A dependable haven for artists in isolation, Theater Resources Unlimited (TRU) is celebrating its fifth year of non-stop weekly Community Gatherings this Friday, having offered to date over 250 conversations and unlimited camaraderie since April 17, 2020. TRU hosts these Community Gatherings every Friday at 5pm ET via Zoom, originally presented to explore the creation of art and theater in the time of COVID-19, and now to ensure that these crucial conversations continue going forward.

6/20 – Pooling Resources: How Three Women-led Companies Joined Forces. In the room, the three companies that combined to create The Femme Collective. Meet D-Davis of Eden Theatre Company, Kate Muethof the Neo-Political Cowgirls and Lorca Peress of MultiStages. After the profound financial and cultural disruptions caused by COVID-19, these three companies made a comeback by rethinking the theater landscape. By sharing resources, space, and creative energy, Femme Collective not only confronted the economic challenges of a post-pandemic world, but also provided a platform to amplify diverse voices, foster community resilience, and redefine how theater can empower and sustain its artists and audiences. Although each company presented their own work, they shared the costs. What did that look like? How did they work out the schedule for their shared space? Did cross-promoting expand their individual audiences? What other shared costs made this more affordable for each company? And what were the bumps in the road? Click here to register and receive the zoom link.

UPCOMING:

6/27 – From New York City to St. Paul to South Africa: a Director Who Moves in Many Directions. In the room: Stephen DiMenna, executive artistic director of the Park Square Theatre in St. Paul, former artistic director of both the MCC Youth Theatre Company and InitialStage in New York and founding artistic director of The International Theatre Project which uses theater as a catalyst for education, self-discovery and empowerment for young people in disenfranchised communities worldwide. That’s Stephen DiMenna … all over. The common thread is a passion for directing and a mission of using theater as a way to educate and empower young artists as well as audiences. Though his resume leads with a dazzling lineup of directing credits, his heart encompasses a world of accomplishments. How does he do many things and balance his time? Is his energy challenged at all by the current war that feels like it is being waged on the arts and so many of our values? Click here to register and receive the zoom link.

7/4 – No Community Gathering. Go shoot off fireworks and have a hot dog. We’ll be back 7/11.

More information about upcoming interviews is available at: truonline.org/tru-community-gathering.

To receive the Zoom invitation for weekly meetings, email TRUnltd@aol.com with “Zoom Me” in the subject header. These gatherings are free for TRU members, non-members are asked to make an optional tax-deductible donation or consider joining TRU at truonline.org/membership to support the organization’s ongoing service to the community.

Videos of past Community Gatherings may be viewed on TRU’s YouTube channel at youtube.com/channel/UC43rsChi4fA23dNLeloaF_A/. And a podcast series, TRU Talks About Theater, featuring 2023 Community Gathering conversations, is now available wherever you get your podcasts; or tune in at ElectraCast: https://electracast.com/?s=Theater+Resources

Theater Resources Unlimited (TRU) is the leading network for developing theater professionals, a thirty-two-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, opportunities and productions; presents weekly Community Gatherings about the arts and monthly Town Halls about current social issues; 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, TRUSpeak: Hear Our Voices evening of short plays about social issues, 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; and the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.

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

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