Jeremy Handelman And Patricia Klausner Join The Lineup Of TRU Intensive For Showcase Producing

Theater Resources Unlimited (TRU) presents the 2019 Weekend Intensive for Showcase Producing on Saturday and Sunday, July 20 and 21, 2019 from 10am to 6pm at Clinton Cameo Studios, 307 W. 43rd Street, Studio B (take elevator down to B level). Please reserve using the bright red reservation box at https://truonline.org/events/2019-weekend-intensive/ or e-mail TRUStaff1@gmail.com with questions.

If you're planning to produce or self-produce, do it right, do it smart, do it cost-effectively. Learn the ins and outs from experts with this once-a-year weekend workshop that offers basic and not-so-basic training for producers, geared to those producing at the in-the-trenches reading and Equity Showcase level. And with particular application for those planning to produce in the upcoming festivals. We know producing can feel overwhelming. Let us help you break the skill sets down step by step so you can get through the experience with the greatest efficiency. You can do it!

You will meet a phenomenal lineup of experts including Broadway producers Cheryl Wiesenfeld (4-time Tony winner for Vanya & Sonia & Masha & Spike, Porgy & Bess, All the Way, Elaine Stritch: At Liberty), Jeremy Handelman (Latin History for Morons, On the Town) and others tba; general manager Evan Bernardin of Evan Bernardin Productions; PLUS Entertainment attorneys Lee A.G. Feldshon and Eric Goldman, Carnegie Hall production manager John Lant, marketing and public relations expert Joe Trentacosta, financial consultant Bailie Slevin and casting director Jamibeth Margolis.

Bio of panelists are available online at https://truonline.org/events/2019-weekend-intensive/.

The intensive will cover everything from Legal Requirements 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 discussion of the differences between producing in a festival and producing on your own. Which is the best route for your project? Which will make you the most profit?

Limited to 40 participants. Cost: $280 for non-member ($210 until July 1st) $225 for TRU members. Membership/Workshop Package: $300, Second attendee: $100. FESTIVAL SPECIAL: registrants accepted into FringeNYC, NY Theaterfest, Dream Up, Broadway Bound, NYMF or other festivals take $20 off (email TRUStaff1@gmail.com for code). Limited scholarships are available - application at https://forms.gle/zAesLEY2ZU1KqHUh6.

Find applications by going to https://truonline.org/events/2019-weekend-intensive/

The information we ask for is useful in customizing the material presented to your needs. Use the online link or download application, then pay through the bright red registration block on this page or by mailing a check to the address on the application.

SCHEDULE (subject to change):

Saturday July 20

9:30-10am - coffee and cake/bagels

10:00 - keynote speaker: tba

10:15-10:45 - "Clarifying Your Goals: Why Are You Producing This?". 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 Lee Feldshon. 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 Eric Goldman. 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" - So you think that play you read or saw a while ago would make a great showcase for your actor friends. You still need permission to produce it, even in a low-profile showcase in a borough. Learn the right way to go about seeking those rights, and what the costs may be.

1:00-2:00 - LUNCH

2:00-2:30 - "Watching Your Figures: Putting Together a Smart Budget" with Evan Bernardin. An overview of basic line items in a showcase budget, and a realistic look at what things actually cost.

2:30-3:15 - "Union Codes & Contracts: Equity, SDC, DG, 802" with Evan Bernardin. 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.

3:15-3:30 - BREAK

3:30-4:15 - "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?

4:15-5:00 - "Producing Smart: Fringes and Festivals, or On Your Own?" moderated by Bob Ost. 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.

5:00 - Keynote speaker: tba

5:30pm-6:00pm - networking reception

Sunday, July 21

9:30-10am - coffee and cake/bagels

10:00-10:45 - "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.

10:45-11:30 - "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.

11:30-11:45 - BREAK

11:45 -12:30 -"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.

12:30-1:15 - "Project Management: Setting Timelines, Managing Teams, Defining Outcomes" with 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?

1:15-2:15 - lunch

2:15-2:45 - "How to Run an Efficient Audition, and When, Why and How to Use a Casting Director" with Jamibeth Margolis.

2:45-3:30 - "Finding Your Audience: An Overview of Marketing" with Joe Trentacosta. 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"with Joe Trentacosta. What goes into an effective press release? When should releases be sent out? How do you stand out from the crowd?

4:15-4:30 - BREAK

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

5:15 - Keynote speaker: Cheryl Wiesenfeld

5:30-6:00pm - networking reception

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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