Over 50 New TheaterMakers Added to 5th Annual TheaterMakers Summit

The TheaterMakers Studio will present the fifth annual TheaterMakers Summit, on November 6 and 7, with a special bonus day on November 8. With Broadway reopening, the theme of this year's event is "Places Please." The 2021 TheaterMakers Summit will be held virtually for attendees and speakers.

The TheaterMakers Summit is the destination for all theater makers. This two-day event aims to unite aspiring writers, producers, directors, actors, and other theatre professionals and fans alike with industry leaders to learn about and discuss the business of Broadway. The weekend will offer a series of panels and presentations on topics including Advancing Equity for BIPOC TheaterMakers Onstage And Off; The Non-Negotiable Must-Knows on Access & Inclusion in Theater; Level Up Your Social Media For You And Your Show; Why Broadway Investors Invest; The Next Gen of Broadway Producers; Musical Theater TikTok; Getting Your Show Produced on the Best Unconventional Platforms; Artistic Directors Tell You What They're Looking For In Your Show; Designing Broadway, Off-Broadway, Virtual Theater; How You Get Tony Award-winning Lead Producers To Produce Your Show; and many more to be announced.

With over 50 new participants added to the program, this year's summit speakers and panelists include:

· Costume Designer Dede Ayite (Slave Play)

· Actor Pun Bandhu (The Treasurer)

· Producer Laura Z. Barket (Thoughts Of A Colored Man)

· Producer Valentina Berger (The Minutes)

· Actor Eric Berryman (The B-Side)

· Producer Dori Berinstein (The Prom)

· Social media manager & Digital Marketer Micayla Brewster (Hadestown)

· Actor Sierra Boggess (School of Rock)

· Director Steve H. Broadnax III (Thoughts Of A Colored Man)

· Actor Alex Brightman (Beetlejuice)

· Partner, Toby M.J. Butterfield (Moses & Singer, Intellectual Property & Litigation Groups)

· Producer Stephen Byrd (Ain't Too Proud)

· Director Sammi Cannold (Ragtime on Ellis Island)

· Producer Rashad V. Chambers (Ain't Too Proud)

· Composer & TikTok influencer RJ Christian (Ratatouille The TikTok Musical)

· Producer Sydney Connors (Dreamgirls on Clubhouse)

· Director of Musical Theatre at Shenandoah Conservatory Kevin Covert

· Director of Social Media and Creative Strategy Felicia Fitzpatrick (Playbill)

· Actor & Disability Inclusion Consultant Alie B. Gorrie (Bastard Jones)

· Agent Max Grossman (Abrams Artists Agency)

· Artistic Director Darryl Reuben Hall (Stage Aurora Theatrical)

· Marketing Director Monica Hammond (Big Leap Brands)

· Artistic director Mark Hoebee (Papermill Playhouse)

· Artistic Director at Kenny Leon's True Colors Theatre & co-founder of The New Griots Festival Jamil Jude

· Artist, Director, Choreographer, Dancer, Filmmaker, Acrobat & ASL Interpreter Brandon Kazen-Maddox (Body Language Productions, Inc)

· Producer Tom Kirdahy (The Inheritance)

· Performer, Choreographer Stephanie Klemons (Hamilton)

· Designer David Korins (Hamilton)

· Actress, Director Nikki M. James (The Book of Mormon)

· Playwright & Director Tina Landau (Floyd Collins)

· Composer, Lyricist, Book Writer, Performer & Producer Andrew Lippa (The Wild Party)

· Actor, Writer, Director, Composer & Playwright Douglas Lyons (Chicken & Biscuits)

· Artistic Director & CEO at Berkshire Theatre Group Kate Maguire

· Producer JJ Maley (What The Constitution Means To Me)

· Producer Elliott Massie (The Prom)

· Performer Mark Mauriello (Little Horrors)

· Composer & TikTok influencer Daniel Mertzlufft (Ratatouille The TikTok Musical)

· Co-Founder/CEO Jim McCarthy (Stellar, Goldstar)

· Producer Brian Moreland (Thoughts Of A Colored Man)

· Producer Tyler Mount (Pass Over)

· Actor Eva Noblezada (Hadestown)

· Composer & lyricist Ryan Scott Oliver (Freaky Friday)

· Playwright Jonathan Rand (Check Please)

· Disabled Director, Educator, and Advocate Ben Raanan

· Costume & Scenic Designer Clint Ramos (Eclipsed)

· Stage Manager Cody Renard Richard (Pass Over)

· Producer Larry Rogowsky (Company)

· Producer Daryl Roth (Kinky Boots)

· Social media strategist Annie Schiffman (CEO of Downstage Media)

