Pitch your work to a roomful of serious producers ...


TRU Writer-Producer Speed Date 
(The Art of the Pitch)
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 looking for new work. Okay, they probably won't option you on the spot, but you'll meet them and have the opportunity to start developing a relationship. And that's what this business is all about. Relationships. 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.

Click here to meet our staff of coaches. And did we mention the wine and cheese afterwards?

Sunday, October 18th, 5:30pm and 6:30pm 


deadline to apply: Friday, October 10th!

NEW LOCATION: 
Nola Studios, 250 W. 54th Street, 11th floor 

October Producer lineup
(click here for complete bios):

• Pat Addiss - (Vanya & Sonia & Masha & Spike, A Christmas Story the musical, Promises, Promises, The Fantasticks);

• Patrick Blake - Off-Bway (The 39 Steps, Bedlam TheaterHamlet/St. Joan, Play Dead, The Exonerated, In the Continuum), artistic director Rhymes Over Beats, a hip hop theater company;
• 
Frank Calo - indie producer and director (The Believer, Here and There, The Cookout);

• Jane Dubin - Broadway (An American in Paris, Peter & the Starcatcher, Ann), off-Broadway (The 39 Steps, Groundswell);

• Randy Donaldson - producer (The Scottsboro Boys, Pee Wee Herman Show, Triassic Parq); 

• William I. Franzblau - producer (Sistas, Evil Dead the musical, 
Wonderland, Say Goodnight Gracie),
• 
Ed Gaynes - producer (Cougar the musical, Zero Hour, Black Angels Over Tuskegee, Fried Chicken and Latkes), theater owner St. Luke's, Actors Temple; 

• Hugh Hayes -  producer (Pippin revival, It's Only a Play, The Visit);
• Lorca Peress - artistic director MultiStages,
Shela Xoregos, artistic director Xoregos Performing Company;
• Frank Zuback/Frank Zuback Productions - a musical and theatrical production company.

Trailing producers to include Toni Hart and others tba.
Click here for the application in Word format. 

Email application to TRUnltd@aol.com
Evening limited to 22 writers.
Cost: $75 if accepted ($65 for TRU members)

• 

  MICHAEL ALDEN

  On Broadway: Come From Away, Disgraced (Pulitzer Prize) Grey Gardens and Bridge & Tunnel (Special Tony Award.) On the West End: David Seidler's original play, The King's Speech and Bat Boy The Musical. Off Broadway: Not That Jewish, Becoming Dr, Ruth, Bat Boy The Musical, Save It For The Stage written by and starring Charles Nelson Reilly, and The Last Session. Film works include: Just Cause with Sean Connery, the fashion forward documentary UnZipped for Mirimax, Stephen Daldry's The Hours, Kissing Jessica Stein, The Zookeeper starring Sam Neill, Lesser Prophets and Mother, Mother. Current projects include the feature length documentaries, My Beautiful Stutter and When Reagan Killed Roosevelt the never before told story of the childhood years of the rap group Public Enemy; the features  UnHinged starring Mickey Rourke and the recently completed Death Metal.  From 1987- 89, Vice President Post Production Cannon Films; 1989 - 90, Vice President Pathe Films; 1991 -92 Vice President MGM Post Production. 
• 

