Kerry Butler Stars in SEEING RED, As Part of TRU Voices New Musicals Reading Series

Theater Resources Unlimited (TRU) announces Seeing Red by Joey Mazzarino and Aron Accurso, starring Kerry Butler and Directed by Jenn Thompson and presented by Laura Kriete-Bain as part of the 2019 TRU Voices New Musicals Reading Series on February 4, 2019 at 7pm at the Actors Temple, 339 West 47th Street, NYC. The reading is free but reservations are required: please email name and number of tickets requested to TRUVoicesSeries@gmail.com, or use the bright red ticketing box at https://truonline.org/events/seeing-red/.

The purpose of the TRU Voices New Musical Reading Series is to (a) help develop new musicals, (b) help producers develop the skills needed to produce new works, and c) foster the producer-writer relationship for future development beyond our series. Each reading will be followed by a "Dollars and Sense" panel discussion with prominent New York producers, general managers and artistic directors focusing on potential venues, marketing and budgeting of the work. "Dollars & Sense" panel to include: Rashad Chambers, producer (It Happened in Key West, American Son, Ain't Too Proud); R. Erin Craig of La Vie Productions (Austen's Pride, Mr Rickey Calls A Meeting, Into The Wild, Academy, Right Before I Go, Victory Train, The Porch, Nonsense and Beauty; select past projects include In The Heights, High Fidelity, Irena's Vow, Himself & Nora, Stalking the Bogeyman, Liberty, film How We Got Away With It, live musical film Easter Mysteries); Martin Platt, producer and general manager with Perry Street Theatricals (Vanya & Sonia & Masha & Spike, Dames at Sea, Bedlam's Hamlet/St. Joan, In the Continuum, Here Lies Jenny, an oak tree); Ken Waissman, producer (Grease, Agnes of God, Torch Song Trilogy); Frank Zuback, producer (Roof of the World, American Soldier, Taking Leave).

Sometimes you have to write your own happily ever after. Seeing Red takes a look at immigration through a fairy-tale lens. In fact, it's about all the things that divide us as humans-religion, borders, race. It's the story of Little Red Riding Hood, now a grown woman who still spends her days delivering baskets full of goodies through her company Red Ex. She wishes she could change her fate but in Everafteropolis, once your story is written, it's written. When Red meets the Man From Nantucket, her life is suddenly turned upside down. He convinces her to smuggle Limerick characters (nameless people from faraway places) over Humpty Dumpty's wall and into her Fairy Tale Utopia. But human trafficking ain't easy and she's going to have to face off against the Big Bad Wolf, the citizens of Everafteropolis and the Great God Grimm himself to save the day. Produced by Laura Kriete-Bain.

Kerry Butler most recently received an outer critic nomination for playing three roles in Mean Girls on Broadway. Other Broadway: Xanadu (Tony and drama league nominations- Best Actress); penny in Hairspray (Clarence Derwent award, drama desk and outer critic nominations) Belle in Beauty and the Beast (Dora nomination) Disaster!; Catch Me If You Can (Drama Desk nomination); Sherrie in Rock of Ages; Audrey in Little Shop of Horrors (Outer Critics nomination); Eponine in Les Miserable; Blood Brothers; and The Best Man. Off bdway: Batboy, The Call, and Clinton the musical. Television "30 Rock," "The Mindy Project," "Rescue Me," "Law and Order," "Elementary," "The Mysteries of Laura," "White Collar," "Blue Bloods," "One Life to Live", "Gilmore Girls" and the film The Miseducation of Cameron Post. Her album "Faith Trust and Pixie Dust" is available on iTunes.

JOEY MAZZARINO Joey Mazzarino is currently working as a writer and producer on the Jim Carrey project Kidding for Showtime. Before that, he directed all 13 episodes of the Julie Andrews' Netflix series Julie's Greenroom where he also served as a writer. Mazzarino spent over 20 years on Sesame. Street where he received 22 Emmys in multiple categories (Outstanding Original Song - Power of Yet, Outstanding Writing, Outstanding Direction, and Outstanding Performer in a Children's Series). Other credits include the films Muppets From Space and the Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland.
Aron Accurso is a composer/music director who is currently developing Seeing Red, a musical comedy about immigration; We Have Apples, a mental health musical (Theatre Now NY); and The Dogs of Pripyat (NAMT, Jerry Bock Award, Weston, Goodspeed, U of Miami). He also writes choral music and wrote the children's musical Strega Nona (Weston, Maximum Entertainment). He was the Musical Director/Incidental Music Arranger for Up Here by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Bobby Lopez (La Jolla), Aladdin Jr., andCalvin Berger (George Street). Broadway: Aladdin (Assoc. MD), Nice Work... (Asst. Conductor), Sister Act (Asst. Conductor), The Little Mermaid (Key 1). aronaccurso.com

Jenn Thompson (Director) Recent: Monstersongs (NAMT), world-premiere of Anne of Green Gables: A New Folk Rock Musical (FLMTF), Conflict (Mint Theatre Company); Mary Stuart (Chicago Shakespeare Theater). Women Without Men (Mint Theatre Company) garnered 2016 Lortel and Off-Broadway Alliance Award nominations for Outstanding Revival and 5 Drama Desk Award nominations including Outstanding Director and Revival. Jenn served as Co-Artistic Director of Off-Broadway's TACT, credits include: Abundance (Off-Broadway Alliance Award for Outstanding Revival) and Lost in Yonkers (2012 Drama Desk Nomination.) Regional: Goodspeed Musicals, Denver Center, Hartford Stage, St. Louis Rep, City Theatre, Hartford TheatreWorks, Barrington Stage, Portland Stage Company, Dorset Theatre Festival, Pioneer Theatre Company, etc. Development: MCC, Primary Stages, Hartford Stage, Wooster Group, newTACTICS, Mainspring Arts, Bridge, NYMF, etc. jennthompsondirector.com

Theater Resources Unlimited (TRU) is the leading network for developing theater professionals, a twenty-six 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 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 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.

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, as well as the Montage Foundation and the Leibowitz Greenway Foundation.

For more information about TRU membership and programs, visit www.truonline.org.

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