Join us Fridays at 5:00pm (ET) for weekly virtual Community Gatherings, conversations about creativity and theater in the time of COVID-19 – and post-pandemic – led by TRU executive director/founder Bob Ost. These gatherings are free for TRU members; we ask that non-members consider making a donation to TRU to help keep us running, or join as a member. You can view past conversations at our YouTube Channel.
To automatically receive the Zoom link for each week's conversation, email TRUnltd@aol.com and use the word "Zoom" creatively in your subject line.
UPCOMING CONVERSATIONS
(subject to change since ... well, life happens)
8/28 - How a Playwright/Producer Found Himself Running a Theater. (More Than One.) In the room: Tony Sportiello, playwright (LOL, National Pastime, Tickets, Please, Contract Time), librettist/producer (off-Bway's National Pastime, Sessions, An Evening at the Carlyle, The Devil and Billy Markham), current artistic director of ATM Theater in NYC. When did creative artist Tony dive into the business side of the arts? At one time a playwright actively involved in the running of the artist consortium The Workshop Theater, he went on to form Algonquin Theater Productions and settled into the vacated Blue Heron theater space, overhauling it into The Algonquin Theater with partner Al Tapper. Fast forward to post-pandemic 2022. Tony and Al took over the former 45th Street Theater and turned it into the AMT Theater. What has he learned over the years about space renovation and creating a usable venue? What mistakes has he made along the way? Was this shift in career a choice or was it something he jumped in to do because somebody had to? How does he balance his time between writing and running his company? And what do people need to keep in mind when converting a space into a theater? He'll also talk about the mission of AMT, the tech specs of the theater and its availability for developing new works. Click here to register and receive the link.
9/4 - A Theater That Seems to Be Getting It Right: Why the "B" Gets an A! In the room: Lyndsay Burch, executive artistic director of B Street Theater in Sacramento, now in its 40th year. Winner of an Outstanding Theater acknowledgement at the 2025 National Theater Conference, and originally founded as a theater for children, B Street has built a strong foundation on the idea of theater for all with a special focus on family theater and educational programs. What is their secret for programming consistently successful seasons? Does their business model differ from other companies? In what ways have they had to adapt and evolve over the years? And most of all, how has this modest company thrived, and stayed alive and well even during shutdown and the tricky transition back into live performance? Click here to register and receive the link.
9/11 - Taking Control of Technology: Coming to Terms with A.I. In the room: Kipp Koenig, following a 35 year career in technology, now a playwright; Nuoya Li, technology transformation leader, founder and CEO of PerformaMatch, a casting and career development platform; Tamra Pica, TRU technology director and consultant, as well as a producer and casting director; and Tracy Swedlow, playwright and lyricist, CEO and founder of TMRW Corp, EP of The TV of Tomorrow Show (TVOT). Controversy rages about perceived misuses of artificial intelligence, but we all know it's not going away. Our guests have built their businesses with the help of AI, and found it immeasurably helpful in pursuing careers in theater and the arts. And all have approached it with conscience, care and caution. Do the lines ever blur? Do technical short cuts diminish the worth of our work? Are there things that AI simply cannot do ... at least for now? Until the legal dust settles, join us and learn how others find A.I a useful tool ... and where they draw the line. Click here to register and receive the link.
9/18 - Know the Score: MTI's Unique Place in the Licensing World. In the room: Jason Cocovinus, director of Marketing and Marc Hershberg, director of business and legal affairs at Music Theater International (MTI). MTI was co-founded in 1952 by the legendary Frank Loesser and is heading towards a landmark 75th anniversary. How has the company evolved from then to now? Have legal updates influenced the licensing business over the years? Statistically, what are the things that now seem to interest audiences and theaters around the country, and has that changed since shutdown? Does a show need to have a NY run to be marketable? MTI is one of the few large licensing houses not subsumed by Concord Theatricals. In what ways might that be that an advantage or a disadvantage for writers seeking to have their shows licensed?? We'll also take an admiring look at MTI's dedication to educational theater, including their groundbreaking Broadway Juniors series. Click here to register and receive the link.
PREVIOUS 2024-26 CONVERSATIONS
8/21 - Celebrating the Power of Music: Bringing Three Worlds Together in One Spotlight. In the room: members of the crossover consortium pianoFORTEpianoFORTE!: avant-garde jazz-classical pianist Ethan Iverson, classical-to-contemporary pianist Beth Levin, and vocalizing contemporary pianist Kathleen Supové. We'll talk with these three diverse artists about their chosen artistic paths, what shaped their musical esthetic and their careers, how they met and came together to create pianoFORTEpianoFORTE! and how their individual styles offer contrasts and complements. What do they find inspiring about each other? We'll also consider the audiences they hope to tap into, and if there are advantages to banding together and cross-marketing their individual followings to generate an even stronger audience base. Click here to watch the YouTube video - click here to subscribe to our channel.
8/14/26 - Free Introduction to the TRU Producer Development & Mentorship Program. In the room: Master class instructor Jane Dubin, producer (Is This a Room, Dana H., The Prom, Tony winning The Norman Conquests, Farinelli and the King, Bandstand, Peter and the Starcatcher and An American in Paris; plus off-Broadway Absolute Brightness of Leonard Pelkey, The 39 Steps, Ann) and Foundations instructor Blair Russell, Tony-nominated producer whose experience ranges from fringe festivals (Edinburgh) to Broadway and Off-Broadway shows (Slave Play, Still and Sweeney Todd). A free meet-and-greet info session about our Producer Development and Mentorship Program, the only theater production program to offer in-depth instruction from accomplished producers at an affordable price. The FALL semester will start in Late September or early October. Prospective applicants will have the opportunity to learn from and network with our commercial producer instructors. You will also meet and hear from successful program graduates at this Intro evening. PDMP’s purpose is to give members the knowledge and resources to become commercial theater producers, non-profit theater producers and/or self-producing artists. Click here to watch the YouTube video - click here to subscribe to our channel.
8/7 - Theater As a Force for Good: A Commercial Producer with Heart. In the room: Sue Gilad, philanthropist, philosopher and producer (Tony awards for The Outsiders, Moulin Rouge! The Musical, and revivals of Company, Angels in America and Merrily We Roll Along; plus Buena Vista Social Club, Jagged Little Pill and more). In addition to being on the producing teams for more than 16 Broadway shows, Sue is a passionate advocate for arts education and philanthropy, supporting initiatives that nurture the next generation of theater artists, and even providing annual grants to students. She also offers insights into the most effective donation strategies for supporting not-for-profit arts organizations, and her belief that the skills honed in a Broadway rehearsal room are directly applicable to the challenges faced in the corporate world. Hear her inspiring perspective on many aspects of the theater world, and come with questions. Click here to watch the YouTube video - click here to subscribe to our channel.
7/31 - The Power of Art, and a Collaborative Project for Peace. In the room: composer Theresa Koon of Tikkun Music and filmmaker Ron Bourke. Meet these dedicated artists whose work is inspired by issues of social and environmental concern. Theresa and Ron have filmed a musicalized poem in and around Oregon based on Kim Stafford's "Proclamation for Peace," with the goal of using it as an artistic plea for peace around the planet. Worth noting that Stafford's poem was published in a book with 50 translations thus enabling it to tour around the world, and Theresa addresses how the nuances of each language change the music. We'll touch on other projects they have individually been involved with, and generally look at ways to use art to foster change. Click here to watch the YouTube video - click here to subscribe to our channel.
7/24 - Can There Be Such a Thing As an Un-Creative Producer? In the room: producer Cody Lassen (Broadway: How I Learned To Drive, Indecent, the Deaf West Theatre revival of Spring Awakening; Off-Bway A Commercial Jingle for Regina Comet); and producing partners Tony Castrigno and Marc Rubinsky of MTTM Theatrics. There’s a common misconception that producing is mostly fundraising, says Cody. And he takes issue with this - a producer is not an ATM. The real work is creative problem-solving. Building a budget or a schedule isn't just math: it’s deciding where the heart of the show lives and how to deploy resources to best support the creative. Assembling the team – the director, designers, and cast – is a creative puzzle. Synthesizing feedback to help a team refine their vision is creative. Join us and explore the many facets of producing with three producers who have shepherded shows into production, including several they are currently working on. Where do they find their projects? How long does development take on average? And do they have any tips – or differing strategies – for dealing with the prohibitive costs of commercial productions? (Even budgeting nowadays has become a creative challenge!) Click here to watch the YouTube video - click here to subscribe to our channel.
7/17 - A Bridge Between Cultures: Meet London's Exchange Theatre. In the room: David Furlong, a mixed‑race Mauritian actor, director, dramaturg and educator, and the Artistic Director and Founder of Exchange Theatre, established in 2006 to champion multilingual voices and cross‑cultural performance in the UK. Originally focused on bringing lesser known French classic and contemporary works into the London theater consciousness – often doing performances in both languages – Exchange has expanded over the years to incorporate wider aspects of cultural "exchange." David has worked across stage, screen and street theater, building a distinctive practice rooted in his passion about migration, identity and the decolonization of representation, and his work has also touched on non-western storytelling influences (including Indian and Japanese). How did he start his company in 2006, and was it hard finding venues to work in? Has his mission changed or evolved? What sources of support help him keep going? What were some key moments in the growth of his company? Is running a theater company in London different from running one in the U.S.? We'll also talk about other programs run by Exchange, including a complete ecosystem of services to help artists get their works up and showcased. Click here to watch the YouTube video - click here to subscribe to our channel.
7/10 - A Life in Cabaret: Harmonizing Art and Business. In the room: Craig Pomranz, singer, teacher, board president of the American Songbook Association, on the boards of Capital Cabaret in DC, the Seattle Cabaret Festival and the Corfu Literary Festival in Greece. Though passionate first and foremost about the art of singing, and recognized for his talent with a MAC Award for Best Male Vocalist, Craig's career journey has moved him from stage to behind-the-scenes support of the community itself – if there is, indeed, a unified community. Having built a real career singing around the country and the world, he now shares his success with others with an annual Pomranz Performance Grant. How has a cabaret singer, the quintessential self-producing artist, found success in a difficult and competitive business? Can others follow his path, or has the business changed? What advice would he give those thinking about a life in cabaret? Click here to watch the YouTube video - click here to subscribe to our channel.
7/3 - Understanding Secondary Markets: How to Succeed in Schools, Colleges and Community Theater. In the room: Larry Little of CPA Theatricals and producer of the Spotlight New Works Fest. Each year, educational and community theaters license hundreds of thousands of productions. Meet a creative producer who has developed 8 new works for those secondary markets, 7 of which have been licensed and published, and two of which have had over 100 productions. Larry's success inspired him to share his knowledge with others and he co-created the Spotlight New Works Fest along with the licensing house of Gitelman and Good to showcase new plays that are a strong fit for the secondary market. He has also become an advisor with Gitelman and Good. Come join us for a conversation about those often underestimated markets, and learn more about this new festival opportunity for playwrights. Click here to watch the YouTube video - click here to subscribe to our channel.
6/26- Theater In A Box: The Ins And Outs of a Successful Production. In the room: TRU board member John Lant, award winning director/designer and 18-time off-Broadway lead producer/director & film producer. John specializes in showrunning, consulting, fiscal sponsorship, in depth development of production runs of new plays and musicals in NYC and his theatrical space in LA. A Q & A discussion for producers, self-producers, creators around basic bullet point "in's and out's" of what you want, thought you knew, and what you really NEED TO KNOW to run an effective production of your work and where it should go. After working on AEA contracts from First Class Productions, WCLO, HAT, Off-Broadway, and Special Artists through Non-Union Agreements, he will share some of the things that a multi-faceted and multi-disciplined producer can bring to the stage and/or the future of your work in the new media outlets. Click here to watch the YouTube video - click here to subscribe to our channel.
6/19 - Which Way to Go? Producing Paths, Commercial and Not-for-Profit. In the room: TRU Master Class instructor Jane Dubin, producer (Is This a Room, Dana H., The Prom, Tony winning The Norman Conquests, Farinelli and the King, Bandstand, Peter and the Starcatcher and An American in Paris; plus off-Broadway Still, Absolute Brightness of Leonard Pelkey, The 39 Steps, Ann) and board co-chair of Houses on the Moon; and TRU Foundations instructor Blair Russell, Tony-nominated producer whose experience ranges from fringe festivals (Edinburgh) to Broadway and Off-Broadway shows (Slave Play, Still and Sweeney Todd off-Broadway). Equally at home in both the commercial and not-for-profit worlds, Jane and Blair will share insights about the spectrum of possibilities when developing new works. That includes identifying the best environment for a show and coming up with a plan to get you there. Bring your questions about producing - this will be an open forum for Q&A. Click here to watch the YouTube video - click here to subscribe to our channel.
6/12 - Putting It Together, and What It Costs: Tips for a Successful Reading of Your Musical. Moderated by Cheryl L. Davis, co-founder and VP of TRU, award winning playwright-librettist-lyricist. In the room: the creative team for the upcoming reading of Unzipped in the TRU Voices New Musicals Reading Series: producer R.K. Greene of the Storyline Project (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); co-composers/librettists/lyricists Eva Margolies and Douglas J. Cohen; and off-Broadway director Debra Whitfield. A look at the steps and rules of putting together a staged reading of a new musical, the pluses and minuses of a live reading versus a virtual reading. Plus the development history of Unzipped, the section process for the TRU Voices series, adapting for a 90 minute presentation, casting and the rehearsal and prep for the presentation. Click here to watch the YouTube video - click here to subscribe to our channel.
6/5 - Accruing Fringe Benefits '26: The Edinburgh Experience and How to Work It. In the room: Catherine Lamm (AEA, SDC, Drama League), director, coach, dramaturg, and critic and feature writer for the British Theatre Guide, Am. Theatre Critic's Assoc., International Theatre Critics Assoc.; Michelle Mangan, Edinburgh Festival Fringe publicist representing major Fringe venues as well as individual shows; Samantha Streit, Fringe actress (Letters to Joan, returning this year). Catherine started attending and reviewing at the Fringe in 2001 and has been helping artists navigate this opportunity for most of those years. Michelle has been a publicist with EdFringe for over ten years. Samantha debuted in the Fringe last year and can address the experience from a performer's perspective as well as talk about finding a commercial producer who is bringing her back this year. An in-depth look at smart ways to approach being in the Edinburgh Fringe, what the costs are, the (perhaps) unexpected challenges, and what the experience is like for an artist. Click here to watch the YouTube video - click here to subscribe to our channel.
5/29 - One Word, So Many Meanings: Licensing. In the Room: James Rocco, director, choreographer, former producing artistic director of the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts, founder of Thirty Saints Productions (Come from Away, Magic Mike, creator of The Broadway Songbook Series) and the newly formed Thirty Saints Music Licensing; C. Michael Perry, founder of Premiére Theatrical Licensing, a theatrical publisher and performance rights licensing agency for plays, musicals, short plays, theater for young people, theater for seniors, and other genres of theatrical entertainment. While the monolithic Concord Theatricals has subsumed familiar companies like Samuel French and Tams-Witmark, other smaller companies continue to offer services and support to writers. We'll talk about different aspects of licensing, and how it differs from publishing: legal rights, collecting royalties and granting permission for theaters to perform a show in a variety of markets, and how a producer can benefit. Plus other sides of licensing: obtaining the rights to music whether creating a jukebox musical from existing songs or just quoting a song snippet, and a brief look at the need to license images and other intellectual property. Click here to watch the YouTube video - click here to subscribe to our channel.
