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 06/29/25, submissions now closed but Observers may attend.
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):

• Patrick Blake, producer (Bedlam Theater’s Hamlet/St. Joan, The Exonerated, In the Continuum, Play Dead), founding artistic director Rhymes Over Beats hip hop collective;
• Charlotte Cohn, 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);
• 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.";
• 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 (Just In Time: Bobby Darin, Tony nominated Dead Outlaw; 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; London: Farewell Mister Haffmann);
• Sharon Fallon/Sharon Fallon Productions, executive producer, general manager and consultant (Indecent, Beautiful Broadway, London & National Tour, Matilda the Musical, Lysistrata Jones);
• Rob Hofmann, lead producer (cooking/food immersion one-woman show Holy Shiitake! A Wok Star Is Born, musical The Willing based on The Boy Who Would Be Shakespeare; workshop of the new musical A Collectible Sensation,  co-producer for the London bound 2026 production of  A Brief Crack of Light and co-executive producer for the indie film The 7th);
• Clayton Howe, Tony Award-winning producer, Clio Award-winning marketing executive and general manager (Broadway: Maybe Happy Ending, Dead Outlaw, Just In Time, Gypsy, Here Lies Love and How To Dance In Ohio. Off-Broadway & London: Dracula, A Comedy of Terrors. Upcoming: Never Be King and The Demand of Avarice) -  "I am extremely passionate about telling stories which leave the world better than we found it."; 
• 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.";
• Andrea M. Otero, producing member of Open Hydrant Theatre Company, an AEA professional ensemble theatre company serving the youth of the Bronx;
• 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.";
• Megan Ann Rasmussen, producer (co-producer Othello with Denzel Washington and Jake Gyllenhaal, and Joy: The New True Musical, a new Broadway show with Tony award-winning Ken Davenport; investor A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical; First National Tour of A Beautiful Noise; The Griswold’s Broadway Vacation, Kinky Boots (Off Broadway), and is Lead Producer for Spells of the Sea with a recent production at the Kennedy Center;
• Blair Russell, producer & developer, from fringe festivals to Broadway (recent: Still with Melissa Gilbert; also Slave Play, Lizard Boy, Sweeney Todd off-Broadway); 
• Aly York, indie producer, LA and Philadelphia area.

Coaches: Emileena Pedigo, Bailie Slevin, Chelsey Shannon

Training Producers:  John Ewing III*, Ed Fee*, Michael Grover, Rob Hofmann*, Mike Katona*, Patricia Krahnke*, Lindsey Hope Pearlman*, John Scott Richardson*, Chris Spencer*, Sara Truesdale*, Ben West.

[*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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  PATRICK BLAKE

  is a writer/producer based in New York and San Francisco, and Founding Artistic Director of Rhymes Over Beats, a hip hop theater company. In New York theater, he is a producer of the off-Broadway revival of The 39 Steps, the off-Broadway transfer of Bedlam Theater Company's dual productions of Hamlet and Saint Joan, and is currently producing My Life Is a Musical (from the TRU Voices series) which had a debut production at Bay Street Theatre. He was one of the producers of Play Dead! at The Players Theatre, he has produced In the Continuum at Perry Street Theatre, Noah's Archive, Joe Fearless, The Exonerated (Lucille Lortel, Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle and Court TV's Scales of Justice Award) and The Soap Myth at Southstreet Seaport. He also produced Dirty Works at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. He was Executive Producer for the short film, The Igloo, and the feature film Mr. Smith Gets a Hustler. Patrick is a proud board member of TRU.
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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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  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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  CLAYTON HOWE

  is a Tony Award-winning producer, Clio Award-winning marketing executive and general manager. Broadway: Maybe Happy Ending, Dead Outlaw, Just In Time, Gypsy, Here Lies Love and How To Dance In Ohio. Off-Broadway & London: Dracula, A Comedy of Terrors. Upcoming: Never Be King and The Demand of Avarice. In addition to producing plays and musicals, Clayton is the host of the award winning podcast Entertainmentx getting to the heart, soul and drive of top performers in the entertainment industry. Most recently, Clay was seen in the Broadway National Tour of Waitress as Earl Hunterson. Clay believes in genuine human connection and the power of kindness. Consequently, he loves to meet and connect like-minded humans. He is an alum of SUNY Fredonia with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Musical Theatre.
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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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  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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  ANDREA M. OTERO

  joined Open Hydrant in December 2023, making their debut in Footloose the Musical. Since then, she has expanded her theatrical repertoire, appearing as an actor in Balm In Gilead and further honing their craft at RosieLou Acting Studio. A pivotal member of the Open Hydrant family, Andrea now leads the new division of Open Hydrant Films. She is also currently taking on the role of producer for Last Exit in New York, an exciting new production at the Chain Theatre Festival.
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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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  MEGAN ANN RASMUSSEN