· Director of Equity, Diversity & Inclusion, Gennean Scott

· Director John Simpkins (Love in Hate Nation)

· Composer/Lyricist, Music director & Music Producer Georgia Stitt (Snow Child)

· Producer Jacob Stuckelman (site-specific Little Shop Of Horrors, Ithaca, NY)

· Director & Writer Alex Switzky (Bloodsucking Books)

· Executive Creative Director Steven Tartick (RPM)

· Interim Associate Program Head of BFA Musical Theater Alexander Tom (Pace University)

· Playwright Bess Wohl (Grand Horizons)

· Actress, Singer, TikToker Anna-Lee Wright (Miss Saigon)

Moderators include:

· Director of Musical Theatre and Jazz Patrick Cook (BMI)

· Journalist Charlie Cooper (Broadway.com)

· Editor-In-Chief Robert Diamond (BroadwayWorld)

· Arts journalist and Podcaster Ruthie Fierberg (Why We Theater)

· Clinical Psychologist Dr. Alisa Hurwitz (a.k.a. Dr. Drama)

· Caitlin Huston (Broadway News)

· Julia James (Sirius XM Radio)

· Actress Ilana Levine (Friends With Kids)

· Arts Journalist, Commentator and Author Patrick Pacheco (The New York Times, L.A. Times)

· Actor and Life Coach Bret Shuford (Wicked)

· Executive Creative Director Steven Tartick (RPM)

· Playwright & Performer Melvin Tunstall III (Polkadots: The Cool Kids Musical)

...and many more to be announced.

"We're so excited to celebrate our fifth year of The TheaterMakers Summit with our biggest and best event yet," said producer Ken Davenport. "As our curtains rise once again, never has there been a more important time to talk about how to make better theater and how to make the theater better."

All events will be ASL sign language interpreted.

In addition to this year's panel discussions and networking session, this year's TheaterMakers Summit will offer attendees two new elements. Annie Schiffman of Downstage Media will host break-out room conversations after each event. The weekend will also offer Summit attendees 10-minute opportunities to pitch their show at the virtual "Pitching Booth." Among the guest producers, investors and artistic directors who will receive pitches throughout the weekend: Judith Manocherian (The Great Society), Kate Maguire (Berkshire Theatre Group), Larry Rogowsky (Company), Neil Gooding (Macbeth), Megan Ann Rasmussen (Joy: The Musical), Dean Roth (The Play That Goes Wrong), Ron Simons (Thoughts of a Colored Man), Dan Stone (Company), and Cynthia J. Tong (Ain't Too Proud).

Last year, due to the pandemic, for the first time The TheaterMakers Summit took place 100% online. Streaming the event in 2020 allowed for the participation of attendees from all over the globe to interact with some of the world's leading TheaterMakers. With the number of attendees having tripled from 2019, last year's event was the biggest and most exciting TheaterMakers Summit to date. So this year's event will again be streamed online via Whova, Streamyard and Zoom.

Events and seminar topics at this year's TheaterMakers Summit will include:

"How You Get Me To Produce Your Show": Tony Award-winning Lead Producers Tell All

Creating the World of Your Show: Award-winning Directors Tell You How They Do It

Designing Your Story: Designing Broadway, Off- Broadway, and Virtual Theater

Getting Your Work Produced Across the Country: The Untapped Potential of Universities

Maintaining Momentum: Advancing Equity for BIPOC TheaterMakers Onstage And Off

The Next Generation of Broadway Producers: Paving The Way On The New Broadway

4 Niches That Have Found Their Audience & Thrive (Faith, TYA, High School, & Queer Theatre

The Future of Regional Theatres: Artistic Directors Tell You What They're Looking For In Your Show

How I Got "Discovered": The TheaterMaker's Journey Getting Produced to Broadway

The Future Is Female: How These Women Shaped Their Careers on Broadway and How You Can Too

A "How It Got To Broadway" Case Study: Thoughts of a Colored Man

Getting Repped: When and How to Find the Right Agents,

Why Broadway Investors Invest: A Frank Conversation with Three Broadway Investors

The Non-Negotiable MUST-Knows on Access & Inclusion in Theater

Getting Your Show Produced on the BEST Unconventional Platforms

Accessing Your Creativity and Productivity Through Self-Care

Going Viral: Level Up Your Social Media For You And Your Show

Musical Theater TikTok: How Shows Have Found A Digital Audience

Actors as Collaborators: Creating the World with Actors and Using Their Voices to Shape Your Story

Submitting and Presenting Your Work: How to Get Them to Read It and Avoid a Bad First Impression

10 Hacks For Final Draft & Formatting Like An Award-Winning Playwright

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