5/22 - Happy Anniversaries! Two Theater Companies, and How They Are Celebrating. In the room: Emily Joy Weiner, co-founder and artistic director of Houses on the Moon, now observing a milestone 25th anniversary; and Ludovica Villar Hauser, founder and artistic executive director of Parity Productions, now reveling in its 10th anniversary. Meet two New York companies with community-centered missions: Emily’s company amplifies unheard voices and confronts social issues in order to unite communities through the sharing of untold stories, and Ludovica’s company promotes gender parity by empowering women, trans, gender-expansive and intersex artists in theater. What have they learned as their companies have grown? How have they adapted to the ebbs and flows of audience buying habits in a post-shutdown environment? Interestingly, both have eschewed traditional gala models and are now in the throes of new fundraising strategies in celebration and support of their milestones. Why? Click here to watch the YouTube video - click here to subscribe to our channel.
5/15 - But Do the Songs Tell the Whole Story? The Challenges of a Concert Reading. In the room: Michael Colby, lyricist and musical playwright (Charlotte Sweet, TRU Voices winner Meester Amerika, Tales of Tinseltown, North Atlantic, Ludlow Ladd), vice-president of Urban Stages., founding member of the original non-profit organization to develop new musicals, The Stuart Ostrow Musical Theatre Lab; Nico Juber, writer (Millennials Are Killing Musicals, Winner); Michael Roberts, award-winning off-Broadway composer, lyricist, author, musical director (Golf the musical, NY Fringe best musical The Fartiste, Goldstein, Greed; upcoming: London Swings). One of the (relatively) economical steps for the development of a new musical is the concert reading. But step carefully! There are union rules and limitations that can require creative problem-solving. Our guests have all had successful concert readings and will share some secrets of their success. What are the limitations, and how do you overcome them? Just what can you learn from a concert reading, what are the right reasons for doing one and how do you move your show to the next step? Click here to watch the YouTube video - click here to subscribe to our channel.
5/08 - Space Exploration: Lesser Known Venues Well Worth Knowing. In the room: Isaac Bush, co-executive director of the Brooklyn Art Haus & The MOUTH; and Susanna Frazer, artistic director of the Morningside Theater Co. We've all heard about theater spaces closing pre- and post-shutdown, but if you know where to look you can find some interesting low-profile spaces off the beaten track, still open and thriving. One of the most interesting spaces in Brooklyn is the Brooklyn Art Haus, located in Williamsburg, comprised of a fully versatile multimedia theater, rehearsal and podcast studios, a gallery and lounge, and a bar and restaurant called The MOUTH. On the other extreme is an intimate space way uptown in Manhattan on the west side: Morningside Players, a bare bones open room in West Harlem, great for readings as well as full productions. Interesting spaces, both with the mission of offering opportunities for developing new works. Come learn more about them. Click here to watch the YouTube video - click here to subscribe to our channel.
5/01 - Understanding (and Surviving) the Audition Process. In the room: actor/ singer/ producer N'Kenge, actor/singer (Motown the Musical, Caroline or Change; current: That's Love! The Dorothy Dandridge Musical) and actor/ singer/ producer Xander Chauncey. Some actors think that self-taping is the main route to getting cast, which is good news for the selfie generation but daunting for others. Though we're deep in an era of self-tapes, a career in theater still requires auditioning, both virtual and live. Yes, live auditions still are essential for getting hired in theater, which is welcome news for some actors, nervewracking for others. Two experienced theater pros will look at how auditions have evolved over the years, and how the process is very different for live versus virtual auditions versus self-tapes. Our guests will offer tips and insights about the varying skills that all serious actors need to understand and master. Click here to watch the YouTube video - click here to subscribe to our channel.
4/27 - Musicals: They Don't Write 'em Like They Used to. But Should They? In the room: Skip Kennon, composer/lyricist (Herringbone, Don Juan DeMarco, Time and Again), former artistic coordinator of the BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop and teacher for two decades; John Sparks, founder/co-director of the Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop, former artistic director of ANMT/NMI, founder of WritersWorkshop at Theatre Building Chicago. Schmigadoon has landed on Broadway with a satirical splash, raising questions about some of our most beloved musical theater traditions. What can we learn from the so-called "Golden Age" of musicals? What aspects of those classic musicals are still relevant in today's world? What is still worth emulating, or do we need a different musical vocabulary in today's market? And what are the universal principles that still do, and perhaps always will, apply to an effective work of theater? Click here to watch the YouTube video - click here to subscribe to our channel.
4/17 – Digital-First Marketing in a 21st-Century World: Insights from a Producer and a Digital Marketer. In the room: Josh Dennis, founder of MidConn Marketing, specializing in web design, social media, SEO and all aspects of digital marketing; Stephen Sunderlin, founding artistic director of Vital Theatre Company. A conversation about marketing in today's economy, from two perspectives. While Stephen is best known for producing 55-minute musicals for young audiences, performed by professional adult actors, the ideas he shares apply far beyond family theater. Josh designs for and supports a wide range of businesses within and beyond the arts. This conversation will explore how digital has changed the way live theater is marketed, why strong work alone is not enough, and what producers, marketers, and publicists need to understand in order to break through in a crowded marketplace. Is there a difference between marketing for an arts organization versus a corporate client? Can the two worlds learn from each other? In today’s attention economy, people are constantly bombarded and increasingly selective about where they allocate their time, money, and attention. Josh will offer his perspective and experience as head of a digital marketing company. Stephen will share some adult insights, even though he just happens to produce children’s theater. Click here to watch the YouTube video - click here to subscribe to our channel.
4/10 - The Other Side of the Table: What Auditions Look Like to the People Who Do the Casting. In the room: Robin Carus, casting director; Jonathan Cerullo, director-choreographer (Broadway: Anna Karenina; off-Bway Mr. Puppy, The Musical!, Yes, A Cat Named Marty Cohen, The Boys From Syracuse, Bubbling Brown Sugar (50th Anniversary Production Benefit Concert); Helene Galek, casting director; Jim Kierstead, producer (Dog Day Afternoon, The Fear of 13, Buena Vista Social Club, Titanique; Tonys for Hadestown, Pippin revival, Kinky Boots, The Inheritance); and Tamra Pica, casting director and indie producer. Many actors are terrified of auditions, others love the process. Not all of them understand it from a casting person's perspective. We've invited 2 casting directors, a producer/casting director, a Broadway producer and a director-choreographer – the main voices in the process – to share their experiences, both live and virtual, and how they differ. Who does what, best practices for running a professional session, what they each look for and what they each wish every actor would know when they come into the room. Part of the TRU Audition Conference for Theater (ACT). Click here to watch the YouTube video - click here to subscribe to our channel.
4/03 - Minnesota: The Healthiest Theater and Music Ecosystem in America? In the room: Beck Lee, New York publicist (NY Irish Center, Origin Theatre Company, Spiderwoman, the Downtown Indigenous-feminist company), now a Minneapolis-based playwright, producer and cultural convenor. His non-profit, the Cultural Fluency Initiative, creates events and performances that bring people of different backgrounds together to share their cultural traditions, stories and food. Beck will share his enthusiasm for what he sees as a healthier-than-average arts scene with a rich acting pool, solid arts infrastructure, impressive number of theaters and the highest level of State support of the arts per capita in America. Plus corporate support and individual patronage. "And here's the clincher: the arts in Minnesota are viewed as a civic asset ... something that make us special, something that justifies living through our hellish winters!" What impact have the ICE invasions of the Twin Cities, and a frigid political climate, had on the arts scene here? Plenty, and Beck will share some of that as well as his belief in the resilience of his new home state. Click here to watch the YouTube video - click here to subscribe to our channel.
3/27 - How Golden Wings Took Flight: A Do-It-(Almost)-Yourself Path of Development. In the room: playwright Coolidge Harris II, 2021 TRU Voices finalist for his play Golden Wings; Tom Polum, co-founder of Streaming Musicals; Tyler Milliron, creative director/producer Milliron Studios, a partner of Streaming Musicals; and Janel C. Scarborough, consulting producer. We'll follow the path of the play from its selection by the TRU Voices Series committee and Zoom presentation to its subsequent full stage production. Coolidge will talk about the pros and cons of being a self-producer, and the relationship he formed with his consulting producer; Janel will address the journey of the play's ultimate connection with the online theater platform Streaming Musicals. From there Tom and Jayse will discuss the process of translating a stage play into a viable film, including the technical aspects and the value of having a filmed version as a marketing tool. Click here to watch the YouTube video - click here to subscribe to our channel.
3/20 - A Light Still Shines: Art in a Time of War. In the room: Chris Grady, director at CGO Institute, fellow of the Royal Society for the Arts. Chris has just returned from a week in Kyiv and Lviv exploring the arts and culture scene amidst airraid warnings and against a backdrop of the devastation of the front as Ukraine pushes back the invading russian forces and seeks to protect Europe. How can US and International theatremakers help? What can we do to support fellow writers, actors, producers and cultural leaders? One thing we can do is to help to dispel the soviet propaganda. We can celebrate Ukrainian culture and contemporary arts/inventions. And we can offer creative collaboration with those Ukrainians displaced from their Country now in the USA, UK and beyond. Chris adds: "I will be back there in May for a theatre festival, and I hope others will soon get to see the amazing theatre - both physical and musical - I was lucky enough to experience in this trip." Click here to watch the YouTube video - click here to subscribe to our channel.
3/13 - Jump in: The Appeal of Immersive Theater, and Its Place in Our Creative Spectrum. In the room: Blair Russell, Broadway, off-Broadway and Fringe producer opening the Denver Immersive Repertory Theater (DIRT) in Denver this spring; and Elijah Bienz and Casey Ingraham of Mystery Players, NYC's musical mystery theater troup. We'll talk about various forms of alternative theater with a focus on immersive theater, inter-active theater and devised theater. How do you know if a project will work better in a traditional or immersive presentation? With enough imagination, can any work be enhanced by a non-traditioinal approach? Some feel immersive productions have a more social feel and are therefor more attractive to young audiences. Is that proving to be the case? Click here to watch the YouTube video - click here to subscribe to our channel.
2/20 - Keeping the Flame Alive: Honoring the Legacy of Artists We Have Lost. In the room: actress Marilyn Chris and director Jim Semmelman of Giggling Granny by the late TRU member Marsha Lee Sheiness; Dave Solomon, director and Sandy Silverberg, producer of The Way Out by the late TRU member, his wife Diana Amsterdam. Some of us may not always get to see our work performed in our lifetime. What a labor of love it is when someone champions that work when we are gone. And what a delicate process it can be as well. Making artistic decisions, interpretations and perhaps even script revisions is one thing when you're bringing Shakespeare to the stage, but when the writer was someone near and dear to you, you may take extra care to be true to their spirit. How can you be sure you are fulfilling their vision? Is the process a memorial or a collaboration? Should you be faithful to their every word, or work to create the most successful production?And to start off with, are there rights issues to tackle? There are many different answers. We will share the paths of these two very different works: an actress continuing to develop a play that her friend wrote for her, and a husband keeping alive the legacy of his late wife. Click here to watch the YouTube video - click here to subscribe to our channel.
2/13 - Designs for a Living: How Clothes Make the Character. In the room: Jeff Mahshie, costume designer for Broadway (The Little Dog Laughed, Next to Normal, Left on Tenth, revivals of She Loves Me and Kiss Me Kate) and off-Broadway (Babe, Good for Otto, Hurlyburly, Becky Shaw, Gruesome Playground Injuries, Marie and Bruce). Jeff started as a sportswear designer for Carmelo Pomodoro and went on to design for the likes of iconic Giorgio di Sant Angelo, the Italian house of Byblos, Chaiken and the legendary Halston. How did he find his way to theater design, and what was the transition like? What did he bring to the job, and how did he have to adapt? Does he have an aesthetic that informs his designs? Why would a producer/director pick him for their show? Jeff assures me he has some unconventional answers. We'll also talk about how a producer can make a designer's job easier (or even possible), and what makes it harder, as well as the importance of working with other stage designers, and how collaborative it needs to be. Click here to watch the YouTube video - click here to subscribe to our channel.
2/06 - Keeping Ahead of the Curves: Supporting the Future of American Theater. In the room: Josefina López, writer of the film and Broadway musical Real Women Have Curves, and the founder of Casa 0101, dedicated to "nurturing the future storytellers of Los Angeles." We'll talk about her experiences both in film and on Broadway with the adaptations of her play, whether the productions adequately addressed the need for authentic voices in the room as well as authenticity on the stage. Were there compromises, and were there outside eyes that brought positive enhancements to her original work? How comfortable were the collaborations, and how does the creative process differ in collaboration versus from the isolated experience of writing? Click here to watch the YouTube video - click here to subscribe to our channel.
1/30 - Opening Up: US Theater Makers and the Global Scene. In the room: Teresa Eyring, former executive director of Theater Communications Group (TCG); Roberto Cayuqueo Martinez, leader of the new International Theatre Institute (ITI) center in Chile. Teresa returns from Teatro a Mil, a major international theatre festival in Santiago, Chile, to talk about the work and the conversations she experienced there. She and Roberto will talk about the development of this new center, including the central role of indigenous artists in its creation. Additionally, they will invite dialogue on possibilities for artistic collaboration across the Americas. Click here to watch the YouTube video - click here to subscribe to our channel.
1/23/26 - Free Introduction to the TRU Producer Development & Mentorship Program. In the room: Master class instructor Jane Dubin, producer (Is This a Room, Dana H., The Prom, Tony winning The Norman Conquests, Farinelli and the King, Bandstand, Peter and the Starcatcher and An American in Paris; plus off-Broadway Absolute Brightness of Leonard Pelkey, The 39 Steps, Ann) and Foundations instructor Blair Russell, Tony-nominated producer whose experience ranges from fringe festivals (Edinburgh) to Broadway and Off-Broadway shows (Slave Play, Still and Sweeney Todd). A free meet-and-greet info session about our Producer Development and Mentorship Program, the only theater production program to offer in-depth instruction from accomplished producers at an affordable price. The SPRING semester will start in Late February or early March. Prospective applicants will have the opportunity to learn from and network with our commercial producer instructors. You will also meet and hear from successful program graduates at this Intro evening. PDMP’s purpose is to give members the knowledge and resources to become commercial theater producers, non-profit theater producers and/or self-producing artists. Click here to watch the YouTube video - click here to subscribe to our channel.
1/16/29 - New Stops on the Road to Success: Rethinking the Development Process. In the room: producer Jane Dubin (Is This a Room, Dana H., The Prom, Tony winning The Norman Conquests, Farinelli and the King, Bandstand, Peter and the Starcatcher and An American in Paris; upcoming: The Village of Vale); writer Markus Ferraro creator/producer (Ximer off-Broadway, Ximer A New Musical podcast, Ximer comic book series), singer/actor/musician (national tour of Cabaret); R.K. Greene, producer (Beau the musical, Harmony, Peter and the Starcatcher, The Lightning Thief tour, Farinelli and the King, A Time to Kill, Cougar: The Musical, Room Service); writer Michael Roberts, award-winning off-Broadway composer, lyricist, author, musical director (Golf the musical, NY Fringe best musical The Fartiste, Goldstein, Greed; upcoming: London Swings). Producing has become madly expensive. We know. Are there other effective ways of getting your show seen without breaking the bank? Our guests will talk about the actual costs of workshops and regional productions as compared to new approaches, including film, podcast nand even a comic book series. Click here to watch the YouTube video - click here to subscribe to our channel.
