Theater Resources Unlimited June TRU Community Gatherings via Zoom

A dependable haven for artists in isolation, Theater Resources Unlimited (TRU) is now into its second year of non-stop weekly Community Gatherings this Friday, having offered to date over 52 conversations and unlimited camaraderie since April 17, 2020. TRU hosts their Community Gatherings every Friday at 4:30pm ET via Zoom, to explore the creation of art and theater in the time of COVID-19. Ask questions, bring answers, be part of a community – it’s an opportunity to network with theater professionals and talk about keeping theater alive during these challenging times.

To receive the Zoom invitation, email TRUnltd@aol.com with “Zoom Me” in the subject line. Check the upcoming schedule and reserve at truonline.org/tru-community-gathering. These gatherings are free for TRU members, non-members are asked to make a tax deductible donation – or consider joining TRU – to support the organization during these challenging times.

Friday 6/4 – Politics and the Arts: Being the Change. In the room: Leslie Boghosian-Murphy, running for City Council in NYC District 3, former investigative journalist and SAG-Aftra member; Jeffrey Omura, running for City Council in NYC District 6, actor, activist and second-term officer of Actor’s Equity; Jeff Gold, State Committee Member and Manhattan Chapter Officer of the Working Families Party of NYS. A conversation about their personal journeys merging art and politics, insights into understanding how to work within “the system” and the importance of letting your voice be heard. Rarely are the arts even mentioned in most campaign speeches. Here are people who are passionate about helping the arts claim their place among the many cultural shifts that are needed for a healthy recovery from a year of shutdown. To register and receive the link, visit https://truonline.org/events/politics-and-the-arts/.

“For years I have found it disheartening that in a state where the arts represent 7.8% of the GDP, I rarely hear politicians mention the need for the arts or offer ways to strengthen and support this vital part of our culture,” stated TRU executive director Bob Ost. “With New York’s primaries coming up in just a few weeks, I wanted to chat with some arts-friendly candidates about their personal journeys into the world of politics, and their visions and plans that might include aid for our industry, especially as we face the challenges of reopening.”

Upcoming Gatherings:
Friday 6/11 – The Regional Perspective, 5: A Tale of Two Theaters (and the Return to Live Performance). In the room: Joe Grandy, consulting producer of the Cape Playhouse in Cape Cod, and Daniel C. Levine, Artistic Director of ACT (A Contemporary Theatre) of Connecticut. Two very different theater companies: one just a few years old, the other a part of theater history since 1927. The shutdown impacted them each in very different ways. How did they maintain their audience bases, and perhaps even increase their visibility during COVID, and how is each approaching the return to live performance? To register and receive the link, visit: https://truonline.org/events/a-tale-of-two-theaters/.

Friday 6/18 – Way More Than a Platform: A 360° Approach to Story Development. In the room: entrepreneur and award-winning artist Peter Rafelson of ElectraCast, a new 360° content company focused on inspiring and connecting people, creating a better world through compelling entertainment and storytelling, developing content along multiple verticals and mediums, spinning off hit podcasts into film and television adaptations, and connecting entertainment with social impact goals. To register and receive the link, visit: https://truonline.org/events/more-than-a-platform/. Videos of past Community Gatherings may be viewed on TRU’s YouTube channel at youtube.com/channel/UC43rsChi4fA23dNLeloaF_A/.

Theater Resources Unlimited (TRU) is the leading network for developing theater professionals, a twenty-seven-year-old 501(c)(3) 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 monthly panels as well as the new weekly Community Gatherings; 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 the TRU Voices Play Reading Series, Writer-Producer Speed Date, a Practical Playwriting Workshop, How to Write a Musical That Works and a Director-Writer Communications Lab. Programs of Theater Resources Unlimited are supported in part by the Montage Foundation, The Storyline Project and the Leibowitz Greenway Foundation. For more information about TRU membership and programs, visit www.truonline.org.