Theater Resources Unlimited to Present 'How Art Can Transform Lives'

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.

8/2 - Prison Breakthroughs: How Art Can Transform Lives.

In the room: Leslie Lichter, executive director and Charles Moore, director of programs and operations for Rehabilitation Through the Arts (RTA), a company that has run theater and other arts programs in 8 prisons in NY State, a company that has run theater and other arts programs in 8 prisons in NY State (and expanding) for over 28 years. We met and interviewed one of the RTA program facilitators a few months ago, TRU member Brent Buell, and learned how his experiences led to the newly released acclaimed film Sing Sing. Now we take a broader look at RTA, the breadth of their programs, and their mission to open people's eyes to the humanity behind prison walls and to recognize the transformational power of the arts, and theater in particular. Their core program is a comprehensive in-prison arts program which teaches critical life skills. They also have a social reentry program which helps inmates focus on inevitable social and emotional issues, and they engage RTA members after their release, as they rejoin and thrive in our communities. We'll explore the challenges as well as the achievements of these invaluable programs. Click here to register and receive the zoom link.

UPCOMING:

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

Open 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.

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.

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.