  For 20+ years, Megan has served as an Award-Winning Producer, Director, and Educator, impacting multigenerational audiences. As President of MAR Productions, she is committed to creating theatre that uplifts and strengthens each of us, building engaged communities. As a Producer she brought Free Play: Open Source Scripts Towards an Antiracist Tomorrow to The TheaterMakers Studio’s Reading Series. Additionally, Megan Ann is developing Heaven Come Home by award-winning TheaterMakers Studio Member Justin Payne, features the moving “One More Day,” a musical number where families and their deceased loved ones yearn for one more day to be together. Megan Ann is co-producer of Joy: The Musical, a new Broadway show with Tony award-winning producer, Ken Davenport. She is also involved with A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical, The Griswold’s Broadway Vacation, Kinky Boots (Off Broadway), and is Lead Producer for Spells of the Sea (Regional.) She has attended six triennial international theatre congresses and festivals across the globe, and she served as Editor of the ASSITEJ International Newsletter which reached 85 countries. Her articles and photography can be found in Stage of the Art and TYA Today. Selected as an Ann Shaw Fellow, Megan Ann cultivated a career in Theatre for Young Audiences. She worked as a teaching artist, helping to develop theater curriculum for underserved populations in Salt Lake. She assisted in the creation of New Visions 2000: One Theatre World at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Looking back in 2020, the Kennedy Center described it as “arguably the most significant gathering of the TYA field in a generation.”  
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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.

   
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  ALY YORK

  holds a bachelor’s degree in theatre from Syracuse University and is an alumni of the prestigious Eugene O’Neill Theater Center. Additionally she is a member of the Classical Theatre Lab in Los Angeles, Ca. Aly is an indie producer and has produced several plays throughout the Los Angeles and Philadelphia area. She has produced 4 of Phil Olson's plays; 2 of which were world premieres -- additionally she produced Phil's short film he wrote with Paul Lazarus called Graham: A Dog's Story starring Tatyana Ali and Chris Williams. Recently Aly produced Neil Simon's London Suite at the GRT in Los Angeles, Ca. Aly has worked with the great Tony Tanner, Louis Fantasia, Richard Digby Day, Howard Fine and Jay Goldenberg.
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  JOHN EWING III

  is an alumnus of TRU's producing program and masterclass. He is well versed in entertainment production with credits in film (The Redemption of a Dog, The Marriage Chronicles and The Last Letter) as well as theater and concert promotion. Live entertainment plays and concerts include Love Jones The Musical, Ronnie Bobby Rickey and Mike, The Festival of Praise. 
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  ED FEE

  is an award-winning producer, actor and writer. Works include Prime Real Estate and Bust. He is a graduate of the TRU Producer Development & Mentorship Master Class taught by Jane Dubin.
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  MIKE KATONA

  is an award-winning producer and director with 35 years of experience in local broadcast television and digital media.  His credits include executive producing on Solutionaries (an Emmy and Murrow award-winning series with a mission of making a difference in communities through the impact of solutions journalism), Something Good and JustWeather.  Mike was Director of Digital Operations at Graham Media Group until his retirement in 2024, where he led digital content teams, audience development, e-commerce and branded content, contests, marketing and public relations efforts for top-rated broadcast television stations in seven major U.S. markets. Mike is new on the scene of theatrical production and thrilled to be a member of the TRU Producer Development Program.  He’s passionate about storytelling and creating magical moments - and can’t wait to get started!
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  LINDSEY HOPE PEARLMAN