  MICHAEL LELAND

  is a two time NY Times critically Acclaimed Director, two time Village Voice critics choice. Currently reviving Ntozake Shange's For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When The Rainbow Is Enuf. Michael's work has garnered critical acclaim from everyone from The New York Times and Village Voice to Stage Magazine and the Philadelphia Inquirer. In April 1998, Lincoln Center Theatre named Mr. LeLand to the Directors Lab. He was also one of only twelve directors selected by the Lincoln Center Directors’ Lab to be showcased at Here Center for Contemporary Arts in the American Living Room Series. Mr. LeLand had the honor of directing Pulitzer Prize, Tony Award Winner, and Academy Award nominee Jason Miller in his one man play Barrymore’s Ghost. As an actor he has recently created and originated the role of Mark Taylor in The New York Times critically acclaimed Philadelphia Fringe production of Pig Iron Theatre's 99 Breakups. Other favorite roles include critically acclaimed turns as Hoke in Driving Miss Daisy and Jim in Big River. He originated several roles in Theatre Double productions including Harold Prine Artaud in ...And the Sky Can Still Fall on our Heads, Mr. Jack in J. Rufus Caleb's Ballad of Mistauh Jack and Malcolm Magic in Magic Bookshop series. He filmed a lead role in the web based mini Musical Pay to Play. This fall he will be recording his first cd, live The Sacred and The Secular.
• 

  KEN WAISSMAN

  is one of only two producers in the history of Broadway to have a musical run over 3000 performances and a play run over 1000. (The other producer he shares this distinction with is the legendary David Merrick.) Waissman developed and produced the original Broadway production of Grease as well as two of Broadway’s longest running plays, Agnes of God by John Pielmeier and Torch Song Trilogy by Harvey Fierstein.Waissman's first Broadway credit was the 1971 Paul Zindel play And Miss Reardon Drinks a Little with Estelle Parsons and Julie Harris, and his prolific Broadway efforts have resulted in four motion picture features, a PBS TV special, 25 Tony Award® nominations, and 5 Tony Awards® including a Tony Award® as ‘Best Play Producer.’ His new musical, Josephine, inspired by Josephine Baker, had its World Premiere in April at the Asolo Theatre in Sarasota, Florida. Deborah Cox played the title role and Joey McKneely directed and choreographed.
• 

  FRANK ZUBACK

  was the Lead Producer for Moolah, a new comedy by Arje Shaw (The Gathering). Currently he is helping develop three new works: Taking Leave, American Soldier and Roof of the World. Frank has also had the great privilege of working on a number of shows and projects with the late director Tom O’Horgan (Jesus Christ Superstar, Hair). In addition, he has worked on over twenty musicals and was involved for thirty years on the Tony Awards. Also involved in the music and entertainment industry, Frank has worked with luminaries as Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, conducted the Count Basie Orchestra, and the Honolulu Symphony Orchestra and consulted on nine Super Bowl half-time shows. Mr. Zuback founded Frank Zuback Productions, which provides a wide range of services in the music and entertainment industry. Website - http://fzpi.com
• 

  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 
• 

  FRANK M. CALO

  is an Independent Producer and Director whose film THE BELIEVER, starring Ryan Gosling and Billy Zane won the Grand Jury Prize at the 2001 Sundance Festival. That film won all the festivals that year including The Berlin Film Festival. It was shown nation wide and had a great box office run. His film, HERE & THERE with Cyndi Lauper and David Thornton has won the BEST NY NARRATIVE IN WORLD COMPETITION 2009 at Robert DeNiro’s, Tribeca Film Festival in NYC and had it’s official News York premier played to wide audiences domestically and overseas. Mr. Calo has worked with Robert DeNiro (Godsend), Demi Moore, Mike Myers Shelly Winters, Marlon Brando and many more. His film THE COOKOUT with Queen Latifah also had a great box office run distributed by Lions Gate Films. He is currently working on two featured films entitled JOHNNY POSTAL and EYES OF THE KINGS along with a TV. Pilot entitled ESQ starring Rihanna and Dayton Callie from Sons of Anarchy. He was one of the few and only directors who studied privately under Mr. Elia Kazan.
• 

