TRU To Host Community Gatherings Via Zoom - Adding Virtual To The Commercial Development Toolbox

A dependable haven for artists in isolation, Theater Resources Unlimited (TRU) is now into its second year of non-stop weekly Community Gatherings this Friday, having offered to date over 100 conversations and unlimited camaraderie since April 17, 2020.

TRU hosts their Community Gatherings every Friday at 5pm ET via Zoom, to explore the creation of art and theater in the time of COVID-19, and to ensure that these crucial conversations continue going forward as theater reopens. Ask questions, bring answers, be part of a community - it's an opportunity to network with theater professionals and talk about how we kept theater alive during shutdown, and what we are doing now, going forward.

To receive the Zoom invitation for future meetings, email TRUnltd@aol.com with "Zoom Me" in the subject header. These gatherings are free for TRU members, non-members are asked to make an optional tax-deductible donation - or consider joining TRU at truonline.org/membership - to support the organization during these challenging times.

Friday 11/11 - Adding Virtual to the Commercial Development Toolbox. In the room: Tom Polum, producer (The Toxic Avenger, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels), CEO and co-founder of StreamingMusicals.com (Estella Scrooge, Mooseltoe, Emma, Marry Harry). Tom talks about 1660Vine - a new musical. With an original script and score by a diverse group of 20-something songwriters (and choreography by Paula Abdul!), the show looks into the journey of life as a social media influencer. Learn about a hybrid development path that launches live and virtual versions of a show consecutively. Click here to register and receive the Zoom link: https://truonline.org/events/business-not-as-usual/.

UPCOMING:

Friday 11/18 - A Tale of Two Theaters: Papermill Playhouse and the Village Theatre. In the room: Jen Bender, associate artistic director of Papermill Playhouse; and Adam Immerwahr, artistic director of the Village Theatre in Issaquah and Everett Washington. Jen and Adam will talk about the effect of shutdown on their respective theater companies, both notable for their development of new works for the musical theater. Did the pandemic shift their mission in any way? How did they maintain their audience base without live performance? Did they venture into virtual? Do they still develop new shows? And what are their plans for programming going forward? Click here to register and receive the Zoom link. https://truonline.org/events/papermill-and-village/

Friday 11/25 - we'll be off for Thanksgiving.

Friday 12/2 - to be announced.

Friday 12/9 - One Word, Many Meanings: Licensing. In the room: Brad Lohrenz, director of licensing for Theatrical Rights Worldwide; and Liz Ulmer, senior manager Stage Rights for Sony Music Publishing. Sony's relationship to theater/stage rights is different from a musical theater licensing company like TRW. Learn the distinctions as well as the various way licensing weaves through our business. How has the creation of Concord Music - an aggregate that has acquired Samuel French, Tams Witmark, Rodgers & Hammerstein Theatricals and more - impacted the licensing business? And has shutdown left its mark in any way? Click here to register and receive the Zoom link. https://truonline.org/events/one-word-many-meanings/

Check back at TRU's web page for the 2022 schedule: truonline.org/tru-community-gathering

Videos of past Community Gatherings may be viewed on TRU's YouTube channel atyoutube.com/channel/UC43rsChi4fA23dNLeloaF_A/. And a new podcast series, TRU Talks About Theater featuring Community Gathering conversations is now available wherever you get your podcasts; or tune in at ElectraCast: https://electracast.com/?s=Theater+Resources

Theater Resources Unlimited (TRU) is the leading network for developing theater professionals, a twenty-nine-year-old 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization created to help producers produce, emerging theater companies to emerge healthily and all theater professionals to understand and navigate the business of the arts. Membership includes self-Producing Artists as well as career producers and theater companies.

TRU publishes an email community newsletter of services, opportunities and productions; presents weekly Community Gatherings; offers a Producer Development & Mentorship Program taught by prominent producers and general managers in New York theater, and also presents Producer Boot Camp workshops to help aspirants develop business skills. TRU serves writers through the TRU Voices Play Reading Series, Writer-Producer Speed Date, a Practical Playwriting Workshop, How to Write a Musical That Works and a Director-Writer Communications Lab.

Programs of Theater Resources Unlimited are supported in part by the Montage Foundation, The Storyline Project and the Leibowitz Greenway Foundation. For more information about TRU membership and programs, visit truonline.org.