1/09/26 - One Native American Artist's Approach to Theater: Creative Sovereignty.In the room: Tara Moses (citizen of Seminole Nation of Oklahoma, Mvskoke), director, multi award-winning playwright, and co-founder of Groundwater Arts, a US-based artist collaborative committed to reenvisioning the arts field through a climate justice lens. Indigenous artists are perhaps the least visible in our culture, a culture founded on white authority. Equally concerned with the fair treatment of our planet as well as equitable treatment of the multiple populations that inhabit it, Tara will talk about finding her rightful place as an artist, and how decolonization offers a path towards more equal opportunities. She'll reference a new endeavor from Groundwater Arts, the publication of Start with the Ground: a journal on decolonization in which Tara served as one of the editors and contributors; and she'll share the basic principles of Creative Sovereignty, including individual control of one's work, self-determination and cultural preservation. Click here to watch the YouTube video - click here to subscribe to our channel.
1/02/26 - Produce Yourself in 2026: More New York Festivals and What They Offer. Erev Ziv, managing artistic director and Jimmy Lovett, resident artistic director of Frigid NY which presents NYC Fringe Festival, Queerly and other festivals with specific focuses; David Winitsky, founder and executive artistic director of the clearly focused Jewish Plays Project. A followup to our 12/19 conversation, with a look at other opportunities for developing your work. And just in time for your resolution to get your work up and seen in this new year! Is the festival experience right for you? Which festival would be the best fit? What are the costs, deadlines and the procedures for submitting your work? The Jewish Play Festival offers a different producing model, but still a great opportunity to get your work up and seen. We'll recap the reasons for being in a festival, managing expectations and getting the most out of these opportunities. Click here to watch the YouTube video - click here to subscribe to our channel.
12/19 - Produce Yourself in 2026: What's New on the New York Festival Scene? In the room: Matt Bader and Faith Pasch of the newly launched Manifestival Series, a curated showcase of plays and solo performances produced in tandem with the inaugural season of Matt and Faith's new company Diamond Mesh Inc.; John Chatterton and Jay Michaels of the returning Midtown International Theatre Festival, a favorite NYC showcase for new work that closed in 2017 but is coming back; Michael Scott-Price, artistic director of the Dream Up Festival. We now focus on developmental opportunities that are closer to home. Is the festival experience right for you? We'll talk about the intricacies of creating and running a festival, the reasons for being in a festival, managing expectations and getting the most out of this opportunity. Click here to watch the YouTube video - click here to subscribe to our channel.
12/12 - Three Views of the Latiné Arts Community: East, West and In Between. In the room: Christin Cato, NYC actor, playwright (Sancocho, O.K.!), freelance writer, dramaturg and educator, 2025 HOLA award for Outstanding Achievement in Playwriting; Justine Bayod Espoz/Torito Arts, Executive Director at the Creative and Independent Producer Alliance (CIPA), arts journalist, producer and performing arts curator, advocate for diversity in the Chicago arts community; and Jorge Huerta, Chicano scholar, author and theater director specializing in Chicano and US Latinx theater. What are the challenges to creating genuine inclusion in the melting pot of American arts culture, and have the current strict immigration policies had an effect? Has progress been made in gaining acceptance of authentic latiné voices. Are non-Latiné audiences supportive of the diverse voices in our culture, or are Latiné opportunities limited to the Latiné community and companies that have a specific following? And does authenticity ever get lost in an effort to be accessible to broader audiences? Are NYC, sest coast and Chicago audiences, in general, open to and supportive of culturally diverse works? Is that changing in today's political climate where non-white communities are viewed with suspicion? Click here to watch the YouTube video - click here to subscribe to our channel.
11/28 - What I Am Thankful for: Focusing on the Positive (in Spite of It All). "It's just us" gathering of community and friends in celebration of Thanksgiving. In the room: R.K. Greene, producer (Beau the musical, Harmony, Peter and the Starcatcher, The Lightning Thief tour, Farinelli and the King, A Time to Kill, Cougar: The Musical, Room Service); John Lant, off-Broadway producer (Frankenstein, Wicked Frozen, Lili Marlene, Fabulous), TRU board member; Sandy Silverberg, producer (The Way Out, TRU reading of Control of the Dirt), TRU Board Chair. We'll talk about coping with the current political climate, and focus on what we can do to stay centered, creative and productive. Video not available on YouTube. For private access email TRUnltd@aol.com
11/21 - How in the World to Get Noticed: PR Strategies from the NY Festival Scene to the Edinburgh Fringe. In the room: Michelle Mangan, Edinburgh Festival Fringe publicist representing major Fringe venues as well as individual shows; Jonathan Slaff, NY-based publicist for the Dream Up Festival as well as cultural institutions, professional theater and dance companies, international cultural events and self-producing artists. Meet two publicists whose wheelhouses contain way more than theater. Do their broader perspectives influence the way they promote individual shows? Are there special approaches to promoting a show in a festival especially when you have to get noticed in a field of dozens (Dream Up) or thousands of shows (EdFringe)? Are they passionate about every piece they represent? Is that even possible? We'll also review the basics that go into an effective press release as well as how they have developed their individual styles and strategies. And why hiring a publicist, in the long run, might be better than trying to do it all yourself. Click here to watch the YouTube video - click here to subscribe to our channel.
11/14 - Crossing the Cultural Boundary: Can We Write Authentically about People Other Than "Our Own"? In the room: Lynnie Godfrey, actress, singer, dancer, director, producer, dramaturg/sensitivity consultant and president of the League of Professional Theater Women; Celeste Bedford Walker, published and produced Texas playwright focusing on historical moments that illuminate the African American experience; Ellen Clarkson, Brooklyn based playwright, board member of the League of Professional Theater Women, member of TRU and Plays in Progress (PIP). Two writers - one black, one white. Both are writing plays about the culture of black America, and they are working with a consultant to help them get it right. Writers have often been told to “write what you know” and “stick to your own experiences,” but must we be limited to whites writing white characters and blacks writing black characters? Isn’t it the job of an artist to explore humanity in all its many forms? Yet in these sensitive times the sin of "cultural appropriation" is verboten. In the past decade when black artists and "other" voices are finally starting to be heard, it has become nearly impossible for writers to cross cultural lines and still be produced. Must an artist be limited to playing in their own sandbox? Might they not bring objectivity and insight to sensitive subject matter beyond their own experience? Isn't that what artists do? Though the optics remain troublesome, there may be ways around this conundrum. Click here to watch the YouTube video - click here to subscribe to our channel.
11/7 - Is the Broadway Musical Doomed? Yet Again? In the room: Peter Filichia, Broadway Radio correspondent, writer and historian of the American musical theater; Cody Lassen, Tony-nominated producer (How I Learned to Drive, A Commercial Jingle for Regina Comet, Indecent, Spring Awakening revival) and live entertainment consultant; Ben West, musical theater artist and historian, and the author of The Musical Theatre Report. Two recent articles in the New York Times bemoaned the hopeless economics of commercial theater, and pretty much tolled the death knell for the Broadway musical. Statistics do seem dire with a recent parade of 20 million dollar blockbusters gone bust and closing at 100% loss, and audience attendance is still not at pre-shutdown levels. The truth is, theater itself has been viewed as a "fabulous invalid" since George Kauffman's flop comedy coined the term in its title in 1938. In an article in his Musical Theatre Report, guest Ben West cites three articles expressing concern about the future of theater by critics in various decades of the 20th century. So here we are again, and currently with union strikes looming ominously. How has the musical managed to survive despite the predictions? Do we need a new model for producing, and what might that look like? And why is this unique form of theater so important? Click here to watch the YouTube video - click here to subscribe to our channel.
10/24 - East Meets West: Cultural Differences and Common Ground. In the room: Neeraja Ramjee, New York based actor & producer originally from Bangalore India, working in film, TV and theater; and Rudaba Zehra Nasir, a Manhattan-based, conservatory-trained actress, writer, and singer originally from Lahore Pakistan. We'll consider the rich cultural heritage of Neeraja's native India and Rudaba's Pakistan, and some of the performing arts modalities that are unique to South Asia. Most of us know Bollywood and popular film influences, while many other performance forms are perhaps unfamiliar to us. Have eastern and western cultures cross-pollinated over the years? What are the influences and inspirations that have shaped South Asian art, and are they different from what influences and inspires artists in our western culture? In what ways might British colonialization of India and Pakistan have changed their heritage? And how have our guests' heritages shaped them as artists? Click here to watch the YouTube video - click here to subscribe to our channel.
10/17 - Checking the Pulse of Indie Theater, and Ensuring Its Future Health. In the room: Guy Yedwab, community activist, board president of the League of Independent Theater; Bree O'Connor, co-founder, producing artistic director for Playful Substance, a company that focuses on developing new works for the stage. "Indie" has emerged as a preferred branding for the wealth of small productions brought to life on the smaller stages of New York and around the country. It encompasses the world of showcases, festivals and "off-off-Broadway," while perhaps suggesting an energy and significance of its own. A safe environment where artists can take risks, indie has survived many shifts in our cultural environment. As with all aspects of the arts and commerce, indie took a mighty blow from the pandemic that isolated us for over a year and continues to inhibit our ability to regain pre-shutdown equilibrium. Our government, which has never adequately supported the arts but has at least respected them, now seems to be waging war on our rights to express ourselves authentically. Will Indie Theater survive? What can we do to assure our voices can continue to be heard? Our guests have access to respected reports that illuminate the importance of Indie Theater and the positive role it plays in the health of New York's economy, and other studies that make it clear that Indie Theater is worth fighting for. Come have a listen. Click here to watch the YouTube video - click here to subscribe to our channel.
10/10 - Putting the Ladies in the Spotlight: Organizations That Focus on Professional Theater Women. In the room: Lynnie Godfrey, president and Cynthia Straus, board member of the League of Professional Theatre Women; Shellen Lubin, co-president of Women in Arts & Media Coalition; Lauren Yarger of Gracewell Productions, co-founder of the new Connecticut Theatre Women Network. Meet these three passionate organizations and hear about their histories, their missions and the services and support they offer. All three are sister organizations with TRU and we offer reciprocal memberships and support. Is the need for these niche organizations as necessary as it once was? Are there still inequities in the way women are perceived and treated in our business? What progress has been made? What are their goals for the future, and have current politics affected those goals? How can we adjust? Click here to watch the YouTube video - click here to subscribe to our channel.
10/3 - What's Happening to Free Speech? And Can Art Survive in the Shadow of Censorship? In the room: Ralph Sevush, Executive Director of Business Affairs & General Counsel at Dramatists Guild of America; and Cheryl Davis, playwright, TRU co-founder and vice president, and General Counsel for the Authors Guild. Stephen Colbert was cancelled. Under pressure from the FCC Chairman, Disney suspended Jimmy Kimmel's nightly show. Before that the NEA was pressured to limit or eliminate funding to organizations that applied for support for programs that focus on amplifying Equity, Diversity and Inclusion. A Trump Executive Order declares that sexual identity is exclusively determined by birth, effectively nullifying the spectrum of human identity we have grown to understand. Women's rights to their own bodies have already been uprooted, and gay marriage seems next on the hit list. What are the ramifications for artists, particularly the writers of the Dramatists Guild, the Authors Guild and even TRU? Are there effective ways for us to keep making art, and retain our artistic integrity and our lives as we know them? We'll be looking at all this a few days before Banned Books Week. Yes, really. Is it possible for us to fight back against these attacks on the First Amendment — and if so, how? Click here to watch the YouTube video - click here to subscribe to our channel.
9/26 - What's a Pitch Deck, and Why Do I Need One? In the room: Tracy Swedlow, editor-in-chief of InteractiveTV Today (ITVT), producer, writer, and creator of TV, The Musical (tv-the-musical.com), developer of compelling pitch decks for theatrical productions; and Joe Nelms, award-winning playwright with a background in advertising and marketing (BBDO, Grey, Warner Bros.), and founder of the boutique design agency Great Big Stuff (GreatBigStuff.nyc). Projects never seem to happen these days without a solid pitch deck to help promote your product, whether it's a widget or a work of art. We'll talk about what goes into an effective pitch deck, the different scenarios where one is needed and how to tailor your presentation to the circumstance and the person you are pitching. It's all about blending storytelling, visual design and strategic positioning to help plays and musicals attract investors, producers and audiences. You might find it helpful! Click here to watch the YouTube video - click here to subscribe to our channel.
9/19 - More Stories from the Trenches: Behind the Scenes at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. In the room: Claire Feuille and Josh Dooley of Feuille Dooley Productions (I Was a Teenage She-Devil and How Not to Fund a Honeymoon at the Ed Fringe, upcoming Relative Motion at London's Southwark Playhouse; co-producers on Operation Mincemeat); Peter Michael Marino, writer, performer, director, producer, and educator (acted in Edinburgh Fringe in Desperately Seeking the Exit, Late with Lance, Show Up and Show Up, Kids!); Edinburgh Fringe producer of Jason Kravits’ Off the Top, Gary Busey’s One-Man Hamlet, Joe’s NYC Bar; Molly Morris of Ghostlight Global, a company that books tours of the Edinburgh Fringe for US theater companies and others. This will be a followup look at the Edinburgh Fringe from the business and producer perspective, and an insider's look at how it happens and how to succeed. We'll talk about the need for a press person, and how Michelle splits her time between representing shows and representing venues. Plus how Claire and Josh and Peter use festivals as a step in the development of new works and the division of responsibility between them and their artists. What kinds of shows interest them, and how do they decide which pieces are a good fit for Edinburgh? Click here to watch the YouTube video - click here to subscribe to our channel.
9/12 - The Arts and Activism: How Theater Can Open (and Change) Minds. In the room: Kaci M. Fannin, producer, multi-disciplinary artist, actor, community organizer, social justice advocate; and Dominique Sharpton, actor, Tony-winning producer and activist, national director of membership for National Action Network, one of the nation's oldest legacy civil rights organizations. From its very roots in ancient classics that often shaped current as well as historic events into life lessons, to Shakespeare's portraits of royal villains and heroes, to the cool-eyed issue plays of Brecht and the agitprop of Odets, theater has always been a political medium. Even when it is not overtly political, theater can be subversively persuasive as it invites us to empathize with characters and dares us to understand human behavior in its full spectrum of moral shades. Now, in a time when the arts are being defunded, DEI intiatives are being neutered and hard-won freedoms are being overturned, what can we, as artists, do to hold on to our values and protect our communities? Our courageous guests will offer a look at the "good fights" they are fighting every day, and suggest ways we can all help to effect change and make our voices heard. Click here to watch the YouTube video - click here to subscribe to our channel.
9/5 - Stories from the Trenches: How I Survived the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. In the room: writer/performer Connor McKenna (Seltzer Boy); writer/performer Julie McNamara and producer Matthew Tiemstra (A "Confessional" of a Recovering Catholic); producer Blair Russell (David and Katie Get Re-Married, Jackie!!! and Pop Off, Michelangelo!); writer/performer Tatienne Hendricks-Tellefsen and director Musa Gurnis (Horny for the End of the World). Preparing, promoting or performing – which takes the most work? And how does it feel just to be a part of the world's largest theater festival? Was it fun, satisfying or simply nerve wracking? What were our artful adventurers expecting, and what took them by surprise? And what might they do different the next time? (Will there be a next time?) Click here to watch the YouTube video - click here to subscribe to our channel.
