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SUBMISSIONS NOW OPEN FOR FALL 2026 PDMP FOUNDATIONS CLASS
Deadline extended to 9/13. First class will be 10/6.
Classes will meet on Zoom one or two Tuesday evenings each month, 5:30-8:00pm EDT.

Overview: Professional Producers will present new plays and musicals that are actively in development.  PDMP Members will choose a first and second choice of the show they would like to work on in a hypothetical ongoing classroom exercise. Those choosing the same material will be put into groups and formulate a development plan that will be informed by the bi-monthly panels. At the final session, Groups will present their development plan to a panel of the Class Directors and other producers. Members with their own projects in development may be able to use those as their class project, subject to approval. Specifics:

• Special bi-monthly interactive seminars with various topics of discussion. Guest speakers are all respected theater professionals.

• Curriculum designed to cover all major aspects of producing, step by step, from project selection to legal issues to budgets to marketing. Seminars will be geared to offer members the information needed to put together a solid business plan for their own project.

• At the end of 10 classes, all members will present their business plan for evaluation by the program directors and invited guest professionals. One team will be awarded automatic acceptance into PDMP Master Class for up to 2 members, with up to a $400 scholarship. 

• All career producer members are eligible for one-on-one mentorships upon request, after program review and member’s goals are clarified. If you are placed in a mentorship - if you have a specific project and need - you meet with your mentor once a month for three months; the rest is follow up phone calls or emails. If you have specific areas that you want to explore and want a one-time consultation with a producer, general manager, lawyer or other theater professional, we set that up for you. But you have to email and request it.

• All SPA (Self-Producing Artist) members are eligible for one-time consultations (there can be multiple consultations). A one-on-one mentorship is available only when the PDMP Directors feel the SPA member has clarified a qualified need for a mentorship, and after program review.

• Occasional hands-on internships with theater professionals, as available.

PDMP FOUNDATIONS CURRICULUM
curriculum and dates subject to change, determined by availability

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SUBMISSIONS NOW OPEN FOR FALL 2026 MASTER CLASS
Meeting on Monday nights on zoom, 5:30 to 8:00pm eastern
To apply, email TRUMentor@gmail.com to request a Master Class application.

PDMP MASTER CLASS:  The Fall 2026 Master Class will be led once again by Broadway 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; plus off-Broadway Absolute Brightness of Leonard Pelkey, The 39 Steps, Ann). . TRU Members that have completed the PDMP Foundations Class may apply for the PDMP Master Class, though limited exceptions may be made if you have a high level of producing experience.  We will also accept applications from those who have taken other TRU Boot Camp workshops as well as the Commercial Theatre Institute 14-week course, or at least two other CTI courses other than the Weekend Intensive. The Class will be comprised of no more than 10 participants.  Non-participating Adjunct Members may also be accepted in the class. The Program Director will alternate in working with participants on individual projects they are developing.

Master Class participants shall have the right but not the obligation to attend the PDMP Foundations Panels at no additional cost. 

WHAT GRADUATES HAVE SAID:

I am so grateful I was introduced to the TRU PDMP Foundations and Master Classes. I got to work alongside exciting artists, creators and producers who helped pave the way for the off-Broadway production of my show last fall. The programs also helped grow my confidence in discussing my work and my understanding of the industry. ~Markus Ferraro

I want to thank you  for such a wonderful class and opportunity. I am so grateful for not just the feedback, but also the fact that [my] project has the capability to impact so many, and make a difference. I was able to demonstrate my project's importance by using the tools learned from taking this course. Words cannot express how much your mentorship and belief in me means. ~Melvina Douse Manuel

The TRU PDMP Foundations and Master Classes have been essential to my journey as an artist and finally seeing my work up on stage. From learning about the industry through lectures and outside speakers, the cohort of classmates who become champions and friends, to learning how to network and build a team. The most important thing I learned? How to talk about my work – and being given the space to practice this skill with real-time feedback. ~Nico Juber

"I wanted to take a moment to personally thank [Jane Dubin and Van Dean] for your wisdom and guidance, and especially for your generosity of time, and your commitment to supporting new generations of producers, and showing them it really is possible to play in this arena and make some wonderful things happen. You know, back when I first started investigating producing, I felt so out of my league, so small and insignificant, and ignorant. But thanks to people like you both, and Bob and Gary, and so many other producers I've met through TRU, I feel part of a very kind family. And that it's ok to not know everything. But it is remarkable to me how much I've learned so far." ~ Frank Avellino

"I can't tell you how smart you are to have conceived PDMP. It's the best learning experience in theater. Martin, Dave and Jana are incredibly helpful. Thank you." ~Toni Hart

"I wanted to reach out and thank you so much for being my mentors for the TRU 2015/2016 Master Class. I don't think I realized how much you taught me until I presented my business plan at the last session. It was the Master Class application that motivated me to commit to my very first project! Ten months later I've navigated from option agreements to hiring a director to staging a successful reading with four Tony-nominated actors! Having access to the caliber of theater professionals you brought us was invaluable. Having mentors to talk to and listen to in class, and forming relationships with my other theater mates has been invaluable....  I would recommend this program to anyone who wants to learn producing, because you learn by doing."~ Wendy Leopold

"Through TRU's commercial producer training program I was able to work on my first Broadway show as a producer, be mentored by a multi Tony awarded producer and work with a well known and highly respected dramaturge/creative consultant from MTC on my current musical project." ~Jayne Ackley Lynch

"As an actor/playwright I finally found a supportive program that not only helped me achieve my goals but taught me the business of the business.  Thanks to TRU, I now have a concrete knowledge of how the business of theater works and a supportive community to turn to when I need advice!" ~T. Cat Ford