Theater Resources Unlimited Announces The 2024 TRU Voices New Plays Virtual Reading Series

Theater Resources Unlimited (TRU) partners with CreateTheater.com to present the fourth virtual edition of the TRU Voices New Plays Reading Series, with the generous support of RK Greene and The StoryLine Project.

Readings will be presented through a technical partnership with Streaming Musicals on Sundays, February 12 & 19, 2023 at 4pm. The series executive producer is TRU executive director Bob Ost with technical producers IBen Cenholt and Tom Polum and TRU literary manager Cate Cammarata.

Each play will be followed by TRU's renowned "Dollars and Sense" talkback focusing on the future development of the play that is read, and featuring professional producers, artistic directors and general managers. For an overview of the series, visit https://truonline.org/tru-voices-details-and-history/. Tickets are NOW ON SALE and start at $12 for play only, $15 for play plus talkback and are available at the individual event pages, links provided below.

"Shutdown forced us to move our live series into virtual in 2020," states TRU executive director Bob Ost. "What started as a make-shift challenge turned into a real gift as we discovered the magic that can be created with film, and we will continue to explore the possibilities of virtual production even as we re-enter the world of live performance. To this end, we are particularly excited to announce that we have formed a partnership with the online theater platform Streaming Musicals, and this series will be the initial production for them in their brand new state-of-the-art studio space near Manhattan's theater district."

Sunday, February 11, 2024 at 4pm ET

John Ewing III presents

1920 by Scott Sublett

directed by Christopher Scott

The night 36-year-old Eleanor Roosevelt confesses her bisexuality to her handsome, still healthy, 37-year-old husband, they teeter on the verge of divorce, but out of their conflict they forge a new kind of marriage - and political alliance. Issues of sexual identity and fluidity are normalized by putting them into the historical context of the most famous "power couple" in American history. Like "Hamilton," "1920" explores the flawed and fascinating human side of our national heroes. CLICK HERE for tickets.



Sunday, February 18, 2024 at 4pm ET

Take My Shot Productions/Nicolette Blount

in association with Kenady Sean presents

Rolling with the Punches by Joel S. Bailey,

directed by Ben Rauch

Jo, a wheelchair-bound 20-something, lives largely confined to a second story walk-up, but when her mother's boyfriend moves in, Jo's life is turned upside-down. Her poor judgment causes a serious accident, and Jo is wrongly placed in the infamous asylum, Dunning State Hospital. Her treatment motivates her to fight for the repeal of Chicago's archaic 'Ugly Law', (deformed and unsightly people must stay out of sight from the public). The law's repeal in 1974 remains a milestone in the Civil Rights movement for the disabled. CLICK HERE for tickets.

Sunday, February 25, 2024 at 4pm ET

Wayward Creatives and Nima Makela present

Un Hombre: A Golem Story by Stephen Kaplan,

directed by Farah Alvin

starring Broadway's Natascia Diaz, Tom Jones, Ben Sadowsky

A modern-day golem story about Rebecca Wolfson, a recently widowed single mother who is struggling to resume her creative life as a sculptor after the untimely death of her husband. She makes a clay man that comes to life to serve as a Bar Mitzvah and Spanish tutor for her 12-year-old son, Josh, who is grappling with his own grief and loss. As mother and son embrace the magic of this seemingly perfect solution to their problems, the clay man begins questioning his own existence and purpose, forcing all three to confront the truths they've all been avoiding. CLICK HERE for tickets.

TRU's renowned "Dollars and Sense" industry talkback will follow each reading featuring lineups of commercial producers, general managers and not-for profit artistic directors. Since the series was created to not only develop new plays but also new producers for theater, as well as foster the relationship between writers and producers with the hope that our readings will launch future steps of development, the talkbacks will focus on the development of the work read.

Scott Sublett (playwright) is an award winning writer and director of feature films and author of "Screenwriting for Neurotics." His musical Stealing Freedom was presented at the A.R.T./NY Theatre by Amas Musical Theatre in 2017 and 2018; Bye-Bye Bin Laden was named "one the top five premieres of 2004" by "The San Francisco Bay Guardian."; his verbatim theatre piece The Mothersabout Mormon moms of queer kids, was selected for the An Other Theatre Company New Play Festival in April 2023. Christopher Scott (director) directed Hip Hop Cinderella at New Victory, was artistic director of Masterworks Theater Company and directed the Audelco nominated off-Broadway revival of The Glass Menagerie.

The cast includes Marina Shay as Eleanor and Gene Gillette as Franklin. Marina has worked in important theaters across the country, including the Cleveland Playhouse, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, Syracuse Stage (SALT Awards Best Actress nomination), Alabama Shakespeare Festival, Geva Theater, Virginia Stage, Gulfshore Playhouse, and Trinity Rep; and made her off-Broadway debut in a modernization of Paradise Lost. Gene was featured in the Broadway smash hit To Kill a Mockingbird, the national tours of War Horse and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Partnership at The Mint, NYC and MacBeth w/Frances McDormand at Berkeley Rep.

