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Nancy Opel, Nancy Ringham, Mary Testa and Kristine Zbornik Join 2013 TRU LOVE BENEFIT Today

By: Nov. 17, 2013
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Theater Resources Unlimited welcomes funny ladies Nancy Opel, Nancy Ringham, Mary Testa and Kristine Zbornik to the 2013 TRU Love Benefit: Honoring Friendship, Remembering Friends today, November 17, 2013 at 12 noon.

Theater Resources Unlimited (TRU) announces a lineup of star performers from Broadway and cabaret who will help celebrate three extraordinary people at the annual TRU Love Benefit, Honoring Friendship, Remembering Friends. Four fabulous and funny ladies have joined the lineup of entertainers: Nancy Opel (Tony nominee for Urinetown, Drama Desk nominee for The Toxic Avenger), Nancy Ringham (The 3Penny Opera revival, The Will Rogers Follies), Mary Testa (two-time Tony nominee for revivals of On the Town and 42nd Street, Xanadu, off-Broadway Queen of the Mist, A New Brain, In Troiusers, and special Drama Desk Award winner), and cabaret legend Kristine Zbornik (A Catered Affair, Forbidden Broadway).

They join previously announced Broadway stars Tovah Feldshuh (4 Tony nominations for Best Actress, four-time Drama Desk Award winner, including Golda's Balcony, four Outer Critics Circle Awards, the Obie, the Theatre World Award and the 2003 Lucille Lortel Award for Best Actress for Golda's Balcony), Megan McGinnis (Little Women, Les Miz revival, Parade, Beauty and the Beast, Thoroughly Modern Millie), Jenny Powers (Little Women, Grease revival, Donnybrook at Irish Rep) and Jana Robbins (Tale of the Allergist's Wife, Gypsy revival, Romance, Romance, I Love My Wife); plus cabaret favorites Cynthia Crane and Mark Nadler who will be co-hosting the show. They are scheduled to perform songs from Patricia, Michael and Randall's shows including Pippin, Grey Gardens, Little Women, Threepenny Opera and more. Musical directors for the show are Tracy Stark and Joe Goodrich.

The trio of TRU friends who will be remembered and honored are producer Randall Wreghitt (Little Women, Beauty Queen of Leenane, Grey Gardens, The Lieutenant of Inishmore, Golda's Balcony, As Bees in Honey Drown, The Food Chain) who died unexpectedly at the age of 55 in May 2011, and will be posthumously remembered with the 2013 TRU Spirit of Theater Award; Michael Feingold, former critic with the Village Voice, who will receive the TRU Humanitarian Award for educating generations of theatergoers about the historical, social and cultural context of the shows he reviews; and TRU member and program director Patricia R. Klausner, who will be recognized and applauded with the TRU Entrepreneur Award for her ongoing dedication in both the not-for-profit and commercial producing arenas.

The event will take place Sunday November 17th at Caroline's on Broadway at 47th Street. It will begin at noon with wine, drinks and hors d'oeuvres, followed by a luncheon at 1pm and the awards ceremony and performances at 2pm. The event will include a silent auction with prizes that include vacation getaways and a cruise to anywhere in the world valued at $8,000, as well as tickets to the upcoming musicals Rocky and Bridges of Madison County, Harvey Fierstein's Casa Valentina, as well as current Broadway and off-Broadway hits. Tickets are on sale now at http://www.truonline.org/store-new.html.

"This will be a heart-felt, joyful celebration of friends who are still with us as well as friends who have sadly left us - a reminder of the importance of appreciating the good people in our lives, right now," states TRU president Bob Ost.

The proceeds from this event directly benefit the programs of Theater Resources Unlimited, a not-for-profit service organization that educates people in the business of the arts, with a focus on producers, emerging theater companies and self-Producing Artists. Programs include monthly panels, workshops, a Producer Development and Mentorship Program, a new plays and new musicals reading series and a community e-newsletter of jobs, services, resources and theater events.

Tickets for the event will be $185 Premium Patron Level reserved seating on the first tier near the stage and $160 for Patron Level reserved seating on the first tier sides and second tier. Non-reserved General Admission tickets may be purchased for $110. Tickets, VIP tickets, journal ads and tables are available through the TRU Store at www.truonline.org/store-new.html.

For inquiries about the event, email TRUnltd@aol.com or call 212/714-7628. For more information about TRU membership and programs, visit www.truonline.org or call 212-714-7628.

Photo Credit: Walter McBride / WM Photos







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