Theater Resources Unlimited to Host INTRODUCTION TO TRU Kick-Off, 9/17

Theater Resources Unlimited (TRU) announces that instead of the usual September panel they are hosting a free and friendly Introduction to TRU: Free-for-Everyone Seasonal Kick-off plus Networking Meet-and-Greet on Tuesday, September 17, 2013 at 7:30pm at The Players Theatre's Steve & Marie Sgouros Theatre, 3rd floor, 115 MacDougal Street, NYC. Doors open at 7pm for networking and refreshments, presentations and roundtable introductions start at 7:30pm.

Guests will include TRU Board Members and Program Directors to introduce new friends to TRU and its programs as well as reconnect with old friends and members. Those scheduled to appear include producers Michael Alden (Becoming Dr. Ruth, Grey Gardens, Sarah Jones' Bridge & Tunnel, Bat Boy the musical, The King's Speech onstage; plus movies including Kissing Jessica Stein and The Hours) and Patrick Blake (The Exonerated, In the Continuum, Play Dead) who serve on the TRU Board as well as run the Producer Development & Mentorship Program; Board member and financial advisor Bailie Slevin who will announce the formation of the TRU Young Patrons Board; Cate Cammarata, TRU's Literary Manager; Diana Amsterdam, instructor for TRU's Practical Playwriting workshop; Gillien Goll, one of the TRU coaches for the Writer-Producer Speed Date; and staff administrator Patrick Goss, who will review programs for actors including the annual Audition Event.

This informal free gathering is an opportunity to come and learn more about Theater Resources Unlimited and hear about upcoming programs. In addition, attendees will have the chance to share their own stories, suggest what they'd like to learn in the coming year, and network with other theater professionals. Wine, beer and refreshments will be provided to ease the conversation.

Admission is FREE. Please RSVP at least a day in advance (or sooner) by email to TRUStaff1@gmail.com or by phone at (212) 714-7628 at least one day in advance. Please note that future meetings will be $12 for non-members.

Theater Resources Unlimited (TRU) is a twenty-one 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 theater. 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 TRU underwrites developmental readings to nurture new shows as well as new producers for theater; TRU 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. TRU serves writers through a Writer-Producer Speed Date, a Practical Playwriting Workshop and a Director-Writer Communications Lab; programs for actors include an Annual Combined Audition and quarterly Resource Nights and "Speed Dating" as well as free monthly actor workshops, in partnership with Weist-Barron Studios.

TRU's monthly panels have been a core program of TRU since its inception, and in recent years executive director Ost has partnered with Back Stage to generate topics of interest to both TRU members and Back Stage readers. Founded in 1960, Back Stage is the world's most trusted name in casting, auditions, and entertainment-industry opportunities. "Through TRU, Back Stage is able to reach beyond its actor base to a wider theater community," said Ost, "and we get more visibility through the Back Stage connection." For information about Back Stage, visit www.backstage.com.

Built in 1907 and converted into a theatre in the late 1940's, The Players Theatre, host of the monthly TRU panels, has been a jewel in the midst of beautiful Greenwich Village, serving as a magnet for performing artists and their audiences. The mainstage theatre has been home to such long run productions as An Evening with Quentin Crisp, Psycho Beach Party and Ruthless starring an 8 year old Brittany Spears, Natalie Portman and Legally Blonde the Musical's Laura Bell Bundy. The Steve & Marie Sgouros Theatre, a 60-seat loft space on the 3rd floor offers an intimate home for TRU's panels, as well as a range of new works. For more information, visit www.theplayerstheatre.com.

Programs of Theater Resources Unlimited are supported in part by public funds awarded through the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA) and the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, 9th district Council Member Inez Dickens and Council Member Christine Quinn; The Montage Foundation, as well as support from the Friar's National Foundation Association.

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