  is a director, playwright and producer specializing in new plays and musicals. She received a NYSCA commission and a Venturous Theatre Fund grant for her new musical ROAR!.  Book writer, A Sign of the Times, New World Stages 2024.  Co-book writer, MacGyver the Musical.  Original plays: Lucy (EST/Sloan Commission), Viv is for Vengeance (American Playwriting Foundation Relentless Award Honorable Mention), Cassandra Complex.  Broadway: Bandstand (Assistant Director), Leap of Faith (SDC Observer).  Associate Director, SuperYou.  Selected directing: The Connelly Theater, HERE Arts Center, Mitu580, The O’Neill Theater Center and Cloud City. Drama League NY Directing Fellow.  London International School of Performing Arts, Hamilton College.  Adjunct Professor, Pace University. UP NEXT: The Art Tour @ Theater Row, Fall 2025  www.lindseyhopepearlman.com
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  JOHN SCOTT RICHARDSON

  Maternal and paternal lineage is Saponi/Tuscarora and an enrolled member Haliwa-Saponi Nation of North Carolina. He began a  theatrical and performing arts career by writing/directing two youth advocacy plays through North Carolina Commission of Indian Affairs (2008). As a cultural presenter John has worked with the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, United Nations Environmental Awards 2016, NY Children’s Museum, Raritan Community College, New Jersey, Lotus Music and Dance, Whitney Museum, Park Avenue Armory, Long Island Children’s Museum, Historic Richmond Town, Staten Island, NY, NY Department of Culture and Arts, and various public schools in New York City. John most recently presented at the National Museum of American Indian, NY, and served as a panelist for the Ford Foundation indigenous arts forum. He was formerly the Artistic Director with Amerinda Inc. in NYC. 
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  CHRISTINE SPENCER

  Chris/Walking Path Entertainment is producing the seriocomic original play A Brief Crack Of Light. The 2025 goal is a West End London production, and her team includes London Producer Michael Linnit and Martin Platt, Director Michael Lindsay-Hogg, and London General Manager Gareth Johnson.  Charlie Haid and Chris are the Executive Producers of the TV pilot Department of One (with a recent 4-star review). She’s an investor in the national tour of Parade, The Museum of Broadway and Ohio State Murders. Previously, she was director of Art Workshop International, an annual, month-long summer workshop taught by award-winning artists and writers in a four-star hotel in Assisi, Italy. Chris retired from Morgan Stanley as a Vice-President, Investments, and CFP. During her 27 years there, she also taught continuing education classes and wrote investment columns for local newspapers. Chris is a partner in Trigance Press, which won Franklin and Midwest Book Awards and is currently editing a book of short stories. The University of Minnesota recognized Ms. Spencer as a notable alumnus for her achievements in the investment and artistic communities. A Minnesota native, she lives in Minneapolis and Bainbridge Island, WA.
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  SARA TRUESDALE

  recently joined TRU as a member. She completed the PDMP Foundations course and is thrilled to continue learning more about producing. She co-founded Breaking Barriers with Toolbox Theatre as a way to produce original work with artistic colleagues. She’s also directed and stage-managed theatrical productions. As an actor and singer, she’s performed classical, contemporary, musical theater, and devised works. As a member of TCCAN (Twin Cities Cabaret Artist Network), she’s seen artists bring their work from idea form to production at venues around town. She’s also an aspiring elementary school teacher. She recently completed graduate school for teaching and would like to teach in the 2025-2026 school year. She’s compelled with multiple aesthetics: often stylistic and/or surreal ways that theater can convey stories and celebrate the human experience; non-realistic forms in which theater, dance, and music connect to human expression. Sara particularly likes theater which builds community. Based in Minnesota, she feels grateful to be able to connect remotely with TRU online and to grow her skills in the area of producing.
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  BEN WEST

  is a musical theatre artist and historian, and the author of The Musical Theatre Report. His book, The American Musical: Evolution of an Art Form (Routledge, 2024), chronicles a detailed and comprehensive history of the American musical’s artistic evolution, and he created twenty “Timeline Wall” exhibits for the Museum of Broadway that trace the history of the Broadway stage from 1732 to 2021. He has worked in various capacities on Broadway, Off-Broadway, and regionally, and created and directed Unsung Carolyn Leigh for Lincoln Center’s American Songbook series. West has lectured and spoken at several institutions including Yale University, University of Michigan, the Dramatists Guild, and the Shubert Organization. He is a recipient of Lincoln Center’s Martin E. Segal Award. TheMusicalTheatreReport.com