8/29 - The Making of TRUSpeak ’25: Turning Short Plays into Films. Moderated by TRUSpeak25 executive producers Carley Santori, live performance/digital media producer (Meta NY, Dance Parade, Dance Rising NYC, Center for Performance Research, The Blueprint: A DNA Musical); and Janel C. Scarborough, multidisciplinary producer, creative investor, script developer (Single Black Female, Thoughts of a Colored Man, Tony nominated revival for colored girls...). In the room: Cady Huffman, TRUSpeak25 producer, actress (Tony, Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle Awards for The Producers, Will Rogers Follies; TV: Curb Your Enthusiasm, The Good Wife, Iron Chef America); Scott C. Sickles, TRUSpeak25 playwright, Emmy-winning TV writer (General Hospital); Kingsley Lims Nyarko, TRUSpeak25 director, filmmaker, assistant professor/chair of film & video at Columbus College of Art & Design (48 Hour Film Project, Gateway Foundation Advisory Board, Film Columbus Advisory Board); Rachel S. Bass, TRUSpeak25 production coordinator/film consultant, director, creative producer (The Tank NYC, The Flea, Chez Bushwick, NYSummerfest, IRT Theater). The discussion will focus on the differences between storytelling on stage and on screen, the limitations and possibilities of both mediums, and the learning curve needed to understand the technical demands of film. How do the contracts and budgets compare? How does the role of writer, director and producer differ in each form? The TRUSpeak team will share insight into the production process and the spirit of collaboration that brings these adaptations to life, from first draft to final cut. Click here to watch the YouTube video - click here to subscribe to our channel.
8/22 - Tips for Early Career Artists: Getting Your Work Out There and Getting Noticed. Facilitated by members of TRU's Young Professionals and Artists Circle (YPAC): Camila Grunberg, business development representative at Aurie Consulting, and Jordan Richards, actor, writer, and director. In the room: Mêlisa Annis, award-winning Welsh playwright, director, and adjunct professor at NYU Tisch. Her work has been developed and presented by Playwrights Horizons, Primary Stages, The Lark, Rattlestick Theater, Paramount Theatre, ATF Theatre, Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center, The Wales Millennium Centre, Clutch Productions, BMG Music, Parity Productions, The New School, The Playground Experiment, Rosalind Productions, and more. Mêlisa will discuss her career trajectory, sharing how she has gained recognition and secured productions with leading American theater companies. She will also explore the role academia plays in building a successful career in theater and share her advice for early-career professionals. Click here to watch the YouTube video - click here to subscribe to our channel.
8/15 - Where Do You Start: Do Different Countries Offer Different Paths of Development? In the room: Australian producer Neil Gooding (Broadway: Sunset Boulevard, Gypsy, Operation Mincemeat, Harmony; Back to the Future in London and New York, Holding The Man in London, UK productions of What's New Pussycat and Little Voice; Australian premieres of Sunset Boulevard, Gypsy, Harmony, Operation Mincemeat, Gutenberg! The Musical!, Dogfight and 33 Variations and New York productions of Islander, Church and State, Handle with Care, The 39 Steps); UK producer Chris Grady, director at CGO Institute, fellow of the Royal Society for the Arts; US producer Martin Platt of Perry Street Theatricals general management (Tony winner for Vanya & Sonia & Masha & Spike; also Dames at Sea revival, Bedlam's Hamlet/St. Joan, off-Broadway award winning In the Continuum and an oak tree; Lend Me a Tenor and 4 other productions on the West End, 16 touring productions in the UK); and UK general manager James Steel who specializes in international product. We'll talk about financing strategies in early stages of development, differing approaches to front money from country to country, comparative costs including the costs involved in bringing works into the UK. Plus the challenges and potential opportunities in different markets, with a focus on US, UK and Australia. Click here to watch the YouTube video - click here to subscribe to our channel.
8/8 - Making Music in Minnesota (and the Line between Musical Theater and Opera). In the room: Ben Krywosz, artistic director of the Nautilus Music-Theater. Founded in 1986 as The New Music-Theatre Ensemble, a program of the Minnesota Opera, Nautilus has grown into an essential platform and incubator for the creation, development and production of new operas and other forms of music-theater that are, in Ben's words, "emotionally expansive, dramatically engaging, and spiritually stimulating." Nautilus also offers multiple training opportunities for artistic growth including Performing Power classes for local performers, the annual Wesley Balk Opera/Music-Theater Institute for performers, directors and coaches (now in its 46th year), and a Composer-Librettist Studio (now in its 41st year), held in the Twin Cities, NYC (at New Dramatists), and other sites around the country. His Composer-Librettist Studios have facilitated over 1,750 collaborations between composers and writers since 1984. With his roots so firmly in opera, how far does he stray in his taste for musical theater? Just how different are these two art forms? And what are the secrets of successful collaboration? Click here to watch the YouTube video - click here to subscribe to our channel.
8/1 - A Lost Opportunity, Found: The Return of the Midtown International Theatre Festival! In the room: John Chatterton, founder and executive producer and Jay Michaels, manager, marketing and promotion of the newly revived and rethought Midtown International Theatre Festival. One of the best steps a writer can take in the development of new work is to self-produce or be produced in a festival. Though there are always costs involved in producing anything, the shared resources and festival marketing umbrella is a relatively low-cost option for getting a show up on its feet in front of an audience. For 18 years MITF stood as a midtown response to New York's downtown Fringe Festival, welcoming shows with commercial ambitions as well as the experimental and non-tradition works often associated with "fringe festivals." Let's all find out what the plans are for this new incarnation of a New York landmark. What changes are in store in a post-Covid environment? What venues and submission costs are being considered? And crucially: what were some of the lessons learned in 18 years of producing this festival, and how will those lessons be applied in 2026? Click here to watch the YouTube video - click here to subscribe to our channel.
7/25 - Free Introduction to our Producer Development & Mentorship Program. In the room: Master class instructor Jane Dubin, producer (Is This a Room, Dana H., The Prom, Tony winning The Norman Conquests, Farinelli and the King, Bandstand, Peter and the Starcatcher and An American in Paris; plus off-Broadway Absolute Brightness of Leonard Pelkey, The 39 Steps, Ann) and Foundations instructor Blair Russell (Slave Play, Sweeney Todd off-Broadway). A free meet-and-greet info session about our Producer Development and Mentorship Program, the only theater production program to offer in-depth instruction from accomplished producers at an affordable price. The fall semester will start in Late September or October. Prospective applicants will have the opportunity to learn from and network with our commercial producer instructors. You will also meet and hear from successful program graduates at this Intro evening. Email TRUnltd@aol.com for private video recording.
7/18 - Theater Awards: What They Mean and Why We Give Them. In the room: Bob Blume, an executive producer of the Drama Desk Awards from 1999-2018; Peter Breger of the OB Alliance Awards; Cat Parker of New York's IT Awards; Bevin Ross, executive director of The Drama League; Charles Wright, co-president of the Drama Desk Awards. The unique identity and purpose of different theater awards, the complex and probably exhausting process of managing and administering an annual awards ceremony and how it functions in stimulating the development of our theater culture. Come learn the history of some of our current theater awards and why each was created, the philosophies behind each, and their differences in terms of esthetics (if there are differences). What do they look for? What do they value? You will learn about eligibility, of course, and how the awards are run and produced. Should art even be competitive? Are awards healthy acknowledgments that offer artists something to aspire to? Isn't this inevitably subjective, or are there ever objective criteria to consider when choosing nominees and winners? Click here to watch the YouTube video - click here to subscribe to our channel.
7/11 - Is New York Really a Safe Haven for School Arts Programs? A follow up to our 6/25 conversation about Arts and Education. In the room: Peter Avery, director of theater for the NYC Department of Education. New York has the largest public school system in the nation, and is known as a major center for the arts in America, and our guest is focused on the significant impact a dedicated theater education has for all youth, their teachers and school communities. Avery prioritizes producing innovative theater programs focused on youth artistry, access, equity and inclusion for NYC public school students of all ages and abilities. We'll look at the range of successful programs Avery has helped generate, consider what more may still need to be done and whether current political trends might have a negative impact on the progress we have made. Are these programs unique to New York, or can other areas of the US learn from what we do here? And vice versa? Audio recoerding available upon request - email trunltd@aol.com
6/27 - From New York City to St. Paul to South Africa: a Director Who Moves in Many Directions. In the room: Stephen DiMenna, executive artistic director of the Park Square Theatre in St. Paul, former artistic director of both the MCC Youth Theatre Company and InitialStage in New York, and founding artistic director of The International Theatre Project which uses theater as a catalyst for education, self-discovery and empowerment for young people in disenfranchised communities worldwide. That's Stephen DiMenna ... all over. The common thread is a passion for directing and a mission of using theater as a way to educate and empower young artists as well as audiences. Though his resume leads with a dazzling lineup of directing credits, his heart encompasses a world of accomplishments. ITP brings theater artists to developing countries to conduct theatre workshops to teach English language proficiency, develop independent thinking, self-empowerment and gender equity. In New York he is currently a senior teaching artist for The Theatre Development Fund, and was an artist in residence at MCC Theater, and a teaching artist at City Center's Encores program, Theatre for a New Audience and The Roundabout Theatre. He was co-artistic director of The Stargate Company at Manhattan Theatre Club which created original plays by and with court involved youth in NYC. How does he do so many things and balance his time? What are some of the accomplishments he is most proud of? Is his energy challenged at all by the current war that feels like it is being waged on the arts and so many of our values? Click here to watch the YouTube video - click here to subscribe to our channel.
6/20 - Pooling Resources: How Three Women-led Companies Joined Forces. In the room, the three companies that combined to create The Femme Collective. Meet D-Davis of Eden Theatre Company, Kate Mueth of the Neo-Political Cowgirls and Lorca Peress of MultiStages. After the profound financial and cultural disruptions caused by COVID-19, these three companies made a comeback by rethinking the theater landscape. By sharing resources, space, and creative energy, Femme Collective not only confronted the economic challenges of a post-pandemic world, but also provided a platform to amplify diverse voices, foster community resilience, and redefine how theater can empower and sustain its artists and audiences. Although each company presented their own work, they shared the costs. What did that look like? How did they work out the schedule for their shared space? Did cross-promoting expand their individual audiences? What other shared costs made this more affordable for each company? And what were the bumps in the road? Click here to watch the YouTube video - click here to subscribe to our channel.
6/13 - From Page to Stage to Hybrid to Film: How a Writer Adapts. In the room: playwright Alex Goldberg, whose play Guellen, Kansas was part of our 2023 "TRUSpeak: Hear Our Voices!" evening of short plays filmed for zoom. Alex embraced the process of rethinking a stage play for the film medium and successfully collaborated with director Jordan Richards to create a work that was cinematic enough to be submitted to film festivals. That experience gave him the motivation and the knowledge to adapt another of his plays, Broad Daylight, into a film that he himself directed and shopped to festivals, and has screened at nine film festivals so far, including Santa Fe International Film Festival and Sedona Film Festival. What are the essential differences between stage and film scripts? What does a writer need to know to make the transition? The TRUSpeak evening was conceived as a hybrid, a filmed play. In Broad Daylight Alex took the leap to totally rethinking his piece as a film. And then he took another leap: he completed a paid training program at Netflix to be an adapter of dubbed foreign content. Click here to watch the YouTube video - click here to subscribe to our channel.
6/6/25 - Will We Ever Learn the Lesson? The Importance of Arts and Education. In the room: Kimberly Olsen, executive director of Arts in Education Roundtable; and Lucy Sexton, executive director of New Yorkers for Culture and Arts. The importance of Arts and Education cannot be stressed enough. There is a crucial need to offer young people the option of discovering the arts for the purpose of self-enrichment as well as to develop the audiences and artists of tomorrow. The arts show us who we are and how we got here, and they suggest paths forward. They offer a window into being human. We'll consider how the US stacks up against many other countries that often seem to respect the arts more than we do, or at least prioritize them both in schools and in society itself. What impact might the current administration have, or is already having, on arts programs in schools? What are the implications of restricting conversations in classrooms and banning books in our libraries? Click here to watch the YouTube video - click here to subscribe to our channel.
5/30/25 - Balancing Act: The Many Sides of Robert Cuccioli. In the room: Robert Cuccioli, an actor equally adept with musicals and classic plays. On Broadway, he debuted as Javert in Les Miserables, got a Tony nomination for Jekyll and Hyde and brought his split-personality expertise to Spiderman: Turn Off the Dark as Norman Osborne/Green Goblin. Off-Broadway shows included And the World Goes Round, The Rothschilds and Enter the Guardsman, as well as distinctly non-musicals Antony and Cleopatra and A Touch of the Poet. He has made frequent appearance with the Shakespeare Theater of New Jersey, and also loves to direct. We'll talk about how he chooses his roles, and whether he approaches the classics any differently than he approaches musicals. And yes, we will touch on the current environment of the arts, and theater, in America. Click here to watch the YouTube video - click here to subscribe to our channel.
5/23/25 - The Most Unkindest Cuts of All: America's Defunding of the Arts. In the room, three companies who have lost NEA funding: Tannis Kowalchuk, artistic director of Farm Arts Collective; Stephanie Prugh, director of development for The York Theatre Company; Bevin Ross, executive director of The Drama League. And for perspective, we welcome Tooshar Swain, director of Public Policy at Americans for the Arts. America has never been a leader when it comes to funding the arts, but today things have taken a more disturbing turn than ever. So many iconic institutions are suddenly under siege starting with a forced takeover of the Kennedy Center and now the defunding of NPR and PBS. What is hitting our theater community most directly, in this moment, is the neutering of the National Endowment of the Arts which is rabidly cutting funding to organizations that are not aligned "with the president's priorities." We'll consider what those priorities might be and how this effects individual artists and well as theater companies. At heart: why does art matter, and what is this administration afraid of? Is this a form of censorship, and how do they justify an apparent infringement of free speech? And ultimately what is being done – or can be done – to counter this attack? Click here to watch the YouTube video - click here to subscribe to our channel.
5/16/25 - Follow the Leader: How TheaterWorksUSA Serves Youth and Family Theater. In the room: Barbara Pasternack, artistic director since 2000. We'll look at the founding of TWU by Jay Harnick and Charles Hull, and what it was like for Barbara to follow in their footsteps. How did she leave her own mark? What lessons were learned over the years, and how has the company adapted and changed? What was the impact of shutdown, and has live performance returned to "normal" for young audiences? We'll also touch on the function and importance of TYA, the difference between young audiences and family audiences, and the full range of programming offered to cultivate new audiences as well as new artists. Click here to watch the YouTube video - click here to subscribe to our channel.
5/09/25 - Art and Business Working in Harmony: Meet the Manhattan Musical Theatre Lab. In the room: James Benjamin Rodgers, president and general director of MMTL, a company that strives to identify new musical theater creators and collaborators on both sides of the footlights: they serve as an incubator for the step-by-step development of new works, while also seeking to identify and mentor the next generation of theatrical artistic leaders and offer them training in business skills and industry knowledge. Support programs include a New Works Initiative for writers, and an Artistic Director Fellowship to develop the future leaders of the industry. They also offer networking opportunities as well as connections to outside resources and industry support for the community. James will also share his background as a performer, administrator, producer, director and educator, and how his varied background experiences comes together in his current vision for his company. Click here to watch the YouTube video - click here to subscribe to our channel.
