TRU to Present Free Introduction To Producer Development & Mentorship Program

A dependable haven for artists in isolation, Theater Resources Unlimited is now in its fourth year of non-stop weekly Community Gatherings this Friday, having offered to date over 200 conversations and unlimited camaraderie since April 17, 2020. TRU hosts their Community Gatherings every Friday at 5pm ET via Zoom, originally presented to explore the creation of art and theater in the time of COVID-19, and now to ensure that these crucial conversations continue going forward as theater reopens.

8/9 - Free Introduction to our Producer Development & Mentorship Program.

Room opens at 4:45pm ET, presentation will start at 5:15 sharp. In the room: Master class instructor Jane Dubin, producer (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) and Foundations instructor Blair Russell (Slave Play, Sweeney Todd off-Broadway). A free meet-and-greet info session about our Producer Development and Mentorship Program, the only theater production program to offer in-depth instruction from accomplished producers at an affordable price. The fall semester will start in Late September or October. Prospective applicants will have the opportunity to learn from and network with our commercial producer instructors. You will also meet and hear from successful program graduates at this Intro evening. Click here to register and receive the zoom link: https://truonline.org/events/free-intro-to-pdmp-fall24/.

Also worth noting, as a part of an ongoing Diversity Initiative, TRU has renewed their commitment to developing and supporting producers of color and will be offering a scholarship to an aspiring BIPOC producer every semester starting in Spring 2025. As a gesture of intention, they will be sponsoring a Native American producing aspirant this semester, details of which will formally be announced in an upcoming release.

UPCOMING:

8/16 - Hybrid and Beyond: Maximizing the Theater Experience for Those Who Cannot Attend Live Theater.

In the room: Suzanne Richard, theater director, co-founder and artistic director of Open Circle Theatre, Washington, D.C.'s first professional theater promoting careers in the arts for people with disabilities; Lisa Sniderman, multi-award-winning artist, playwright, producer, disabled artist and advocate; and Jessica SkintgesWallach, disabled artist, DC-based accessibility consultant and photographer. We have finally added "accessibility" to our current D.E.I.-awareness, but we have only begun the journey of creating accessible theater. Our perspective and conversation are now focusing on the need to rethink what access means. We will look at going beyond traditional forms of access and consider utilizing telepresence robots, creating comparable live/virtual "hybrid" experiences and generally extending theater into virtual spaces in ways that give our stay-at-home audiences a genuine sense of the live theater experience. Click here to register and receive the zoom link: https://truonline.org/events/hybrid-and-beyond/.

Check back at TRU's web page for future 2024 gatherings: truonline.org/tru-community-gathering. To receive the Zoom invitation for weekly 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.

Videos of past Community Gatherings may be viewed on TRU's YouTube channel at youtube.com/channel/UC43rsChi4fA23dNLeloaF_A/. And a podcast series, TRU Talks About Theater featuring 2023 Community Gathering conversations is now available wherever you get your podcasts; or tune in at ElectraCast: https://electracast.com/?s=Theater+Resources