STREETCAR's Stephen Byrd Joins TRU Panel Discussions in COLORING THE GREAT WHITE WAY, 3/21

 

Producer Stephen Byrd of the upcoming revival of A StreetcarNamed Desire, and the only African American producer to ever win the coveted British Olivier Award (for Cat on a Hot Tin Roof) has just been announced as an addition to the next panel of Theater Resources Unlimited (TRU). This monthly networking panel, Coloring the Great White Way: Bringing Diversity to Commercial Theater, will offer a discussion focused on how to bring more diverse productions and audiences to the traditionally great "white" way.  The panel will take place on March 21 at 7:30pm at The Players Theatre, 115 MacDougal Street, NYC.

Byrd will be joining a prestigious lineup of panelists: producer Nelle Nugent (Stick Fly, Ghetto Klown, Time Stands Still, ...Nicholas Nickleby); Woodie King Jr., artistic director of New Federal Theatre (What the Wine Sellers Buy, For Colored Girls..., Checkmates); Donna Walker-Kuhne of Walker International Communications; and Kamilah Forbes, artistic director of the Hip-Hop Theatre Festival, director (Def Poetry Jam on Broadway); and Melissa Marano, Senior Client Account Executive at aka Promotions (Jerusalem, The MotherF*er With The Hat, Billy Elliot, Stick Fly, A Streetcar Named Desire). They will examine the topic through the eyes of producers, the people who decide which shows to produce and the duration of their theatrical run. The panel will take place on March 21 at 7:30pm at The Players Theatre, 115 MacDougal Street, NYC. The panel will focus on the following questions:

Have we made any significant progress in bringing diversity into commercial theater? Is there an audience to support the work, and how do we tap into that audience? How can we help along the process?

Even commercial plays with tremendous crossover appeal, such as Stick Fly and Radio Golf, have not managed to succeed as well as we might hope. How do we build a culturally diverse audience that can truly support works like these?

Might cultivating producers of color help generate players who have a vested interest in bringing more culturally diverse works into commercial production? And can we do it without compromising the integrity of diverse voices in order to make them more palatable to the white mainstream?

Tickets are $12 (free for TRU members).Please RSVP by email to TRUnltd@aol.com or by phone at (212) 714-7628 at least a day in advance.

Theater Resources Unlimited (TRU) is a twenty-year-old 501c3 nonprofit organization created to help producers produce, emerging theater companies to emerge healthily and all theater professionals to understand and navigate the business of theater. Membership includes self-Producing Artists as well as career producers and theater companies.

TRU publishes an email community newsletter of services, goods and productions. In addition, TRU presents the TRU VOICES Annual New Play Reading Series and the TRU VOICES Annual New Musicals Reading Series, new works series in which TRU underwrites developmental readings to nurture new works as well as new producers for theater. In 2001, TRU began giving annual scholarships to The Commercial Theater Institute, to encourage the development of aspiring producers, created a Producer Development & Mentorship Program whose mentors are among the most prominent producers and general managers in New York Theater, and also presents Producer Boot Camp workshops to help aspirants develop the business skills they need. In March '08, TRU was associate producer of its first Equity showcase, Missives at 59E59 Theatre, a play that was developed in the 2006 TRU reading series. In addition to new works development, TRU serves writers through a Writer-Producer Speed Date, a Practical Playwriting Workshop and a new Director-Writer Communications Lab. TRU programs for actors include an Annual Audition Event scheduled this year for Saturday March 31 and Sunday April 1; and TRU partners with Weist-Barron Studios to offer quarterly Resource Nights and "Speed Dating" as well as free monthly actor workshops. Actors may inquire about this and other actor programs by contacting TRUActors@gmail.com

TRU's monthly panels have been a core program of TRU since its inception, and in recent years executive director Ost has partnered with Back Stage to generate topics of interest to both TRU members and Back Stage readers. Founded in 1960, Back Stage is the world's most trusted name in casting, auditions, and entertainment-industry opportunities. "Through TRU, Back Stage is able to reach beyond its actor base to a wider theater community," said Ost, "and we get more visibility through the Back Stage connection." For information about Back Stage, visit http://www.backstage.com

Built in 1907 and converted into a theatre in the late 1940's, The Players Theatre, host of the monthly TRU panels, has been a jewel in the midst of beautiful Greenwich Village, serving as a magnet for performing artists and their audiences. The theatre has been home to such long run productions as An Evening with Quentin Crisp, Psycho Beach Party and Ruthless starring an 8 year old Brittany Spears, Natalie Portman and Legally Blonde the Musical's Laura Bell Bundy. For more information, please visit www.theplayerstheatre.com.

Programs of Theater Resources Unlimited are supported in part by public funds awarded through the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA) and the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs, as well as generous support from the Friar's National Foundation Association.

For more information about TRU membership and programs, visit www.truonline.org or call 212-714-7628.