5/02/25 - Using the Virtual Toolbox to Develop Your New Musical. In the room: Stacia Fernandez and Tom Polum, co-owners of Streaming Musicals; Tyler Milliron, CEO of Milliron Studios; and Gina Gallego, Joel S. Bailey and Jan Roper, the writers of the new musical América Tropical which was the 2025 presentation of the TRU Voices New Musicals Reading Series, and will have its On Demand premiere on Sunday 5/04. What can we (and can't we) do within the terms of the AEA versus SAG/AFTRA agreements? And how can Streaming Musicals help? We'll touch on the advantages and disadvantages of live staged readings versus filmed presentations, and consider different ways of capturing a show on film including live broadcast, livestream and On Demand; plus the options available if you choose to film a new work in development, the costs and the rules you need to follow. Using América Tropical as a touchstone, we'll look at the challenges of producing a musical reading in a virtual medium, as well as the post-production work that this team incorporated into the creation of an On Demand version of the show. Click here to watch the YouTube video - click here to subscribe to our channel.
4/25/25 - Back on Everyone's Radar: That Festival We Thought We'd Lost. In the room: Mark Russell, founder and artistic leader of the Under the Radar Festival, in residence at the Public Theatre from 2006 to 2023. The last time we talked to Mark he had literally just learned that the Public Theatre was no longer able to support his annual presentation of contemporary cutting edge "theater that investigates the nature of the theater experience." And he had no idea what he would do next or if he would find a new way to share his vision with the rest of us. Yet, within a year he had bounced back and found a new producing partner, ArKtype, and had reformatted his festival by running it at multiple venues throughout New York City. How did he do it? We'll talk about how the pieces came together, and how the rebooting has required rethinking and hard work. What, if anything, has been lost? And what has been gained? Click here to watch the YouTube video - click here to subscribe to our channel.
4/18/25 - Celebrating 5 Years of Community: How We Zoomed Our Way Through Shutdown, and What We've Learned. In the room: Patrick Blake, San Francisco based producer and a TRU board member; Michael diGaetano, NY-based writer; John Ewing III, South Carolina based producer of film and theater; R.K. Greene, NYC based theater producer; Rob Hofmann, Minnesota based producer and fundraising consultant; Sandy Silverberg, producer, tech consultant, TRU Board Chairman; Emma Wood, Australia based writer; Patricia Zehentmayr, LA based writer. Our invited guests will start us off by telling us how they found their way to TRU and what our Friday gatherings have meant to them, with a focus on building a global community and why that matters, perhaps now more than ever. We will open up to the room as we consider the importance of community and thinking beyond our geographic locations. For some, finding TRU has changed their life. Hear their stories and (we hope) be inspired. Click here to watch the YouTube video - click here to subscribe to our channel.
4/11/25 - The Other Side of the Table: What Auditions Look Like to the People Who Do the Casting. In the room: Robin Carus, casting director; Cody Lassen, producer (How I Learned To Drive, A Commercial Jingle for Regina Comet, Indecent, Spring Awakening Deaf West revival); Denis Jones, director/choreographer (Tony noms for Tootsie and Irving Berlin's Holiday Inn, Honeymoon in Vegas; plus Kennedy Center Guys and Dolls, NY City Center ENCORES Paint Your Wagon, Eurydice at The Met); and Tamra Pica, casting director and indie producer. Many actors are terrified of auditions, others love the process. Not all of them understand it from a casting person's perspective. We've invited 2 casting directors, a producer and a director-choreographer – the three main voices in the process – to share their experiences, both live and virtual. And how they differ. Who does what, best practices for running a professional session, what they each look for and what they each wish every actor would know when they come into the room. Part of the TRU Audition Conference for Theater (ACT). Click here to watch the YouTube video - click here to subscribe to our channel.
4/4/25 - How Your "Magnetic Mindset" Can Attract Representation and Resources. In the room: Lisa Gold of Act Outside the Box, and a former partner at Actors Connection in NYC. Lisa has been an industry expert, mentor and career coach dedicated to helping artists thrive for over 30 years. With years of experience as a performer and entrepreneur, Lisa created Act Outside the Box to guide actors in mastering their careers through skill development, networking and strategic opportunities. Much like TRU, she helps artists view the arts from a business perspective, fostering a community where creativity and business sense are constant collaborators. While her passion has always been helping actors turn their dreams into actionable goals, she has now expanded her purview and strategies to help anyone and everyone understand how beliefs can shape our outcomes, and clarity and consciousness can lead us to our goals. Join us for a conversation that blends spirituality with practicality and common sense. Come with questions. Part of the TRU Audition Conference for Theater (ACT). Click here to watch the YouTube video - click here to subscribe to our channel.
3/28/25 - Understanding Off-Broadway: The Challenges and the Opportunities. In the room: Peter Breger, attorney, a founding director and the president of the Off-Broadway Alliance; Ed Gaynes, producer, general manager and theater operator of The Actors Temple. Off-Broadway used to be considered affordable and scrappy, but times have changed. The cost of producing a show has skyrocketed, whether on Broadway or off, and that has pushed up the cost of tickets to record levels. The economics of it all has moved many modestly scaled shows to the higher stakes arena of Big Broadway. Yet off-Broadway is still with us and essential, though in many ways it has evolved and adapted. We'll look at ways to take advantage of what off-Broadway has to offer, especially as a part of a larger development plan for new works. Some shows still break through, create buzz and have happy runs. What's their secret? We'll also learn about the Off-Broadway Alliance, the services they offer and the work they do to help the rest of us understand the producing process. Click here to watch the YouTube video - click here to subscribe to our channel.
3/21/25 - A Center of Attention: Meet the Crowdfunding Queen (and Learn Her Secrets of Success) - In the room: Melissa Center, actor, award-winning filmmaker and successful crowdfunder. Having raised 155% of her goal for her one-woman show, Marrying Jake Gyllenhaal – during the height of the Global Pandemic – she decided she was on to something that could help others. She has since helped creatives raise over $1.5M for their passion projects! But how exactly? She will share different strategies that have worked for her and others. Are there projects that fit better into a crowdfunding campaign, or can any project find its audience with the right strategy, and the right platform? Has crowdfunding evolved and changed, especially since shutdown? How do you get people to your crowdfunding site, and what persuades them to click that donate button? We'll also look at the different strengths of different platforms. Click here to watch the YouTube video - click here to subscribe to our channel.
3/14/25 - The Major Impact of America's Largest Minority: The Breadth and Diversity of Latinx Voices in Theater. In the room: Jorge Huerta (he/him), Chicano scholar, author and theater director specializing in Chicano and US Latinx theater; Lou Moreno, actor, director, artistic director of New York's revered INTAR Theater since 2010 (co-artistic director previously). INTAR has been committed to the development and continuation of the Latinx voice in American theater and beyond, since 1966. Our conversation will focus on questions of inclusivity, and whether Latinx artists are welcomed into the American mainstream, or function separately serving their own communities. Would greater acceptance present greater opportunities for playwrights? Or might there be the danger of sacrificing authenticity when trying to reach a broader audience? We will also consider the similarities and differences between theater on the east and west coasts, and how the policies of the current administration are affecting non-white artists and the arts in general. Click here to watch the YouTube video - click here to subscribe to our channel.
3/7/25 - Free Introduction to the TRU Producer Development & Mentorship Program. (Note: presentation will start promptly at 5:15pm.) In the room: Master class instructor Jane Dubin, producer (Is This a Room, Dana H., The Prom, Tony winning The Norman Conquests, Farinelli and the King, Bandstand, Peter and the Starcatcher and An American in Paris; plus off-Broadway Absolute Brightness of Leonard Pelkey, The 39 Steps, Ann) and Spring 25 Foundations instructor David Elliott, producer/general manager of Perry Street Theatricals (Tony-winning Vanya & Sonia & Masha & Spike, Dames at Sea on Broadway, Lend Me a Tenor musical in London, off-Broadway productions of Islander, In the Continuum, an oak tree, Bedlam Theatre’s Hamlet & St. Joan). A free meet-and-greet info session about our Producer Development and Mentorship Program, the only theater production program to offer in-depth instruction from accomplished producers at an affordable price. The spring semester will start in Late March. The more you know about the business, the better your chances of success. Come hear how the TRU program can fill in the main skill sets for aspiring producers, and how writers and other theater artists will also benefit from this program. YouTube recording avaiable upon request. Email trunltd@aol.com
2/28/25 - Getting You on the Write Path. First Step: The Playwright's Center. In the room: Nicole A. Watson, producing artistic director of the Playwright's Center, an artist service organization, located in Minneapolis, that offers fellowships, residencies, programs, and technological and educational resources, all of which serve playwrights on their journey to success. Though based in Minneapolis, PWC serves writers from around the country, and even the world. Nicole, a freelance director and educator, will discuss her interest in new play development, and the broad range of programs offered by PWC. Most impressively, they have formed partnerships that provide more than $450,000 each year to playwrights and theater artists in the United States. In addition, they offer playwright-centric development processes, mentorships, invaluable theater relationships that generate opportunities, and online and onsite resources. With over 2500 writer members – from University students to published and produced pros – how does PWC serve the individual needs and support the varying goals of so many? Click hereto watch the YouTube video - click here to subscribe to our channel.
2/21/25 - Navigating the Maze of Theater: So Many Paths of Producing. In the room: Don Frantz, owner of Town Square Productions. An eight-year veteran of the Walt Disney Company where he was instrumental in creating Walt Disney Theatrical Productions and served as the associate producer of Broadway’s Beauty and the Beast and The Lion King and producer of the off-Broadway production of Disenchanted (which is currently on tour). Don's far-reaching career journey has led to directing and/or management roles at Universal Studios Hollywood and Busch Gardens/Tampa, Superbowl Half-Time Shows, Liberty Weekend, 1984 Louisiana World Exposition; plus stopovers at the Los Angeles’ Ensemble Studio Theater/LA and George Schaefer’s Musical Theater/LA at the Doolittle Theater, and independent productions. Not to mention setting a 3-time Guinness World's Record for the biggest maze in the world, a few stints on Broadway as a general manager and a side trip into Broadway China Ventures. Is there a central passion that drives him? What gives him the greatest sense of accomplishment? And what's next? Click hereto watch the YouTube video - click here to subscribe to our channel.
2/14/25 - Theater as a Survival Strategy: A Love Story for Valentine's Day. In the room: Sam A. Simon, former attorney turned self-producing writer/performer (The Actual Dance, Dementia Man) and his wife of 58 years Susan M. Simon, "Cognitive Narrator" of his current one-man show. Sam and Susan will share the story of how they met and the journey that eventually led Sam to the stage and embracing his creative side. Does Susan share his love of the arts? Has she always had her own creative side, and how has that manifested? In what ways did Sam's moving into the spotlight affect her and perhaps change him? And when a cancer diagnosis threw a shadow over their lives, was it difficult for Susan to have their private experience shared with audiences? Learn the deeply moving story of how a partnership has evolved and the tables have turned. They'll share their thoughts about staying together for so long and dealing with challenges. And the healing power of theater. Click here to watch the YouTube video - click here to subscribe to our channel.
2/7/25 - This and That: Conversations About a Life in Theater (2). In the room: Michael Colby, lyricist and musical playwright (Charlotte Sweet, TRU Voices winner Meester Amerika, The Boynton Beach Club, Tales of Tinseltown, North Atlantic, Ludlow Lad, upcoming: Dangerous), author of the book The Algonquin Kid, founding member of TADA! Youth Theater and vice president of the board of Urban Stages; Michael Roberts, award-winning off-Broadway composer, lyricist, author, musical director (Golf the musical, NY Fringe best musical The Fartiste, Goldstein, Greed; upcoming: London Swings), and a successful self-producer who has raised about a million dollars for his own productions. Colby will share his family history and growing up at the Algonquin, and his off-Broadway successes. Roberts will share his early days touring with Leslie Gore and Lou Christie, a stint as one of Herman's Hermits, and working with Rupert Holmes. Both will talk about the challenges of crafting a career as a writer of musicals, including the inevitable need for self-producing. Click here to watch the YouTube video - click here to subscribe to our channel.
1/31/25 - A "Different Kind of Theater" That Forged a Model for Others: The Guthrie. In the room: Tracy Brigden, senior artistic producer and Carla Steen, resident dramaturg of The Guthrie Theater. Originally conceived in 1959 by Tyrone Guthrie to break away from the restrictions of commercial theater, The Guthrie Theater opened in 1963 and helped pave the way for the development of today's regional theaters throughout America, as well as supporting the growth of a healthy theater community in the Minneapolis and St. Paul area. In what ways is it still faithful to the legacy of Guthrie, and how has it grown and evolved over six decades? Now run with a huge staff and a complex infra-structure, what is the company hierarchy and division of labor? How does it serve the community and maintain and grow its subscriber base? What precipitated the need for a new theater building in 2006? How did the company respond to shutdown, and have things returned to normal yet? Click here to watch the YouTube video - click here to subscribe to our channel.
1/24/25 - Making It Big (in a Small Way): An Edinburgh Fringe Success Story. In the room: Xhloe Rice and Natasha Roland, a New York City based writer/performer company of two that have been in collaboration for over a decade, creating bare bones absurdist physical theater with a healthy dose of clown content and a queer sensibility. And most impressive of all: they are three time consecutive recipients of the prestigious Fringe First Award for Outstanding New Writing in 2022, '23 and '24. How exactly – or even approximately – did they become "two of the most compelling performers on the Fringe" (according to the Scotsman) while still remaining financially humble and struggling? They'll share the nuts and bolts (and possibly a rubber tire) of the Fringe experience, and what they've learned along the way. And persuade you to come see them in their New York off-Broadway debut in February. Click here to watch the YouTube video - click here now to subscribe to our channel.
1/17/25 - Too Young to Produce a "Sublimely Stupid" Off-Broadway Sensation? So Sue Him. In the room: Maxwell Beer, producer of the edgy off-Broadway Cellino V. Barnes, and a 2023 Prince Fellow at Columbia's MFA theater program. We'll talk about how he found his little off-Broadway show and worked his way up to producing it, as well as his plans for a future off-Broadway production next year. Did we mention he is also a writer member of the BMI Musical Theater Lab? He'll tell us how developing knowledge of the writing craft has proven to be invaluable in his pathway to producing. How has he managed to navigate this tricky business so well, and what would his advice be to other under-30 producer hopefuls? Click here to watch the YouTube video - click here now to subscribe to our channel.
1/10/25 -Agri-Cultural Cross-Pollination: How Farm Arts Collective Intersects Art, Nature and Community. In the room: Tannis Kowalchuk, artistic director; Melissa Bell, resident playwright, Jess Beveridge, company manager. Meet The Farm Arts Collective, an artistic collective based on a solar-powered organic vegetable farm in Pennsylvania that weaves art and original devised theater performance into a broader mission fueled by a respect for the planet and the importance of community. "Our mission is to build a healthy and creative community through life-sustaining practices in farming, art, food, and ecology. The collective offers workshops in farming and food, site specific performances, community meals, and social justice events to deepen our connection to place and each other.” In 2024, Farm Arts Collective opened a permanent Agri-Cultural Center on its home, Willow Wisp Organic Farm. As if making theater weren't arduous enough, learn how Farm Arts balances it all and creates opportunities for theater artists. Theater is a lifestyle in and of itself. Discover a different way to live it. Click here to watch the YouTube video - click here now to subscribe to our channel.
1/03/25 - Balancing Act (4): A Show Business Tour de Force, Jamie deRoy! In the room: Jamie deRoy, award-winning producer; cabaret, stage, film and TV performer; recording artist/producer and humanitarian. Meet a cabaret icon who transitioned into producing and has won shelves full of awards for both. In addition to fourteen Tony Awards®, she has nine MAC Awards on display, plus twelve Drama Desk awards, four Audience Choice Awards, eleven Drama League Awards, three GLAAD Awards, four Back Stage Bistro Awards, numerous Telly Awards and CaB Magazine’s Lifetime Achievement Award. How does she budget her time and balance careers as a performer and a producer? Possibly the most omnipresent producer in New York (we count 93 Broadway credits and 50 Off-), why does she pick the projects she supports on Broadway, off-Broadway and in film? And what gives her the greatest satisfaction? And what does she see as the current state of cabaret and Broadway? Click here to watch the YouTube video - click here now to subscribe to our channel.