  CATE CAMMARATA

  is an Off-Broadway producer, director  and dramaturg in NYC, dedicated to the development of new plays and musicals. She is the Founder and Executive Producer of CreateTheater's 2022 New Works Fest, the Associate Artistic Director for Rhymes Over Beats Hip Hop Theater Collective and has been the Literary Manager for Theater Resources Unlimited (TRU) for ten years. Off-Broadway: The Assignment, My Father's Daughter. Regional: My Life Is a Musical (Bay Street Theater). Cate's company CreateTheater, has been helping writers develop and produce new work since 2016. During the shutdown of 2020-2022 CreateTheater developed and/or produced more than 70 shows with online readings, workshops and dramaturgical guidance. For this work Theater Resources Unlimited (TRU) has honored her with the TRU Entrepreneur of the Year award in 2022. Cate holds an MFA in Dramaturgy from SUNY Stony Brook and is an Associate Professor of Theatre Arts at CUNY Baruch College.  www.CateCammarata.com  www.CreateTheater.com
• 

  ED GAYNES

  As a theatre producer, Mr. Gaynes’ Off-Broadway productions include the long-running hit Black Angels Over Tuskegee (10 years), as well as Zero Hour (Drama Desk Award), The Devil’s Music: The Life and Blues of Bessie Smith (Drama Desk and Lortel nominations), Danny and Sylvia: The Danny Kaye Musical, The Rise of Dorothy Hale, The Big Voice: God or Merman?, Cougar The Musical, Picon Pie, Emily Mann’s Annulla, A Brush With Georgia O’Keeffe, Trolls, Panache, Chaim’s Love Song, Matty: An Evening with Christy Mathewson, Einstein: A Stage Portrait and Bein’ With Behan, which was nominated for an Outer Critics Circle Award. He also produced over 50 productios in Los Angeles, including the West Coast premieres of Marry Me a Little and Starting Here, Starting Now and was nominated for four Ovation Awards, Los Angeles’ highest theatre honors, for his productions of The Taffetas and Songs the Girls Sang. Mr. Gaynes also produced the National Tour of Gilligan’s Island: The Musical, which played coast to coast. He currently operates an Off-Broadway theatre in New York City: Actors Temple Theatre, and for fifteen years operated St. Luke’s Theatre, all through it’s glory years. He also operates the Whitmore-Lindley Theatre Center and the BrickHouse Theatre in Los Angeles. He has appeared as an actor in 13 Broadway and Off-Broadway shows including Greenwillow with Anthony Perkins, The Body Beautiful with Jack Warden, Promenade with Madeline Kahn, Edward Albee’s Bartleby and Best Foot Forward, in which he co-starred with Christopher Walken and Liza Minnelli and sang “Buckle Down, Winsocki” on the original cast album. TV credits range from Mary Martin’s Peter Pan to “Cheers”, “Kojak”, a recurring role on “The Patty Duke Show”, “N.Y.P.D.”, “The Sid Caesar Hour”, “Playhouse 90”, “The Ed Sullivan Show”, among many others, as well as a two-year run as Paul Stewart on “As the World Turns”. He was recently presented with the “Legend of Off-Broadway” honor by the Off-Broadway Alliance at Sardi’s in New York City.
• 

  COOPER JORDAN

  is one of New York's youngest theatrical Off-Broadway & Touring producers, having produced & managed over 30 shows in Manhattan. Cooper created the Halloween hit The Rat Pack Undead in 2013, shortly after acquiring a Times Square residency, and now is celebrating 10 years running. Cooper was Managing Director & Producer with Off-Broadway's former Elektra Theater where he produced multiple Off-Broadway hits Boogie Stomp (Executive Producer), Miles Thorn Master Illusionist (Lead Producer) which ran consistently for 2 years, New York's Got Talent (Producer & Host) and more.  An Actor & Show Host, as well as Producers he splits his East Coast time between New York & Atlantic City, where he's revitalizing the AC Live Entertainment market. Cooper Jordan Entertainment now manages and produces Live Entertainment & Touring productions primarily based in New York, Atlantic City, and Las Vegas.
• 

