Theater Resources Unlimited to Host TRU PRODUCER BOOT CAMP Weekend Intensive

Theater Resources Unlimited (TRU) will host the annual TRU PRODUCER BOOT CAMP: Weekend Intensive for Showcase Producing, on Saturday, April 30 and Sunday, May 1, 2016 from 10am to 6pm at DeSotelle NuBox Theatre, 300 W. 43rd St., 3rd Floor, NYC. For more details visit http://truonline.org/events/weekend-intensive.

Sign up now for some basic and not-so-basic training for producers, geared to those of you producing at the in-the-trenches reading and Equity Showcase level, with particular application for those planning to produce in the upcoming summer festivals. Featuring a phenomenal lineup of experts covering everything from Legalities and Contracts to Production Timeline and Budgeting to Raising Money and Marketing. Every aspect of showcase producing is broken down into easy-to-understand step-by-step modules, including a valuable discussion of the differences between producing in a festival and producing on your own. The more you know, the better your chances of success.

Keynote speakers will include Tony winning Broadway producers Margot Astrachan (A Gentleman's Guide...,The Realistic Joneses), Tom Smedes (Pippin, The Visit, Peter and the Starcatcher, Mothers and Sons) and Cheryl Wiesenfeld (All the Way, Vanya & Sonia & Masha & Spike, The Gershwin's Porgy & Bess, Elaine Stritch: At Liberty). Other speakers include producers Patrick Blake (The Exonerated), David Elliott (Vanya & Sonia & Masha & Spike), Jeremy Handelman (On the Town) and Patricia Klausner (Pippin); attorneys Eric Goldman, Diane Krausz and Erach Screwvala; financial advisor/producer Bailie Slevin; and casting director Bob Kale.

Limited to 30 participants.

TUITION:

$270 for non-member (early bird discount $210 if you register before April 15th);
$225 for TRU members (early bird discount $175 if you register before April 15th).
Membership/Workshop Package: $290 (early bird discount $245 if you register before April 15th)

FESTIVAL SPECIAL: registrants accepted into Planet Connections, MITF, Fringe, NYMF or other festivals (email TRUStaff1@gmail.com with proof of acceptance): $195

Register and pay on-line (Paypal or credit card) at http://truonline.org/weekend-intensive/, or you may send an application and check to Theater Resources Unlimited/Weekend, 309 W. 104th Street 1D, NYC NY 10025. Since space is limited, you may pre-register and hold your spot by emailing TRUStaff1@gmail.com

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WEEKEND CLASS SCHEDULE:

Saturday April 30th

9:30-10am - coffee and cake/bagels
10:00 - keynote speaker: Margot Astrachan (A Gentleman's Guide...., The Realistic Joneses, Ghost the Musical tour, Nice Work If You Can Get It, upcoming: The Countess of Storyville) - Being a Producer: Perception versus Reality.

10:15-10:45 - "Clarifying Your Goals: Why Are You Producing This?" with producers Patrick Blake and Patricia Klausner. Should your show be commercial or not-for-profit? In a festival or produced independently? How much should you be spending? How big a theater do you need? So much depends on what you hope to achieve.
10:45-11:30pm -"What You Need to Know Before Asking for Money" with attorney Eric Goldman. Investments, donations and gifts - do you know the difference? We'll look at commercial, not-for-profit and fiscal sponsorship models, and what you need to know about each when asking for money for your production.

11:30-11:45 - BREAK

11:45-12:30 - "Legal Schmegal: Contracts, Options, Underlying Rights and More" with attorney Erach Screwvala. Additional legalities to consider: Do you have the right to produce this show? How do you go about getting the option? How do you do this without encumbering your property unnecessarily? Do you need to set up a legal entity to produce a showcase?
12:30-1:00 - "Producing Published Works: Licensing Made Painless"