12/27/24 - Artist, Meet Money (We Think You'll Be Very Happy Together). In the room: Bailie Slevin of Entertaining Finance, financial advisor and recovering stage manager. Before you start crafting your New Year's resolutions, we will disarm the myth of the starving artist and talk about creating a healthy and successful relationship with money and finances in 2025. In Bailie's teachings, "selling" is just talking with a purpose. Once you are comfortable talking about money it's easier to ask for it. Having trained hundreds of professionals in a variety of industries, positions, and points in their careers Bailie sheds light on the "sales" process as a whole, the individual steps, and the most persuasive words to use. Click here to watch the YouTube video - click here now to subscribe to our channel.
12/20/24 - Politics and Art: The State of the Arts in the City of the Arts. In the room: Carla Hoke-Miller, executive director, Theatre and Live Performance Partnerships at the Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment; and Aimee Todoroff, director, arts advocate, former Managing Director of the League of Independent Theater. Are we back to business as usual after the uncertainty of shutdown? Did Covid reshape some of the inner workings of our business? And might the new administration affect the arts here in NYC as well as the rest of the country, and what can we do about it? Are there safeguards in place to keep the New York arts community strong and independent? Carla will also share a rundown of projects the City is planning for next year that might be of interest to our TRU community. Click here to watch the YouTube video - click here now to subscribe to our channel.
12/13/24 - Designs for a Living: Creating Sets and Building a Career. In the room: Beowulf Boritt, set designer (Tony Awards for Act One and New York, New York; nominated for The Scottsboro Boys, Thérese Raquin, Flying Over Sunset, POTUS; Obie Award for Sustained Excellence). Being a sought after designer in New York theater doesn't just happen. Or does it? Meet a designer whose career came as a surprise, though hard work and lucky breaks certainly helped. We'll talk about the steps along the way, and what distinguishes his designs. Surely a production must inspire a designer, but does a designer ever inspire a production? Is there a Boritt style or esthetic? We'll also consider the dynamics of collaboration with a director and - more crucially - the other designers on a show. And we'll look at how Boritt is "passing it forward" with his 1/52 Project that provides grants to early-career designers. Click here to watch the YouTube video - click here now to subscribe to our channel.
12/6/24 - Politics and Art: City and State Initiatives to Support the Arts, and What We Can Do. In the room: NY State Assemblyman Robert Carroll and Paul Leibowitz, co-founder of IndieSpace, celebrating and centering independent theater-making in New York City, and founder of newly formed Plot, which provides real estate advisory and transactional services with the goal to secure creative community spaces in New York City. Politicians who support and actually talk about the arts are few and far between, and bills that directly affect the NYC theater industry are rare. Enter Robert Carroll, an attorney who was an active part of the indie and not-for-profit theater scene and found his way into politics to facilitate necessary changes. How hard was the transition? Paul Leibowitz and IndieSpace offers programs to empower and support small theater companies. The two (plus others) have come together to create the New York Arts Space Act which offers tax incentives to landlords who include affordable rehearsal and office space for the arts when converting buildings from commercial to residential. Paul will also share about the multiple programs that IndieSpace offers to keep the indie arts scene alive and thriving, and his plans for Plot. And we will certainly talk about what the rest of us can do to strengthen the arts. Click here to watch the YouTube video - click here now to subscribe to our channel.
11/29/24 - What I Am Thankful For: Focusing on the Positive (in Spite of It All). In the room: TRU board members including Margot Astrachan, producer (The Roommate, Water for Elephants, Diana, The Prom, A Gentleman's Guide..., Ghost the musical, Around the World in 80 Days, Nice Work If You Can Get It, On a Clear Day...); Patrick Blake, producer (The 39 Steps, Bedlam Theatre’s Hamlet/St. Joan, My Life Is a Musical, Play Dead, The Exonerated), founding artistic director of Rhymes Over Beats Hip Hop Theater Collective; Scott Sickles, playwright and Emmy-winning TV writer; board chair Sandy Silverberg, tech consultant, producer (The Way Out); We'll talk about coping with the current political climate, and focus on what we can do to stay centered, creative and productive. Click here to watch the YouTube video - click here now to subscribe to our channel.
11/22/24 - What Does It Take to Be a Producer? And Why Do We Do It? In the room: Michael Alden (Broadway: Come From Away, Disgraced-Pulitzer Prize play, Grey Gardens, Tony winner Bridge & Tunnel; West End: Come From Away, David Seidler’s original play The King’s Speech,Bat Boy The Musical;off Broadway: Not That Jewish, Becoming Dr. Ruth, Admit One, The Last Session, Spalding Gray: Stories Left To Tell; film: From the Shadows, Studio One Forever, Estella Scrooge, Death Metal, My Beautiful Stutter, Just Cause, Stephen Daldry’s The Hours, Kissing Jessica Stein). We'll talk to Michael about his career path and what made him decide to produce in the first place. What are the basic skills needed to be a good producer? What is satisfying about it, and what is frustrating? So many names above the title simply raise money for shows. How does that differ from being a lead producer and developing new works for stage and film? Click here to watch the YouTube video - click here now to subscribe to our channel.
11/15/24 - How Many Black Female Producers Can You Name? Start with This One. In the room: Jamila Ponton Bragg (Pass Over, revival of Death of a Salesman, Tony nominated Fat Ham). She's the founder of JamRock Productions LLC, a theater production company committed to works for women, about women and by women. Commercial theater has become uncomfortably conscious of a dearth of BIPOC producers, particularly on Broadway. A momentary correction seemed to take place at the end of shutdown with a parade of black-led Broadway productions, including Pass Over, the first post-shutdown play to open, and Bragg's first Broadway venture. Was this a blip, or has this opened up meaningful opportunities for underrepresented voices to be heard? Bragg came to producing after 20 years in the not-for-profit world, and was the 2022 Prince Fellow at Columbia's MFA theater program. How does her background influence her approach to producing, and what has fueled her journey and shaped her vision? Click here to watch the YouTube video - click here now to subscribe to our channel.
11/8/24 - This and That: Conversations About a Life in Theater. In the room: Jonathan S. Cerullo, (Broadway: Choreography Consultant for Say Goodnight Gracie, Assistant Director and/or Choreo for Band In Berlin, Anna Karenina, The Three Musketeers, original Broadway cast of Legs Diamond, National Tour: CATS, Sweet Charity with Donna McKechnie; as well as off-Broadway and TV credits); Peter Filichia, theater journalist and historian (NY-based theater critic for The Star-Ledger newspaper in Newark, and New Jersey's TV News 12, The Asbury Park Press, plus weekly columns at Masterworks Broadway and Kritzerland, and regular entries for the Music Theatre International Marquee blog; plus five books); Bob Ost, award-winning playwright, composer and lyricist, sometime director and fulltime executive director of TRU). Where does the love for theater come from? And how have these three theater lovers found a pathway to a career in theater? Also as producer, director and co-host of the upcoming TRU Love annual gala, they will talk about the intricacies of preparing and producing an event, and how art can offer comfort when the world seems overwhelming. Click here to watch the YouTube video - click here now to subscribe to our channel.
11/1/24 - It's Just Us ... A TRU Conversation about Alternative Paths of Development. In the room: Dani Davis (director of Elizabeth Coplan's Grief Dialogues: The Experience; Emmy award-winning writer, Tony-nominated Broadway producer of Little Women and Lonesome West, critically acclaimed theater director, TV producer, and entertainment entrepreneur); producer Jane Dubin (Dana H., Is This a Room, The Prom, An American in Paris, Peter and the Starcatcher, Tony for The Norman Conquests; upcoming: Village of Vale); producer R.K. Greene of The StoryLine Project (Harmony, Peter and the Starcatcher, The Lightning Thief tour, Farinelli and the King, A Time to Kill, Cougar the musical, Room Service; upcoming: Beau the Musical). An open conversation with the room about the current state of theater. We'll focus on thinking outside the box and beyond Broadway ... the expanding tools for developing new work and how shutdown has changed the development model ... how to be successful without raising millions of dollars and how to judge success ... and general concerns about the future of our business. Click here to watch the YouTube video - click here now to subscribe to our channel.
10/25/24 - Meet Naked Angels, a Community of Unconventional Artists.In the room:Renee-Michele Brunet(stage manager, music director);Jean Marie McKee(artistic director, 3T programs),Michael C. O’DayandBarbara Matovu(co-creative directors of Tuesdays@9) andBryant Jager(director of operations). Founded in 1986 as a company-led community of writers, directors, actors, producers and designers, Naked Angels shifted in the 90's to an artistic director model, still maintaining a mission of showcasing new and exciting voices, often outraged and irreverent, that challenged audiences with fresh perspectives of the times. Hear how they have evolved, adapted and built a solid infra-structure overseeing programs that include: Tuesdays@9,New York City's longest-running cold reading series of exceprts from brand newworks-in-progress; 1st Mondays, a free series of monthly full-length readings; as well as 3T creative workshops bringing the arts to schools. Now in its 38th year, what is the secret of its longevity? What do they look for in new works? And how do artists become part of this vibrant creative community? Click here to watch the YouTube video - click here now to subscribe to our channel.
10/18/24 - The Future of Storytelling: Artificial Intelligence as a Force for Good. In the room: Tim Kashani of Apples and Oranges Arts, now partnering with Beall Applied Innovation at the University of California, Irvine, to create a series of projects that incorporate A.I. technology into theater. Dubbed NarrA.I.tive Story Theater, the goal according to Tim is to "blend the magic of human centered storytelling with the power of technologies such as artificial intelligence and extended reality, creating narratives that touch hearts and minds in ways previously unimaginable." Six projects are already planned, including one in partnership with the Shubert Organizaion. Come meet Tim and learn more about his company's mission to empower storytellers to become creative entrepreneurs by combining educational platforms, technological integration, and a thriving community of new and existing voices. And see if this allays your fears that A.I. will replace artists, and consider whether it might serve artists instead. Click here to watch the YouTube video - click here now to subscribe to our channel.
10/11/24 - The Future of Theater: How Susan Lee Nurtures the Artists and Audiences of Tomorrow. In the room: Susan E. Lee, founder of Camp Broadway and The Broadway Education Alliance, and one of the honorees at this year's TRU Love Benefit. Her mission: to make theater more accessible and relevant to audiences of all ages. Her method: advocating for the arts in our school system, creating opportunities for young people to experience the joy of theater, and by providing consumers with meaningful and immersive experiences at the intersection of business, arts, technology and personal enrichment. Click here to watch the YouTube video - click here now to subscribe to our channel.
10/4/24 - Accruing Fringe Benefits: The Edinburgh Experience and How to Work It. In the room: self-producing artist, actor-writer Clara Francesca (Making Marx at the Fringe, also Diva Therapy, 43 Stages of Grieving, Funny Guy); Chris Grady UK producer, director at CGO Institute, fellow of the Royal Society for the Arts; Molly Morris, producer (Islander, Come from Away) and co-founder of Ghostlight Global; 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, Slave Play, STILL); Tom Smedes, producer (My Son's a Queer (But What Can You Do?), current Cabaret revival, Tony winner for Pippin revival, Peter Pan Goes Wrong, The Prom, Peter and the Starcatcher, Next Fall; upcoming: Sunset Boulevard revival). We'll look at smart ways to approach being in the Edinburgh Fringe, what the costs are, the (perhaps) unexpected challenges, and what the experience is like for an artist; plus the producer's view on the advantages of using Edinburgh for the development process, and in general how Edinburgh contributes to the life of theater on both sides of the Atlantic. Click here to watch the YouTube video - click here now to subscribe to our channel.
9/27/24 - Actor, Director, Filmmaker, Activist: A Conversation with Tonya Pinkins. In the room: Tonya Pinkins, actress (Tony winner for Jelly's Last Jam, nominated for Caroline, or Change and Play On!; winner of Obie, Lortel, Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle, AUDLECO, Garland, L.A. Drama Critics Circle, Clarence Derwent, and NAACP Theater Awards; known for her role of Livia on TV's All My Children), filmmaker (award-winning The Red Pill) and podcaster (You Can't Say That!). Both versatile and volatile, Tonya will talk about the surprising directions her career has taken, her frustrations as well as her love of theater and what led her to branch out into directing and filmmaking. We'll consider the efforts made to generate opportunities for greater equity and inclusion in theater, what (if anything) has improved, and what still needs to happen. Click here to watch the YouTube video soon - click here now to subscribe to our channel.
9/20/24 - Been There, Done It All, Seen It All: The Many Facets of Irene Gandy. In the room: Irene Gandy, publicist (starting in 1968 with Douglas Turner Ward and Robert Hooks’ Negro Ensemble Company; and now the only black female member of ATPAM with over 100 Broadway shows to her credit), producer (with Jeffrey Richards for over 3 decades: Tony winner The Gershwins Porgy and Bess, plus Lady Day at the Emerson Bar & Grill with Audra Macdonald, The Great Society, American Son, China Doll, Fiddler on the Roof and Tony winner You Can't Take It With You revival), fashionista (with a collection featured in Vogue, and the Lady Irene Fur line) and winner of the 2020 "Tony Honors Excellence in Theatre" Award. Also board member of the Drama League which has created the Irene Gandy Assistant Directorship Program. We'll talk about a life in theater and the specific challenges of being a black woman, and how that experience has evolved over a decades long career. Have her successes opened doors for others? What are her proudest moments? And how far have we come in theater in genuinely implementing Diversity, Equity and Inclusion? Click here to watch the YouTube video soon - click here now to subscribe to our channel.
9/13/24 - Surprise! How Theater Can Pop Up Anywhere in the World and Make an Impact. In the room: Leese Walker, producing artistic director and Amanda Hinkle Wallace, director of education of the Strike Anywhere Performance Ensemble, a permanent collective of jazz musicians, modern dancers, and actors formed in 1997. Elements of their art include improvisational, site specific and immersive theater experiences with consciously political intent, always featuring live music, physical theater and modern dance. They are also the pre-eminent company in the US that uses Soundpainting, a universal sign-language developed for live composition with improvisers. We talk about their non-traditional methods as well as a successful history of partnering with Irondale Theater Ensemble and the Brecht Forum. So which comes first: the concept or the performance space? Is storytelling part of Strike Anywhere's methods, or is it driven by ideas? Originally in residence in Manhattan's Theater at St. Clement's, the company has grown and evolved in surprising ways. Learn about their educational programs, and look at the journey and the challenges of the company, and of artistic director Leese Walker as an artist and producer. Click here to watch the YouTube video soon - click here now to subscribe to our channel.
9/6/24 - Way Way Off-Broadway: The Thriving Philadelphia Theater Scene. In the room: Charles Gilbert, composer, writer, educator and executive director of MusiCoLab; and Barbara Bellman, playwright-librettist and the president and co-founder of MusiCoLab, which has been supporting the development of musicals in Philadelphia since 2018. We'll focus on the work and programs of MusiCoLab as well as a broader view of the surprising number of professional theaters and opportunities for theater artists and indigenous homegrown works, plus LORT theater and national tours, university programs and the formidable Philly Fringe, founded in 1997, and now featuring more than 1,000 performances by national, international and Philadelphia-based artists of all disciplines. We'll catch a glimpse at the city's history as a prime out-of-town tryout stop-off on the way to Broadway and the more recent Prince (as in Hal) Music Theater which gave early-career opportunities to folks like Adam Guettel, Tina Landau, Ricky Ian Gordon, Julie Taymor and a host of others. We'll also consider how the scene has changed with the demise of the Prince, 11th Hour Theater Company and, most recently, The University of the Arts and its Polyphone Festival, and how MusiCoLab hopes to fill the void. Click Here to watch the YouTube video - click here to subscribe to our channel.