  TIMOTHY LACZYNSKI

  Broadway producing credits include: Something Rotten! (Tony nomination, Best Musical), Hand to God (Tony nomination, Best Play), A Christmas Story the Musical (Tony nomination, Best Musical) and The Pee-wee Herman Show. Mr. Laczynski is currently a judge for the 2015 New York Musical Theatre Festival. He serves as Board Treasurer for the Napa Valley Performing Arts Center at Lincoln Theater and he is the former Executive Producer for a 500-seat nonprofit professional producing house in New Jersey. Mr. Laczynski has successfully navigated start-up ventures, business restructurings, and annual operating budgets in excess of $500 million. Prior to producing on Broadway he spent more than a decade working in the cruise industry.
• 

  VERONIQUE ORY

  Co-founder of Athena Theatre, a nonprofit theatre organization, founded in July 2003. It is through Athena Theatre that Veronique is able to produce amazing thought provoking work that she is truly proud of. Veronique has gained several awards such as being named Top Ten Best Actress in Los Angeles by NoHo LA, reviewplays.com, Entertainment Today and Metro LA. Eight years and thirteen plays later, she was hired to produce an Off-Broadway production of Stitching which originally performed at the Lillian Theatre in Hollywood. This experience propelled her to move to NYC in May 2009. She is currently bi-coastal as Actor and Artistic Director.
• 

  KEN WYDRO

  Co-wrote, produced and directed Mama, I Want to Sing, one of the longest running Black off-Broadway musicals in the history of American theater. In March of 2013, MAMA celebrated thirty years of performance in New York, with tours across the USA , Europe and Japan. Ken is currently the co-author and director of two new musicals running at the Dempsey Theater in Harlem, WE ARE, featuring teenage participants in the Emmy Award winning Gospel For Teens program (CBS 60 Minutes) and ALIVE! – 55+ and Kickin'.On Broadway, as producer/investor, Ken has been associated with Joe Turner’s Come and Gone, American Buffalo, The Mountaintop, Evita (Broadway and nationaltour), Dead Accounts, All The Way, Rocky, Mothers and Sons, The Realistic Joneses, Ghost (national tour),Cinderella (national tour) and the 2015 productions of An American In Paris, Curious Incident…, Something Rotten, Act of God, upcoming The Gin Game, China Doll, The Color Purple, On Your Feet. In London, Ken was involved in two Olivier Award productions, Long Day’s Journey at the Apollo and Top Hat at the Aldwych. Ken is a founding member of the Mama Foundation For The Arts in Harlem, as well as a member of The Broadway League of Producers and the Dramatist Guild.
• 

  DICKSON LANE

  Is Executive Producer and Artistic Director of Express Lane Productions. Producing and touring plays that change people's lives. Currently, mounting Children of a Lesser God for a tour of colleges in New Jersey.

   
• 

  JOHN WINDSOR-CUNNINGHAM

  In New York, co-producer for Best Play winner at Thespis Theater Festival 2014, Devil of Delancey Street, and Bride of Frankenstein nominated best play at Venus Theater Festival 2015. In the UK lead producer on Boston Strangler(London, Roundhouse), and Best of Fringe award-winner Joshua Sloacum at Greenwich Theatre, London, from where he booked the show on a tour of nine countries, ending in the island of Mauritius. His experience as an actor includes productions off-broadway with the Irish Rep, the Keen company and the Mint Company. His coaching website is www.Windsor-Cunningham.com.
• 

  GILLIEN GOLL

  is an Acting Teacher & Coach, Director, and Artistic Director with a background in Casting, having worked in casting for TV pilots, indie film, and web series. As she has been on the other side of the table, she knows what does and doesn’t work. Her clients appear in every medium: Broadway, films, TV, webisodes. As a teacher and coach, she can help you connect emotionally & truthfully to your role. and guide you to an audition that is truly exceptional and unique in showcasing your strengths and talents. With an additional background in coaching presentation techniques, she can help you overcome stage fright and nerves. Gillien is also a produced playwright and is adept at cutting & pasting dialogue together to create original monologues. She has taught courses in monologues, acting technique, scene study & on-camera acting, and has taught and/or lectured at Fordham University, Barnard College, Wellesley College, and for ACTRA (the Canadian Actors Union), among others. She has been teaching at AMDA since 2001, and there has seen thousands of hours of actors’ presentations. An actor herself, she is best recognized for crying in the Self-Help Aisle in “Sex & the City.”  You can check out her other credits at her website, www.gilliengoll.com
• 

