A reliable haven for lone performers, Theater Resources Unlimited (TRU) is now in its second year of non-stop weekly community gatherings this Friday, having offered over 100 conversations and unlimited camaraderie to date since April 17, 2020. TRU hosts their Community Gatherings every Friday at 5 p.m. ET via Zoom, to explore artistic and theatrical creation in the time of COVID-19, and these crucial conversations continue as the theater reopens. Ask questions, provide answers, be part of a community – it’s an opportunity to network with theater professionals and talk about how we kept the theater alive during the shutdown, and what we do now, in the future.

To receive the Zoom invitation for the next meetings, send an e-mail [email protected] with “Zoom Me” in the topic header. These gatherings are free for TRU members, non-members are encouraged to make a tax-deductible donation – or consider joining TRU – to support the organization during this difficult time.

Friday 5/27 – Will streaming continue to be part of the “normal” theater experience? In the room: commercial producer Cody Lassen (How I Learned to Drive revival, Thoughts of a Colored Man, Tootsie, What the Constitution Means to Me, Indecent, Significant Other, Spring Awakening revival); and Gio Messale, chief content officer and producer specializing in production, acquisitions and programming on the BroadwayHD theatrical streaming platform. We will look at using technology creatively to disrupt “business as usual” in theater and better serve audiences; and examine current tastes and trends in the entertainment industry and how to tap into a post-closure consumer culture. Should we assume big Zoom fatigue right now, or has online media reshaped the consumer experience? Click here to register and receive the zoom link: https://truonline.org/events/will-streaming-continue/.

COMING:

Friday 6/3 – NFT (non-fungible tokens): the new source of income for the theater. In the room: Eric Neal, founder of Third Act, the first-of-its-kind NFT marketplace for the theater community. Through the creation and issuance of NFTs using the Hedera token service, productions can offer viewers the next generation of authentic digital merchandise. Find out what an NFT is, how it can range from unique collectibles to limited editions; what NFTs can offer a show in terms of marketing and community engagement; and how technology tracks the provenance of each item to ensure its authenticity. Although it sounds like an abstract concept, it actually has very practical applications. Click here to register and receive the zoom link: https://truonline.org/events/nft/.

Friday 6/10 – Politics and Art: Integrating the political and the personal. In the room: Julie Menin, New York City Councilwoman for the 5th Ward (Upper East Side’s Yorkville, Lenox Hill, Carnegie Hill, Roosevelt Island, Midtown East, Sutton Place, El Barrio in East Harlem), former Media and Entertainment Commissioner of New York City; Chi Ossé, American politician and activist from the entertainment industry, city councilor for the 36th ward of New York (parts of central Brooklyn); Aimee Todoroff, Executive Director of the Independent Theater League. How do we form our political opinions, as artists and people? Can we ever know when we are working for the greater good, especially in today’s social climate of violently opposing factions? Are the well-intentioned goals of a politician affected by the realities of politics? Even though support for the arts in our country is lacking, are the arts still playing an effective role in bringing about change? How can we, as artists, make a difference? We will also address more pragmatic issues such as current efforts to revitalize live theatre. Click here to register and receive the zoom link: https://truonline.org/events/the-political-and-the-personal/.

Return to our web page for the 2022 calendar: https://truonline.org/tru-community-gathering/ Videos of past community gatherings can be viewed on the TRU YouTube channel atyoutube.com/channel/UC43rsChi4fA23dNLeloaF_A/.

Theater Resources Unlimited (TRU) is the premier development network for theater professionals, a twenty-nine-year-old 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization established to help producers produce, emerging theater companies emerge healthily and all theater professionals to understand and navigate the world of the arts. Members include self-producing artists as well as career producers and theater companies. TRU publishes a community email newsletter on services, goods and productions; presents weekly community gatherings; offers a producer development and mentorship program taught by prominent New York theater producers and general managers, and also presents Producer Boot Camp workshops to help aspirants develop business skills. TRU serves writers through the TRU Voices Play reading series, Writer-Producer Speed ​​Date, a hands-on playwriting workshop, How to Write a Musical That Works, and a Director-Writer Communication Lab. Theater Resources Unlimited programs are supported in part by the Montage Foundation, The Storyline Project and the Leibowitz Greenway Foundation. For more information on TRU membership and programs, visit www.truonline.org.