two shorts (Emmy & Oscar Winners), 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. 17 Off-Broadway Lead Producer / Director (AEA/Non-union) credits include Fabulous!, 2By Tennessee Williams, Lili Marlene, Frankenstein, It Came from Beyond, Wicked Frozen, Teen Party Massacre, Swing!, Wicked City Blues, Geeks! 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 money raise - Pearl Bailey Musical (with Tony winning team members of Dreamgirls! and Hamilton). Development Director/Consultant for TV Film - Twisted Media NYC, Nathan Murphy Prod, Gatehouse Entertainment, Tin Mirror Prod and Trinity Theatrics network and streaming content for 3 TV pilots & 2 feature film currently in pre-production. COVID Compliance Supervisor certified for Film/TV/Broadway Theatre.
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  CHRISTOPHER MICHAELS

  is the Founder and Producing Artistic Director of IndieWorks Theatre Company in New York City and the Executive Producer and Resident Director of the multi-award-winning podcast series, Bite-Sized Broadway: A Mini-Musical Podcast. He has been the lead producer and resident director for numerous productions, concerts, cabarets, and projects large and small, including the Off-Broadway musical, The Giant Hoax (Theatre Row), “fan favorite” festival productions of Casper, The Not-So-Friendly Ghost and Empty Frames, The Commuters… (the most-nominated production of the year including a nomination for Best Musical and a win for Best Director) to name a few. He is the Executive Producer for IndieWorks’ Summer Cabaret Series, for the short musical film, Valley High (based on the song by Drew Gasparini), and the hit Dungeons & Dragons-inspired improv show, The Campaign. Christopher is a current member of the TRU Producer Development and Mentorship Program, an associate member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society, and a certified Covid Compliance Officer for theatre production and patron safety. www.ChristopherMichaels.nyc | @itscmikes on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
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  STEPHANIE MCCABE

  is a New York and New Orleans based Producer and Investor. Co-producing credits include Gypsy starring Audra McDonald, Ain’t Too Proud (Tony nom.), The Inheritance (Tony, Drama Desk, and Drama League Awards), and Off-Broadway’s Little Girl Blue. Notable investments include & Juliet, The Band’s Visit, and Steve Martin’s Meteor Shower. Upcoming: indie feature INSULA. She has a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre Studies from LSU (2017) and studied dramaturgy at Marymount Manhattan College. In her spare time, Stephanie is a proud member of Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS’s NextGen Advocates Board.
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  TAMRA PICA

  producer and casting director for Write Act Repertory. Tamra's theater and television work spans 33 years and over 250 productions as a prop designer, AEA Stage Manager, producer and casting director of plays, musicals, dance and ice shows. She produces both Off Broadway, as well as, managing the Los Angeles theater presence for Write Act.  Recent credits include the long-running Frankenstein, Wicked City Blues, and Swing.  Other credits include: Lili Marlene, Caldwell’s Bomb for the New York Venus/Adonis Theater Festival, Renewal, Your Name on My Lips at Theater for the New City and the long running musical Fabulous! Queen of the New Musicals where she served as a casting director and producer.  Alongside theater, Tamra’s work production, casting, and development television work can be seen for companies such as Disney, Sony, Cartoon Network, NBC Studios, TBS, CBS, MTV, ABC and FOX.  She currently works on the animated Disney series Mira, Royal Detective.
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  BLAIR RUSSELL

  is a producer who specializes in developing new works for the theatre. Recent projects include the off-Broadway play Still with Melissa Gilbert which he found at a TRU Speed Date, new musical Lizard Boy which has been performed in 4 countries including Off-Broadway, For Tonight, which premiered in concert on the West End at the Adelphi Theatre, DIVA: Live From Hell! (Edinburgh, Off West End), and Pop Off, Michelangelo! (Edinburgh, Off West End). He was a producer on Slave Play which held the record for most Tony-nominated play in history, is developing the new musical Salem which has over 50k followers on social media, and executive produced the first two concept albums in the EPIC series which have over 150 million streams globally. Other projects as co-producer / investor include The Wiz (National Tour/Broadway 2024), Sweeney Todd (Immersive Off-Broadway 2017), and Gypsy with Imelda Staunton (West End 2014). Blair is Co-Chair of the Board of The New Harmony Project and a member of the Board of Trustees of Goodspeed Musicals and SPACE. He is a graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University with a BFA in Technical Theatre/Stage Management.