Theater Resources Unlimited Announces Town Hall Discussion and Initiative to Help Restore the Theater Community

A dependable haven for artists in isolation, Theater Resources Unlimited, announces an initiative to create programs to specifically serve not-for-profit theater companies emerging from shutdown.

As a part of this initiative, TRU will continue weekly community gatherings on Fridays throughout July and August, host a July 29th panel on best practices for not-for-profit theater companies, and a Town Hall Open Discussion at the end of August to which all not-for-profit and fiscally sponsored companies in New York and beyond will be invited. The Town Hall will be held virtually and companies are encouraged to talk about their experiences with shutdown and their plans for reopening, with a particular focus on finding solutions to any obstacles holding them back. This initiative will be an opportunity for companies to learn from and find ways to help each other while TRU begins to explore programs that might better serve the not-for-profit community.

TRU requests input from the community in finding a date in late August that is convenient for most. For all theater companies interested in being part of this initiative, please send an email to TRUnltd@aol.com with "NFP Town Hall" in the subject line. We will send a list of possible dates and times for you to weigh in on. Please respond before Monday, 7/26.

"This is going back to our roots at Theater Resources Unlimited - we started 28 years ago serving mostly small theater companies," states TRU executive director Bob Ost. "Over the years we have grown and expanded our community to include commercial producers and self-Producing Artists. I think it's time to bring back a focus on the needs of emerging theater companies, and even established companies that might benefit from support during these unprecedented times."

Here are the current programs planned, focusing on not-for-profit theater companies:

Friday 7/23 4:30 pm ET, on Zoom:

NFP and NGO: How Some Non Profit Theater Companies Extend Their Mission and Work. In the room: co-founder and executive/artistic producer Carolyn Brown of True Colors Project/My True Colors Festival, founding executive director Jesse Fahay of Ripple Effect Artists, founding and artistic/executive director Ludovica Villar-Hauser of Parity Productions, co-founder and artistic director Emily Weiner of Houses on the Moon. Some not-for-profit theater companies extend their mission beyond performances and offer a range of services and support for specific communities. Sometimes this drifts into the realm of an NGO, a nonprofit organization that operates independently of any government, whose purpose is to address a social or political issue. How do the two parts of their identity amplify each other? Are there any stumbling blocks that this structure might incur? And how much of their time and donations are allocated to community work, and how much to performance? CLICK HERE to register and receive the Zoom link.

Thursday 7/29 6:00 on Zoom:

Building Back Better: The Cautious Reopening of Not-for-Profit Theater Companies. As we leave shutdown behind, many theater companies are taking the lessons of a pandemic with them into the future. Have "best practices" for running a company been altered or rethought during shutdown? Some of the basics still seem crucial: clearly defining and focusing on your unique vision and purpose ... creating an infrastructure with clearly defined roles ... understanding the purpose of a board and how it can support the success of your company. How do you balance these basics with the need for flexibility and adaptability? We'll also look at fundraising and audience building strategies, and the importance of branding for attracting supporters. Details and speakers tbd. CLICK HERE to reserve and find updates on speakers.

TRU will continue to host their Community Gatherings every Friday at 4:30pm ET via Zoom, to explore the creation of art and theater in the time of COVID-19. These crucial conversations will 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 keeping theater alive during shutdown, and what we are doing now, going forward.Videos of past Community Gatherings may be viewed on TRU's YouTube channel at youtube.com/channel/UC43rsChi4fA23dNLeloaF_A/.

Theater Resources Unlimited (TRU) is the leading network for developing theater professionals, a twenty-seven-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, goods and productions; presents monthly panels as well as the new 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.