1:00-2:00 - LUNCH

2:00-2:30 - "Putting Together Your Production Team" with John Lant, technical director of Carnegie Hall, artistic director Write Act Rep. Things to consider when hiring your design team, and what your designers need from you.
2:30-3:00 - "How to Find (and Book) the Right Space" with John Lant. Black box or proscenium? Wing space, fly space, lighting and tech requirements, location and more.
3:00-3:30 - "The Biggest Bang for Your Buck: Securing Resources at the Best Price Possible" with John Lant

3:30-3:45 - BREAK

3:45-4:30 - "Union Codes & Contracts: Equity, SDC, DG, 802" with attorney Diane Krausz. The gospel according to Actors Equity, and how it sets the rules for readings, showcases and beyond. Plus realistic expectations when dealing with the directors' union, the Dramatists Guild and the musicians' union.

4:30-5:15 - "Producing Smart: Fringes and Festivals, or On Your Own?" with Jeremy Handelman, others tbd. There are advantages to producing in the Fringe or a festival, but there are also trade-offs. We'll discuss what you need to consider before deciding the best (and potentially most profitable) path for your production.

5:15 - Keynote speech: Jack Batman & Bruce Robert Harris (Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812, On The Town, You Can't Take It With You, The Scottsboro Boys, Pippin, Clybourne Park, Nice Work If You Can Get It) - subject to availability.
5:30pm-6:00pm - networking reception

Sunday May 1st

9:30-10am - coffee and cake/bagels
10:00-10:15 - keynote speaker: Tom Smedes producer (The Visit, Matilda, Pippin, Next Fall, upcoming: The Bandstand) and general manager

10:15-10:45 - "Project Management: Setting Timelines, Managing Teams, Defining Outcomes" with financial advisor and producer Bailie Slevin. It pays to get the order right. How far in advance do you book a space? Hire your creative staff? Start the marketing? Raise the money?10:45-11:15 - "Creative Fundraising (Please Don't Put It on Your Credit Card!)" with financial advisor and producer Bailie Slevin. Crowdsourcing, different kinds of fundraisers and how to just get over it and ask for the money you need. We'll include belief systems and how they affect us, and understanding how money works.

11:15-11:30 - BREAK

11:30 -12:30 - "Watching Your Figures: Putting Together a Smart Budget" with producer/general manager Tom Smedes. An overview of basic line items in a showcase budget, and a realistic look at what things actually cost.

12:30-1:30 - LUNCH

1:30-2:00 - "Box Office and Ticketing Options" This is a business. You need to be careful about money and accurately track your sales. There's no mystery to it: there are tried-and-true systems for handling this. And though you are ultimately responsible for your performance tallies, different ticketing options can be helpful in different ways. Which ticketing service will best serve your show?

2:00-2:30 - "How to Run an Efficient Audition, and When, Why and How to Use a Casting Director" with casting director Bob Kale of Bob Kale Casting, fomerly of Moss Kale Anastasi Casting.

2:30-2:45 - BREAK

2:45-3:30 - "Finding Your Audience: An Overview of Marketing" with Jay Michaels. Defining the basics: marketing, advertising, PR. And how does social media fit into all this? What are your most important expenses on a limited budget? How do you identify and reach your audience? Should a showcase producer ever do his own marketing?

3:30-4:15 - "The Essentials of Successful PR" - What goes into an effective press release?

4:15-4:30 - BREAK

4:30-5:15 - "Next Steps: What Happens After That Showcase (and How to Prepare)?" - moderated by Tony winning producer Cheryl Wiesenfeld, with producers Pat Blake and Tony winner David Elliott. The best way for your show to have a future is to plan ahead the moment you decide to produce that first showcase or reading. A panel of producers will talk about the steps they took to grow their brand beyond a showcase.

5:15: Keynote speech: Cheryl Wiesenfeld
5:30-6:00pm - networking reception

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The DeSotelle NuBox Theatre is located at 300 W. 43rd Street, 3rd floor (take 1-2-3/A-C-E to Times Square). This workshop is limited to 30 participants, accepted on a first-come first-serve basis.

Theater Resources Unlimited (TRU) is the leading network for developing theater professionals, a twenty-four 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 TRU underwrites 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. TRU serves 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 free 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 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.