8/30/24 - After Grotowski: The Polish (and Trans-European) Theater Scene and Today's Varied Cultural Esthetics In the room: Norbert Rakowski, writer and director, CEO and artistic director of the JK Opole Theatre, and vice-president of the European Theater Convention, which brings together artists from all over Europe. We will focus on the theater scene in Poland and how opportunities compare to what we have in NY and other US communities, as well as Rakowski's current term in Opole, once the home of legendary Jerzy Grotowski. ETC is the largest network of publicly-funded theatres in Europe, with 63 members in 31 countries, from Scandinavia to Kosovo, and Portugal to Tbilisi, Georgia. Learn about the wide range of activities ETC supports to create new theatre, support and develop people working in theatre, and fight for the European theater sector in a political context. We'll consider the concept of publicly funded theater in Europe and how that model contrasts with what we have here in the US. Click here to watch the YouTube video - or click here to subscribe to our channel!
8/23/24 - A Life of Service in the Arts: Tom Viola's Remarkable Journey. In the room: Tom Viola, executive director of BroadwayCares/Equity Fights AIDS since 1996, and part of the organization since its inception in 1988. And now planning a well-earned retirement after 36 years of service to the community. He moved to New York from Pittsburgh to be an actor. How did his life take such a ... well ... dramatic turn? How did the scourge of AIDS and the friendship of legendary actress Colleen Dewhurst come together to redirect his life? Did he ever imagine he had the skills to run a huge not-for-profit organization, and where did he find the courage and resources to helm such an immensely important organization that has changed thousands of lives? Does he ever think about acting or his second love, writing? What are his plans for the future? And most importantly, how has a life of service satisfied his innately creative self? Click here to watch the YouTube video - or click here to subscribe to our channel!
8/16/24 - Hybrid and Beyond: Maximizing the Theater Experience for Those Who Cannot Attend Live Theater. In the room: Christoper Morrison, digital experience director; Suzanne Richard, theater director, co-founder and artistic director of Open Circle Theatre, Washington, D.C.’s first professional theater promoting careers in the arts for people with disabilities; Lisa Sniderman, multi-award-winning artist, playwright, producer, disabled artist and advocate; and Jessica Skintges Wallach, disabled artist, DC-based accessibility consultant and photographer. We have finally added "accessibility" to our current D.E.I.-awareness, but we have only begun the journey of creating accessible theater. Our perspective and conversation are now focusing on the need to rethink what access means. We will look at going beyond traditional forms of access and consider utilizing telepresence robots, creating comparable live/virtual "hybrid" experiences and generally extending theater into virtual spaces in ways that give our stay-at-home audiences a genuine sense of the live theater experience. Click here to watch the YouTube video - or click here to subscribe to our channel!
8/9/24 - Free Introduction to our Producer Development & Mentorship Program. In the room: Master class instructor Jane Dubin, producer (Is This a Room, Dana H., The Prom, Tony winning The Norman Conquests, Farinelli and the King, Bandstand, Peter and the Starcatcher and An American in Paris; plus off-Broadway Absolute Brightness of Leonard Pelkey, The 39 Steps, Ann) and Foundations instructor Blair Russell (Slave Play, Sweeney Todd off-Broadway). A free meet-and-greet info session about our Producer Development and Mentorship Program, the only theater production program to offer in-depth instruction from accomplished producers at an affordable price. The fall semester will start in Late September or October. Prospective applicants will have the opportunity to learn from and network with our commercial producer instructors. You will also meet and hear from successful program graduates at this Intro evening. Interested? Email trunltd@aol.com for a private link to this presentation.
8/2/24 - Prison Breakthroughs: How Art Can Transform Lives. In the room: Brent Buell, producer (hip hop musical Freedom) and program facilitator for Rehabilitation Through the Arts (RTA), and Charles Moore, director of programs and operations for Rehabilitation Through the Arts (RTA), a company that has run theater and other arts programs in 8 prisons in NY State (and expanding) for over 28 years.. We met and interviewed one of the RTA program facilitators a few months ago, TRU member Brent Buell, and learned how his experiences led to the newly released acclaimed film Sing Sing. Now we take a broader look at RTA, the breadth of their programs, and their mission to open people’s eyes to the humanity behind prison walls and to recognize the transformational power of the arts, and theater in particular. Their core program is a comprehensive in-prison arts program which teaches critical life skills. They also have a social reentry program which helps inmates focus on inevitable social and emotional issues, and they engage RTA members after their release, as they rejoin and thrive in our communities. We'll explore the limitations as well as the achievements of these invaluable programs. Click here to watch the YouTube video - or click here to subscribe to our channel!.\
7/26/24 - Multicutural Marketing: What Biz Chica Media Thinks You Should Know. In the room: Tracy Chapman-Nolan, chief executive officer and Krystle Carmona, marketing strategist of Biz Chica Media, a marketing company founded in 2009 to offer affordable options for marketing for independent artists. Clients have included MJ the Musical, Hadestown, Dove/The CROWN Act, Signature Theatre, A Strange Loop, The Lion King, Frozen, Aladdin, Ain’t Too Proud, The Industry Standard Group, Black Theatre United. Today Biz Chica specializes in multicultural marketing and offers a full range of services from social media to video production. How has the company grown and evolved? Have strategies and marketing tactics changed since the company's founding? We'll look at the impact of shutdown and where we are today in terms of audience building ... how different productions call for different approaches ... and how and when you reach out to and bring on the skills of social media Influencers. (Or do you?) Click here to watch the YouTube video - or click here to subscribe to our channel!
7/19/24 - Abroad Perspective: The Potential for International Theater Partnerships. In the room: Chris Grady, producer, director at CGO Institute, fellow of the Royal Society for the Arts, staunch networker; Martin Platt of Perry Street Theatricals general management, producer (Tony winner for Vanya & Sonia & Masha & Spike; also Dames at Sea revival, Bedlam's Hamlet/St. Joan, off-Broadway award winning In the Continuum and an oak tree; Lend Me a Tenor musical in London). After two years of shutdown dominated by zoom, like it or not we have entered an era of greater global opportunity in theater. And we have (hopefully) discovered colleagues beyond our national borders. Martin has produced both in the US and the UK, and can address the differences, plus some of the advantages (and challenges) of partnerships. Chris is actively engaged in current initiatives to foster stronger ties among producers, including a database to link producers from different countries as he puts his focus on international collaborations that generate opportunities to find what connects us all as human beings. With quarantine behind us, let's consider ways to broaden our horizons as we move our projects forward once again. Click here to watch the YouTube video - or click here to subscribe to our channel!
7/12/24 - Is Australian Theatre Back to Business As Usual? And What Exactly Is That? In the room: Australian producer Neil Gooding (Back to the Future in London and New York, Holding The Man in London, UK productions of What's New Pussycat and Little Voice; Australian premieres of Gutenberg! The Musical!, Dogfight and 33 Variationsand New York productions of Harmony, Islander, Church and State, Handle with Care, The 39 Steps); Nancye Hayes, member of the Order of Australia for services to the entertainment industry, legendary Australian actress, dancer, singer and choreographer/director and narrator, a leading figure in Australian musical theatre (starred in Sweet Charity, Chicago, Guys and Dolls, 42nd Street, Annie, My Fair Lady, Sweeney Todd, A Little Night Music, Sunday in the Park, Follies and Australian productions of new work) as well as plays (Born Yesterday, Same Time Next Year, Stepping Out, Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks and new work); Paul J. Hodge, an award-winning writer-composer from Brisbane (Clinton the Musical Off-Broadway, London, Edinburgh, Western Australia, JOH for P.M.; upcoming Martin Guerre); Michael Tyack, one of Australia’s top musical directors (most recently Come from Away; plus Side by Side by Sondheim, Chess, The Wizard of Oz, Jerry’s Girls, Joseph and His Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, High School Musical, Dusty, Brigadoon, Blood Brothers, You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown, Green Room Award for The Witches of Eastwick, plus a Green Room Award for the original and Hugh Jackman tours of Boy From Oz). A 14 hour time difference is the easy part. Australia and the US are worlds apart in terms of a career path in theater, the development of new works and the very business itself. What can we learn from each other? Click here to watch the YouTube video - or click here to subscribe to our channel!
6/28/24 - Do All These Musicals Belong on Broadway? In the room: Frankie Daily, new works director of NAMT (National Association for Musical Theater); and Peter Filichia, former New York-based theater critic for The Star-Ledger, writer and historian of the American musical theater. In 2023-24 season 15 new musicals opened on Broadway, the highest number since the 2016-17 season. Assumptions about what constitutes a Broadway musical have changed over the decades and the financial challenges of off-Broadway have lured some smaller shows into the commercial spotlight. Nevertheless, some musicals have found a level of success without the Broadway stamp of approval. Are there realistic criteria for success other than being a Broadway blockbuster? Click here to watch the YouTube video - or click here to subscribe to our channel!
6/21/24 - From Big Broadway to a Small West Coast Non-profit. In the room: Nancy Richards, an accomplished marketing professional with a distinguished 20 year theater career in New York (13 the Musical, Tony Award-winning Spring Awakening, Dance of Death, Pulitzer Prize-winning Topdog/Underdog, Gore Vidal’s The Best Man, Jekyll & Hyde and more), followed by a decade at the non-profit North Coast Repertory Theatre in Solanas, California. How do marketing tactics change from one coast to another, from commercial to not-profit and from a Broadway house to an intimate space with a subscription base? Have audiences changed over the years, and particularly since shutdown? How did North Coast Rep adapt when live performance became impossible (oh yes, there was a Covid pivot), and are they back to business as usual yet? In addition, Nancy will share her producer side with us, including several productions she was part of in London. And her thoughts about a life in theater. Available via a private link. Email trunltd@aol.com to request link.
6/14/24 - Theater in a Box: Yes, You Can Do It! In the room: TRU board member John Lant, 17-time off-Broadway lead producer/director & film producer specializes in showrunning, consulting, fiscal sponsorship, in depth development of production runs of plays and musicals in NYC and his theatrical space in LA. A detailed discussion for self-producers around basic bullet point "in's and out's" of what you want, thought you knew, and what you really NEED TO KNOW to run an effective production of your work. Click here to watch the YouTube video - or click here to subscribe to our channel!
6/7/24 - TRU Diversity presents A Cross Cultural Exchange: Diversity in Translation. Hosted by the TRU Diversity committee: attorney/playwright Cheryl L. Davis, writer Scott Sickles and producer/dramaturg Janel C. Scarborough. In the room: Jamaican award winning theater maker David Heron, who is presenting the American premiere of McBEE a Caribbean adaptation of Shakespeare's Macbeth in tribute to the late playwright Alwin Bully, planned for Caribbean American Heritage month (June). mcbeetheplay.eventbrite.com The African Diaspora is vast, however non-American based stories very rarely appear on US main stages; while there are inherent universal commonalities, there are also specific nuanced distinctions which are ripe for exploration, discovery and discussion. Join us as we explore the Caribbean culture and it's place in our American theater. Click here to watch the YouTube video - or click here to subscribe to our channel!
5/31/24 - Duet: A Conversation about Musical Theater Development, for Two Voices. In the room: James Morgan, producing artistic director of The York Theater Company on NYC; and Michael Unger, former associate artistic director of the York, current artistic director of the Skylight Music Theater in Milwaukee. Similar missions, very different cities. Jim and Michael will talk about how they engage their communities, build and nurture their audience base and maintain programs that have a successful subscription following, as well as educational programs that support the development of new works and new artists. And most of all: why musical theater matters. Not available on YouTube.
5/24/24 - Social Media Strategies and the New Hot Things. In the room: writer-producer Nicolette Blount of Take My Shot Productions, Camila Grunberg, creative producer and member of TRU's YPAC young artists' group, and Benita Samuels, Linked In subject matter expert with The Visibility Solutions Group. Social media, my how you've changed! Benita will be sharing some quick tips and strategies for maximizing exposure across today’s digital platforms. Nicolette and Camila will share their multi-platform social media strategies for growing their following and gaining exposure for their projects. Some basics still apply, others keep evolving. What works best these days, at least for now? Click here to watch the YouTube video - or click here to subscribe to our channel!
5/17/24 - Development Opportunities: Theater Festivals and How to Get the Most Out of Them. In the room: Suzanna Bowling, spokesperson for New York Theater Festival; Cate Cammarata, executive producing director of the Create Theatre New Works Festival; Clara Elser, festival coordinator for the Dream Up Festival at Theatre for the New City; Gene Fisch Jr., founding director of New York New Works Theatre Festival; Jimmy Lovett, FRIGID New York resident artistic director and curator of the upcoming Queerly Festival. We'll talk about the history and mission of Dream Up, plus other opportunities to use Theater for the New City ... CreateTheater's unique mission and purpose ... the year-round opportunities (and awards) provided by New York Theater Festival's Spring/Summerfest, Fall/Winterfest and Musicfest ... the various festivals produced by FRIGID NY (including the NY Fringe) ... and the financial support Gene Fisch offers through NYNWTF. Each in its own way can be a stepping stone on the developmental path for new works. We'll also take a general look at expectations and best practices when you choose to participate in a festival, and how to make the festival experience positive and useful. Click here to watch the YouTube video - or click here to subscribe to our channel!
5/10/24 - Finding Her Way to the Right Story: A Conversation with Joanna Gleason. In the room: Joanna Gleason, actress in theater (Tony winner for Into the Woods, nominee for A Day in the Death of Joe Egg and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels), film (Crimes and Misdemeanors, Hannah and Her Sisters, Heartburn, Boogie Nights) and TV (The Good Wife, The West Wing). She also coaches singing actors and has dipped her toe into film directing. What is her favorite medium to work in, and why? Does each have its satisfaction? How does she choose her roles? Are there differences in how she approaches a role in film versus stage? What were some of her most gratifying moments, in or out of the spotlight? And what advice does she have for younger actors looking to build a career? We'll even talk about what it was like being the daughter of a TV icon! (If you don't know who, watch and find out.) Click hereto watch the YouTube video - or click here to subscribe to our channel!
5/3/24 - Reach for the STAAR (and Learn about the League of Historic American Theaters). In the room: Tammy Pierchoski, executive director of the STAAR (Southern Tennessee Area Arts Repertory), a small not-for-profit company in Pulaski, Tennessee that turned the first floor of an 1868 Opera house into a 177 seat home for a small local theater company. Hear about their plan to renovate the opera house itself and transform it into a cultural destination for the broader Tennessee area. Their focus is on family theater, as well as arts education for children, teens and adults as well. How did Tammy become the leader of this community-engaging venture 17 years ago? Where does her love of theater and the arts stem from? Have children and teens been the focus from the start, or has the STAAR mission and function evolved over 20+ years? How do they manage the impressive feat of presenting a new show every other month, and how do they fund it all? Tired of small cast shows? STAAR's childrens shows work with casts as large as 100 – how do they manage that? And how does Tammy split her time between performances and managing the company's educational programs? Click hereto watch the YouTube video - or click here to subscribe to our channel!
