TRU Hosts 'BEYOND BROADWAY' Panel Tonight

Theater Resources Unlimited (TRU) presents the TRU December Panel -Beyond Broadway: A Broader Perspective on Developing New Musicalson tonight, December 12, 2017 at 7:30pm (doors open for networking at7pm) at Actors Temple Theatre, 339 W. 47th Street, NYC. For more details, visit truonline.org/events/developing-new-musicals.

Many consider the musical the great American art form and a key contribution to our country's culture. So many dream of writing a Broadway hit, but there is a wealth of amazing creativity happening outside of New York. We will look at the rich environments for incubating new works that exist throughout our country, including regional theaters and colleges and universities. Not every show is destined for New York, though many follow a circuitous path that may ultimately lead there. Some shows go directly to licensing, others develop success without ever having a New York production. Is there something to be gained from developing new works beyond the commercial pressure of Broadway? Where do innovative and unconventional works come from? What are some of the other viable markets worth pursuing for new works? Are there current trends? How do audiences differ outside of New York?

Speakers will include Ken Cerniglia, Dramaturg and Literary Manager, Disney Theatrical Group; Jason Cocovinis, Director of Marketing, Music Theatre International (MTI),one of the world's leading theatrical licensing agencies, granting theaters from around the world the rights to perform the greatest selection of musicals from Broadway and beyond; Michael Colby, librettist/lyricist (Drama Desk nominee for Charlotte Sweet, Tales of Tinseltown, Meester Amerika in the TRU Voices series, upcoming Dangerous), founding member of the Stuart Ostrow Foundation/St. Clement's Musical Theatre Lab; Betsy King Militello, executive director National Alliance for Musical Theatre (NAMT), whose 160 organizational members and 40 individual members, located throughout 31 states and abroad, are some of the leading producers of musical theatre in the world.

Doors open at 7:00pm for networking and refreshments, roundtable introductions of everyone in the room will start at 7:30pm - come prepared with your best 30 second summary of who you are, and what you need. Free forTRU members; $12.50 for non-members in advance ($15 at door), free forTRU. Please use the bright red reservation box at truonline.org/developing-new-musicals, or call at least a day in advance (or much sooner) for reservations: 212-714-7628; or e-mail TRUStaff1@gmail.com

For more details, visit truonline.org/events/developing-new-musicals.

Ken Cerniglia is dramaturg and literary manager for Disney Theatrical Group, where since 2003 he has developed over fifty shows for professional, amateur, and school productions, including Freaky Friday, Aladdin, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Peter and the Starcatcher, Newsies, High School Musical, Tarzan, and The Little Mermaid. Recent freelance projects include Hadestown (New York Theatre Workshop, Edmonton's Citadel), Bud, Not Buddy (Kennedy Center), Passion Trilogy (LMU/Fisher Ensemble), and Bridges (Berkeley Playhouse). Ken holds a Ph.D. in theater history and criticism from the University of Washington and is president of Literary Managers and Dramaturgs of the Americas (LMDA).

Jason Cocovinis is a creative marketing and communications specialist with over 20 years of experience developing strategic campaigns and dynamic content for a wide variety of audiences. Jason joined Music Theatre International in 2008 helping to expand the company's digital footprint, strengthen its third-party marketing services, and unify its brand platforms. In addition, Jason and his team have launched over 100 musicals to the secondary rights market and introduced several highly-regarded theatrical resources to MTI's worldwide customer base. Prior to joining MTI, Jason was a Creative Director at the experiential marketing agency, Jack Morton Worldwide. In this role, Jason conceived and executed events and communications projects for several of the agency's key accounts in the entertainment, healthcare and technology sectors. Jason began his career in public relations as an Account Executive at Ruder Finn and then moved on to manage the creative services department at Hemming+Gilman Productions, an event management and production firm.

Michael Colby was a founding member, in 1974, of the Stuart Ostrow Foundation/St. Clement's Musical Theatre Lab, the first non-profit organization exclusively for the development of new musicals. Among the regional and off-Broadway companies where his musicals have been produced are Goodspeed, Amas Musical Theatre, George Street Playhouse, Directors Company, Coconut Grove Playhouse, London's A Stage Kindly and TADA! (where he has been on the Advisory Board since inception). He is one of the writers of the Broadway-bound musical, Dangerous, which just had a highly successful presentation at Feinstein's/54 Below. In February, the Second Act Company will present an all-star concert of Charlotte Sweet, whose showcase he produced in 1982 and for which he received a Drama Desk Award nomination as "Outstanding lyricist." Other shows: Tales of Tinseltown, North Atlantic (Show Business Award), Slay It with Music (off-Broadway & London), Mrs. McThing, They Chose Me!, and Ludlow Ladd. He was chief writer for the Drama Desk Award-winning New Amsterdam Theatre Company, and has been a writer for The NY Festival of Song as well as the Theatre By the Blind. He is the author of the well received autobiographical book "The Algonquin Kid: Adventures Growing Up at New York's Legendary Hotel." Jay Records has released CDs of Tales of Tinseltown, Charlotte Sweet (the complete show) and Ludlow Ladd.

Betsy Militello came to NAMT in August of 2011 from Outward Bound where she was Vice President of Development, responsible for an $8M annual fundraising goal. Prior organizations in which she served in non-profit administration and fundraising leadership roles include Hunter College, the NYU Child Study Center, Cooper Union and the Big Apple Circus, and she has also taught at Marymount Manhattan College as an Adjunct Professor in Non-profit Management. Following completion of her undergraduate degree at Harvard, she began her career in advertising; after receiving her Master's degree in Public and Private Management (MPPM) from the Yale School of Management (with additional coursework in administration at the Yale School of Drama), she worked as a management consultant for Fortune 100 companies prior to moving to the non-profit sector. She also has theatre production experience, primarily in stage management and lighting, in both professional and volunteer musical theatre and opera organizations including Glimmerglass Opera and the Blue Hill Troupe.

Theater Resources Unlimited (TRU) is the leading network for developing theater professionals, a twenty-five 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 the arts. Membership includes self-Producing Artists as well as career producers and theater companies.

TRU publishes an email community newsletter of services, goods and productions; presents the TRU VOICES Annual New Play Reading Series and Annual New Musicals Reading Series, two new works series in which TRUunderwrites developmental readings to nurture new shows as well as new producers for theater; offers 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. TRUserves writers through a Writer-Producer Speed Date, a Practical Playwriting Workshop, How to Write a Musical That Works and a Director-Writer Communications Lab; programs for actors include the Annual Combined Audition, Resource Nights and "Speed Dating" as well as actor workshops.

Programs of Theater Resources Unlimited are supported in part by public funds awarded through the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA) with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature and the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, 9th district former Council Member Inez Dickens; and with support from the Montage Foundation and the Friars National Association Foundation.

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