A dependable haven for theater professionals, Theater Resources Unlimited (TRU) is in its sixth year of non-stop weekly Community Gatherings, having led over 300 consecutive conversations about aspects of theater and the arts. The series has offered the theater community information, inspiration, and unlimited camaraderie since April 17, 2020. TRU hosts these gatherings every Friday at 5pm ET via Zoom, originally presented to explore the creation of art and theater in the time of shutdown, and now to ensure that these crucial conversations continue going forward.

Visit https://truonline.org/events/making-something-from-nothing/ to receive this Friday’s Zoom link. These gatherings are a service for the theater community and are offered free for TRU members; non-members may also attend for free, but we ask that non-members help keep us running by buying a $12 ticket, making a donation or joining as a member.

10/2 – Making Something from Nothing: How Bare Bones Theater Companies Survive and Thrive. In the room: Andrew Beck, producing artistic director of Outta Bounds Productions, which in the last 4 years has incubated over 25 new scripts of varying length in their Warehouse Works series; and Alicia Foxworth, founder of Brownstone Steps Entertainment, curator of Brownstone Steps Play Festival since 2018, dedicated to producing culturally affirming content by, about and/or including people of the African diaspora to reflect a myriad of cultures and generations. Given today’s economic challenges, it’s a wonder that anyone can get a show up on a stage. We always hear an earful about the soaring costs in commercial theater, particularly on Broadway; but what about the thousands of small scrappy theaters around the country and around the world? How does a company on a shoestring budget survive in today’s no-string economy? Are they able to use union artists? What are their secrets and strategies to keep costs down? What are some of their favorite venues to work in? How did they make it through shutdown? How have they found and grown their audience? Visit https://truonline.org/events/making-something-from-nothing/ to register and receive the link.