4/26/24 - Knowing the Score: The Theatrical Nature of Being an Orchestra Conductor. In the room: Christoph Schlüren, founder of Germany's Symphonia Momentum, and frequent conductor of the Deutsche Kammerakademie Neuss am Rhein and St Michel Strings Mikkeli. He will be joining us from Munich as we look at conducting through a theater perspective. Does conducting have aspects of dramatic performance, and to what degree does he view himself as a visual part of a classical concert? Does he interpret a score as a theater director might interpret a script? What is more challenging: mastering the dramatic arc of a complex new piece, or finding his own voice within familiar works? Has he ever felt like he discovered an inner voicing or musical detail that others have perhaps missed or underestimated? He talks about finding dramaturgical connections between diverse pieces. What are some of those connections? How else does he determine programming for a concert? What have been some of the most challenging pieces he's ever taken on, and what makes them challenging? And most mysteriously, how does he translate the abstracts of music into a specific communication to an audience? Click hereto watch the YouTube video - or click here to subscribe to our channel!
4/19/24 -How to Make an Effective Documentary (and Win a Few Emmys). In the room: Susan Handman, creator and narrator for NYC Media, an award winning series created with the New York Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment, and a winner of 10 Local NYC Emmys. We'll look at the dramatic structure needed for any work of art to engage an audience, and talk about the specifics of the documentary and its many forms. At its heart, is the documentary simply a specific form of storytelling? Is it more narrative than dramatic? How much creative license can a filmmaker exercise in telling what is generally a factual record of a real person, place or event? What skills can a theater artist bring to this related art form? Click hereto watch the YouTube video - or click here to subscribe to our channel!
4/12/24 - Feminists in Action: Meet the Magnolia Theatre Company! In the room: Gina Handy Minyard, founding artistic director and Rachel Robinson, board member of the Magnolia Theatre Company, founded in 2012 in Pennsylvania as a response to the lack of female leadership in theater. From the start the company has been dedicated to fostering a world where gender equity thrives in the theater, and uplifting those who have been historically marginalized and oppressed by the limitations of the gender binary. What prompted the company's move to Dayton Ohio in 2014? In what ways have they served their mission of supporting and uplifting the voices of female-identifying artists? Do they consider themselves "political" and is there a line that separates art and politics? How did they adapt to the limitations of shutdown, and are audiences in Dayton coming back to live performance now? And does Magnolia offer opportunities to artists outside of their area? Click here to watch the YouTube video - or click here to subscribe to our channel!
4/5/24 - Too Many Hats to Even Count: Meet Marketer and Multi-Hyphenate Jay Michaels. In the room: Jay Michaels of Jay Michaels Global Communications, director, stage and film producer, one-time actor and a marketing and promotion guru for over thirty years. Though straying into commercial theater from time to time, Jay has remained in the forefront of the independent theater and film movement since 1977 and was part of the original off-off Broadway movement in 1985. He'll offer insights into the birth, evolution and current state of indie and off-off-Broadway theater, as well as an overview of the changes in our industry. What does he miss from the early days, and are some things better? Are there exciting new opportunities for theater artists today? How have his marketing tactics changed, and what are the most effective ways of promoting your show in a post-shutdown world? He's been around for quite some time. What are some of his most memorable moments? Click here to watch the YouTube video - or click here to subscribe to our channel!
3/29/24 - Bringing Theater to Prisons (A Thing Movies Are Made of). In the room: Brent Buell, producer (the hip hop musical Freedom), director (unFramed, produced by TRU's Jane Dubin, From Sing Sing to Broadway at Playwright's Horizons), playwright (The Gate, The Gem Exchange), novelist (Rapturous), actor, activist. And a graduate of TRU's producer program. For ten years, Buell volunteered with the non-profit organization Rehabilitation Through the Arts, directing theater in New York’s maximum-security prisons. There his productions of plays, ranging from John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men to three original works by prisoners, earned praise from critics, including from The New York Times. His original comedy Breakin’ the Mummy’s Code premiered at Sing Sing and was the subject of a feature article in Esquire. But the current big news is that he recently completed work on a movie about events that took place while he was teaching theater inside Sing Sing, and the result is the new film Sing Sing, directed by Greg Kwedar and starring Oscar nominees Colman Domingo and Paul Raci. What inspired Brent to bring theater to prisons in the first place? What are the rewards? And are there dangers as well? How did the idea of making a movie about it come to be? What were the challenges of accurately telling this story? And what was the learning curve like moving from live performance to film? Click here to watch the YouTube video - or click here to subscribe to our channel!
3/22/24 - Write Who You Know: A Conversation with Luke Yankee, the Son of Actress Eileen Heckart. In the room: Luke Yankee, writer (The Last Lifeboat, The Lavender Mafia and TRU Voices finalist The Jesus Hickey), director, producer, actor and teacher, former Producing Artistic Director of the Long Beach Civic Light Opera and the Struthers Library Theatre. And the son of theater and film legend Eileen Heckart (Oscar winner for Butterflies Are Free, nominee for The Bad Seed; Tony nominee for Butterflies Are Free, Invitation to a March and The Dark at the Top of the Stairs; and on Broadway as recently as 2000 in The Waverly Gallery and recipient of a Tony lifetime achievement award that same year). What's it like being raised by a star, and living "just outside the spotlight"? How did it shape Luke's esthetic and style as a writer? His play Marilyn, Mom and Me is currently in development, and yes, it's about that Marilyn. What is the creative process like taking people you know and moments you've lived and dramatizing them effectively and objectively? Click here to watch the YouTube video - or click here to subscribe to our channel!
3/15/24 - TRU Success: The Play That Found Producers at a TRU Speed Date! In the room: Heather Cohn, executive producer of Colt Coeur, a Brooklyn-based theater company, producers of the upcoming production of Still; Merrie L. Davis, producer and TRU board member (Tony winner for Parade, 5 TONY awards for Company Broadway, 4 Olivier awards for Company London, 6 Tony Nominations for Eclipsed, Gigi; Himself and Nora; Museum of Broadway; upcoming Working Girl); the director of TRU's producing Master Class, producer Jane Dubin (Is This a Room, Dana H., The Prom, Tony winning The Norman Conquests, Farinelli and the King, Bandstand, Peter and the Starcatcher and An American in Paris; upcoming: Village of Vale); and playwright Lia Romeo (Still), playwriting fellow at Juilliard, published by TRW, Broadway Licensing, and others, associate artistic director with Project Y Theatre Company. Jane and Merrie will discuss the experience of Speed Date, and how Lia's pitch broke through, and the subsequent partnership formed with Blair Russell and Colt Coeur's upcoming production off-Broadway at the DR2 Theatre starring Jayne Atkinson and Tim Daly. We'll also discuss the delicate producer-writer dynamic, including the partnership with Colt Coeur, and the expectations on all sides of this artistic equation. Click here to watch the YouTube video - or click here to subscribe to our channel!
3/8/24 - Amplifying AANHPI Voices: Meet Leviathan Lab. In the room: Ariel Estrada, actor, singer, arts advocate, producer, and Founder & Producing Artistic Director of Leviathan Lab; and LGBTQ/neurodivergent/biracial Korean American writer Scott Sickles (Marianas Trench, Emmy nominated and 5-time Writers Guild of America winner for General Hospital). Leviathan Lab is an award-winning not-for-profit creative studio whose mission is the advancement of Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander performing artists and their work. Learn the history, how it achieves its mission, how it has evolved (including the challenges of shutdown), and the goals of its founder: to open spaces that promote social justice, bridge communities and assert the power of art to change the world. We'll also discuss the current partnership with the TRU Diversity initiative in presenting Scott's new play, Marianas Trench. Click here to watch the YouTube video - or click here to subscribe to our channel!
3/1/24 - The Challenges of Young Professionals Trying to Kickstart a Career in Theater. In the room: members of TRU 's Young Professionals and Artists Circle (YPAC), including writer/director/filmmaker Burak Tatar and actor/writer/director Jordan Richards, Executive Co-Chairs; aspiring producer Camila Grunberg, graduate of TRU's producer program, head of Fundraising and Events; and actor/producer/director Andrew Beck of Outta Bounds Productions, head of Finance, Administration, and Innovation. Come meet the new leaders of YPAC, an initiative created to bring together under-40 theater professionals, a forum to provide peer networking and career development opportunities to rising industry professionals. For many full time performing arts professionals, it takes until at least mid-life to make a living from their craft. YPAC offers a power network of young theater professionals and supporters, an anchoring base of people to whom they can reach out for resources, support and inspiration. Those who feel passionate about the performing arts but work in other fields are welcome! Come hear their plans, and share your own needs and ideas. Click here to watch the YouTube video - or click here to subscribe to our channel!
2/23/24 -What I Didn't Know You Could Do in a Virtual Play Reading! TRU Voices creative teams talk about the experience of preparing their plays for virtual presentation. In the room: Iben Cenholt, managing producer of TRU Voices; John Ewing III, producer and Christopher Scott, director of 1920; Nicolette Blount, producer of Rolling with the Punches; and Susan Griffin of Wayward Creatives Entertainment, producer of Un Hombre: A Golem Story. What was gained, and also was anything lost for the audience experience? What are the options offered for virtual production, and why did they choose the technical formats that they chose? What did they learn from being thrust into a virtual presentation? Did the writers gain insights into their work that they can take with them into future productions? And if they had it to do over again ... would they? And to get down to the basic question we always ask: if it's filmed, is it still a play? Click here to watch the YouTube video - or click here to subscribe to our channel!
2/16/24 - It's Just Us... A TRU Conversation about the Current State of Theater. In the room: producer Jane Dubin (Dana H., Is This a Room, The Prom, An American in Paris, Peter and the Starcatcher, Tony for The Norman Conquests; upcoming: Village of Vale); producer R.K. Greene of The StoryLine Project (Harmony, Peter and the Starcatcher, The Lightning Thief tour, Farinelli and the King, A Time to Kill, Cougar the musical, Room Service; upcoming: Beau the Musical); and producer/general manager Martin Platt of Perry Street Theatricals (Tony for Vanya & Sonia& Masha & Spike, Dames at Sea on Broadway, Lend Me a Tenor in London, Islander, Bedlam’s Hamlet & St. Joan, Here Lies Jenny, In the Continuum, Obie-winning An Oak Tree). An open conversation with the room about the current state of theater, the move from virtual back to live production, relative costs of shows in London versus Broadway, and general comcerns about the future of our business. Private video available upom request. Email TRUnltd@aol.com for the link.
2/9/24 - Why Theater Needs Cast Recordings, and the Introduction of a Brand New Label. In the room: Van Dean, producer (Jagged Little Pill, Anastasia, Matilda, The Lightning Thief, Tony winner for Porgy and Bess revival), co-founder and former head of Broadway Records (Grammy for The Color Purple revival, Grammy nominee for Caroline, or Change, Matilda and My Fair Lady; also released nearly 300 recordings including Camelot 2023 revival, Anastasia, Once On This Island), now founder and president of Center Stage Records (Gutenberg! The Musical, How to Dance in Ohio). Van built Broadway Records into a respected brand. Has a change of his goals and/or the business itself influenced his decision to create the recently announced Center Stage Records label? How has the market for original cast albums changed over the years? How does a cast album fit into a commercial production budget? Digital albums vs. CDs: what is the market for each? Going forward, how will Van apply everything he learned with Broadway Records, and what lessons is he taking into the new brand? Click here to watch the YouTube video - or click here to subscribe to our channel!
2/2/24 - Free Intro to TRU's Spring 24 Producer Development & Mentorship Program. In the room: Master class instructor Jane Dubin, producer (Is This a Room, Dana H., The Prom, Tony winning The Norman Conquests, Farinelli and the King, Bandstand, Peter and the Starcatcher and An American in Paris; plus off-Broadway Absolute Brightness of Leonard Pelkey, The 39 Steps, Ann) and Foundations instructor Dave Elliott, producer/general manager of Perry Street Theatricals (Tony-winning Vanya & Sonia & Masha & Spike, Dames at Sea on Broadway, Lend Me a Tenor musical in London, off-Broadway productions of Islander, In the Continuum, an oak tree, Bedlam Theatre’s Hamlet & St. Joan). A free meet-and-greet info session about our Producer Development and Mentorship Program, the only theater production program to offer in-depth instruction from accomplished producers at an affordable price. The spring semester will start in March. Prospective applicants will have the opportunity to learn from and network with our commercial producer instructors. You will also meet and hear from successful program graduates at this Intro evening. Interested in the program? To request a private recording, email trunltd@aol.com
1/26/24 - Strengthening the Brand: New Initiatives to Promote Indie Theater. In the room: writer/director Montserrat Mendez, board member of the League of Independent Theaters and the Shirley Chisolm Cultural Institute, and director/dramaturg Aimee Todoroff, managing director of the League of Independent Theater. Think of it as an intricate system of tributaries that in some ways feed the mainstream, and a less visible but essential part of theater's ecosystem. Join us for a report on the recent Indie Theater Convocation, a solution-minded, unifying conversation exploring the current needs of indie theater ... a look at the rebranding the NYIT Awards and a look at the nominees ... and the creation of indietheaternyc.com, a newly unveiled site with a comprehensive array of information pertaining to the vibrant world of Indie Theatre. Click here to watch the YouTube video - or click here to subscribe to our channel!
1/19/24 - Getting Past the Bad Rap: Hip Hop's Slow Entry into Mainstream Theater. In the room: Patrick Blake, producer (The Exonerated, Play Dead, The 39 Steps) and founding artistic director of Rhymes Over Beats Hip Hop Collective, plus guest hip hop artists Masta Ace (playwright/rapper) and Power(actor/rapper) will talk about the history of hip hop, it's purpose and esthetic and its bumpy journey into mainstream theater. Did Hamilton finally break the barrier between hip hop and theater? Does "theater rap" differ in any way from street rap, gangsta rap and other variations on the form? What can rap uniquely bring to theater? And does the broader hip hop culture have relevance in theater, and vice versa? Click here to watch the YouTube video - or click here to subscribe to our channel!
1/12/24 - Streaming Musicals Revisited: Insights into the Role of Virtual in a Changing Landscape. In the room: Tom Polum, producer (The Toxic Avenger, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels) and CEO and executive producer of Streaming Musicals LLC, and Stacia Fernandez, executive producer of Streaming Musicals LLC (Estella Scrooge, Emma, Being Ernest, Mooseltoe, 1600 Vine) and Tyler Milliron or Milliron Studios. As we return to live performance, many question the place of virtual performance in our industry, yet Streaming Musicals is upgrading and expanding. Perhaps because there is a marked increase of interest in streaming content since shutdown changed the world's viewing habits. And streaming has become part of the development path for new works. What is the line drawn between using AEA or SAG/AFTRA agreements and contracts? What are current best practices? How can we best use the lessons of virtual performance in our evolving industry? As Streaming Musicals enters a new stage of growth, what are the lessons Tom and his company have learned, and how have they changed their creative approach to "virtual theater"? Recording available upon request, email TRUStaff1@gmail.com
1/5/24 - How Theater Serves Community, and Community Serves Theater, LA Style. In the room: John Malpede, founding artistic director of Los Angeles Poverty Department. Exploring the culture of Los Angeles Skid Row, the Los Angeles Poverty Department creates a space and an opportunity for the residents to tell their own stories in their own voices. Founded in 1985, it's easy to see how LAPD serves a genuinely underserved and possibly ignored community. How does community serve founder John Malpede's artistic goals? How has he kept this fringe company vital for 38 years? How is it funded, and most importantly, what changes and improvements has he seen in these neighborhoods over the years ... and what part has art played in the health of this community? Click here to watch the YouTube video - or click here to subscribe to our channel!