  MICHAEL IAN CEDAR

  As a Sales, Career, and Executive Coach Michael Cedar brings a combination of energy, enthusiasm, and depth rarely found in facilitation and coaching. His unique blend of colorful creativity and high-focus discipline unlocks the best of both worlds during his training and facilitation. Over 15 years ago, Michael got his start as a company manager for Troika Entertainment where he managed over 50 team members on multiple 130+ city truck and bus tour. This discipline to bring together large teams from widely different backgrounds in an environment with little opportunity for error set the tone for how he fosters excellent leaders. Michael produced the nationally recognized dance competition, StarQuest, where he spearheaded the company to a multi-million dollar generating operation, quadrupling their business to a 65-city tour that annually hosts over 40,000 performers. More critically, he designed and facilitated training for 60+ yearly team members to ensure all operations, expectations, and product quality are consistent. Michael’s current and most recent coaching clients include team members of Fortnite/Epic Games, The World Economic Forum,  Sesame Workshop, Discovery Network, Area 23, Reuters, Turn it Up Dance Challenge, Headliners Dance Championships, & Fortitude Dance Project. Always bringing a “human-to-human” first approach, Michael often awakens the most powerful aspects of leaders that other coaches fail to tap. He is a Graduate of AMDA College & Conservatory.
• 

  GRACE KILEY

  SAG-AFTRA, AEA, MHC, coaches and directs for film and stage. She teaches privately at Grace Kiley Acting in NYC, NYU Kanbar Film & TV, Trinity La Mama, and other programs including Stella Adler Studio and Stonestreet Studios. She is Artistic Director for Kiley Ensemble and directed the recent sold out show, Time Stands Still. Her award winning solo play Grace Kelly Longing for Grace (playwright and performer) directed by Austin Pendleton, has performed internationally. She specializes in developing original material with actors and writers. Grace trained with Uta Hagen at HB Studio. gracekiley.com
• 

  DEBRA RUSSELL

  Coach for the Professionally Creative and the Creative Professional - with a decade of personal experience in theater, film and television, Debra Russell is the founder of Artist’s EDGE, http://Artists-EDGE.com, a Certified Business Coach since 2001 and a Master NLP and Hypnosis Practitioner. She uses her broad business knowledge plus her ability to facilitate change and growth with professionals in the Performing Arts (including the music business, theater, film & TV, dance, and writers), helping professionals shape their success in their chosen field. In addition to working with private clients, Debra has designed and delivered several innovative programs in the US, Europe and Australia for entertainment industry organizations and trade conferences such as SXSW Interactive and Western Arts Alliance, as well as Universities and private organizations.
• 

  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.
• 

  JOANNE ZIPPEL

  is a collaborator and communicator who has an extensive network of relationships in both the creative and corporate worlds. She has over 25 years of experience as an entrepreneur, working in theatre and live event production, promotion, sponsorship, B2B and B2C sales and marketing, creative development, literary management and creative coaching in the entertainment business. Joanne ‘s creative coaching business evolved out of her work as a manager of playwrights and screenwriters – guiding their careers and helping them to pursue their passions in what is well known as an often difficult, changeable and sometimes arbitrary business. Through her company Zip Creative, she works with clients helping them to open themselves up to their creative capacity, build a solid foundation from which to make authentic work and life decisions and take practical action on them. For more information go to www.zipcreative.net. Joanne graduated from the University of Pennsylvania and did graduate work at NYU's Gallatin School of Individualized Study. She is a graduate of the Hoffman Institute.