Producer John Ewing III is an alumnus of TRU's producing program, and currently in the TRU Master Class. He is well-versed in entertainment production with credits in film (The Redemption of a Dog, The Marriage Chronicles and The Last Letter) as well as theater and concert promotion. Live entertainment plays and concerts include Love Jones The Musical, Ronnie Bobby Rickey & Mike, The Festival of Praise.

CREDITS FOR ROLLING WITH THE PUNCHES

Joel S. Bailey (playwright) is currently in the TRU producing program's Foundations class. He is a writer/producer/director/actor whose writing credits include the musical Photo Finish (Studio C Artists), New York Society for the Suppression of Vice (New Musicals Inc.), Big Noise (New Musicals Inc.), América Tropical (Latiné Musical Theatre Lab) which was a semifinalist for NMTC O'Neill and NAMT. His acting credits include Beverly Hills Cop, Days of our Lives, Turner & Hooch, Flamingo Road, and Santa Barbara. Director

Ben Rauch directed Glenn Alterman's Ditmas in TRU's TRUSpeak gala last year. He is a director/actor/musician/music director/singer-songwriter who directed numerous shows at Theatre Breaking Through Barriers including: Kum Ba Yah, I Am Obligated to Disclose, Remember and Safety On. His acting credits include TV - Big Bang Theory, Mr. Robot, Girls, Gossip Girl, Strangers With Candy, ED. Film: Can You Ever Forgive Me?; Jersey Boys (directed by Clint Eastwood).

Producer Nicolette Blount is a Chickasaw producer/writer/composer/lyricist/performer and owner of Take My Shot Productions LLC. She is a graduate of TRU's producing program, both Foundations and Master Class. Producing credits include Reprieve (2023 TRUSpeaks), co-producing credits including A Commercial Jingle for Regina Comet (Off-Broadway, DR2), In Pieces (in development), Savage (co-writer, composer, lyricist, in development,), and is currently in TRU's Producer Mentorship Master class.. Nicolette is an investor for the Museum of Boradway and Millenials are Killing Musicals (Off Broadway) and is currently a Fellow in the Dramatist Guild Foundation's National Musical Theatre Fellowship.

Kenady Sean is a producer/musical writer/performer, currently in TRU's Foundations class. Producing credits include Beyond Perfection, The Scarlet Letter Musical and We Can Do It! and the inaugural MusiclalWriters.com Festival, She is the regional monitor for Maestra Music's Texas chapter. She performed in Circle of Friends as Samantha (Off Broadway). She is a member of the TRU's Producer Mentorship Program.

Stephen Kaplan (playwright) recently had his play Tracy Jones was performed in a National New Play Network Rolling World Premi, and a finalist in the Gulfshore Playhouse New Works Festival, Jewish Plays Project, Chameleon Theatre Circle's New Play Contest, Wild Imaginings Epiphanies. He is also recipient of a 2021 Fellowship from New Jersey State Council on the Arts. www.bystephenkaplan.com

Director Farah Alvin is an award-winning vocalist and actress. She has appeared on Broadway in It Shoulda Been You, Nine, The Look of Love, Grease and Saturday Night Fever. Directing and development credits include Broadway Rising Star at The Town Hall, John Burns: Sock It To Me, Kate Chapman: Knock Knock and a variety of one person shows.

Natascia Diaz (Rebecca) has appeared on Broadway in Seussical (Bird Girl); the 2002 revival of Man of La Mancha (Antonia) covering the role of Aldonza, opposite Brian Stokes Mitchell; and Paul Simon's The Capeman. Off-Broadway: Susan (tick, tick...BOOM!) Sondheim's Saturday Night (Second Stage), Esmeralda Agron in The Capeman (The Public Theatre), and the acclaimed revival of Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris. Upcoming: Natascia will star in the highly anticipated new Broadway production of Cabaret as Fraulein Kost. Tim Jones (Adam) is a former Aerospace Engineer who ran away to join the theatre. Off-Broadway: Sleep No More. Regional: Seascape, Dracula, Holiday Memories, Godspell, Working: A Musical (Berkshire Theatre Group), A Christmas Carol (The Hanover Theatre). Rep: Davis/Spylios Mgmt. Thanks, as always, to family, friends and Meg.

Ben Sadowsky (Josh) is excited to participate with the Un Hombre team! Favorite credits include Dill (A Christmas Story The Musical National Tour), Mr. Wormwood (Matilda Jr., Broadway Workshop. Ben is a graduate of Professional Performing Arts School Middle School and now attends LaGuardia High School in the Drama program.

PRODUCERS

Wayward Creatives Entertainment is a creative incubator and marketing consultancy, focused on the theatre arts founded by Susan Casserly Griffin. This is Susan's second time producing a Stephen Kaplan play, having produced a benefit virtual reading of Tracy Jones for The Bechdel Group in 2021. https://www.waywardcreatives.com/

Arunima Mekala (Associate Producer) is happy to be part of the team on this reading of Un Hombre: a Golem Story, and has recently completed the TRU Mentorship Program. With a bachelor's degree in finance and marketing from New York University and a Juris Doctorate from Suffolk University Law school, she is eager to leverage her technical expertise with her love of theater to develop captivating stage productions.

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 www.truonline.org.