TRU PRODUCER BOOT CAMP
Raising Money for Theater:
How, Who and When to Ask

While a disheartening number of shows are closing, Theater Resources Unlimited opens up the possibilities for tomorrow's productions with an all-day intensive workshop about many crucial aspects of raising money for theater.

Click here for a NY One on-line feature about this workshop!
Click here for a great feature article in the Columbia Spectator!

It's a tough economy, no doubt about it. All the more reason why people need support and the skills to go about the business of producing. We invite you to come acquire some basic tools and information that will help you to function effectively in these times and the better days that are surely ahead. From networking techniques to legal requirements and effective business planning, plus a wealth of first-hand experience from more than a half dozen producers who are currently active in the Broadway and off-Broadway worlds, we promise you an informative, empowering and inspiring day.

In addition to the informative and interesting program it was fun to be in the theatre with 55 people as obsessed with the theatre as I am. ~Sheila Steinberg

The most valuable 8 hours I've spent in my theatre career. ~William Roetzheim

TRU consistently delivers extremely useful insights and information to develop smarter producers. ~Lary Brandt

TRU is always true to their word when they say their workshops are the best in town! Excellent information is always provided and I can put it to practical use the next day. ~Michael A. Pizzi, PhD, Founder and Artistic Director, Touching Humanity, Inc.

Just wanted to send out a quick thank you for yesterday’s Producers Boot Camp. We learned so much and left feeling uplifted, not only about what we were doing for our company at present, but about what we could do in the future. We felt honored to be part of such a wonderful community of artists and business people, and that will stay with us long into the new year; it was a perfect springboard for the work that awaits us all. ~Bob Combe, Annie Wolf; E Phoenix Idealis Theater

I just want to say what a fantastic workshop you put together last Saturday. Not only did I obtain valuable information but met a lot of wonderful people as well. ~Fred Rohan

I thought the workshop was terrific! I had no idea how ignorant I was about raising money. So many thanks to you and all the terrific presenters - not to mention the lovely and talented attendees I met there. ~Pam Tate

Your workshop was probably the most valuable one I've ever attended. ~Toni Wellman

The speakers at TRU's Boot Camp for Producers offered such important information, so effectively, that my knowledge of how to raise money for both commerical and non-commercial projects was significantly enhanced. I want to thank TRU for conceiving and presenting the excellent Producer's Boot Camp and to thank TRU for its consistently excellent work in helping Producers and Theater Artists. ~Janet Conrad

Thanks for yesterday - very informing and well put together - congrats. Keep up the good work - you are making a diffference - Frankel was great as were many of the others. ~Doug Claybourne

I felt the Producers' Boot Camp was the single best TRU event you have opened up to individuals. Not because of its nature or theme. For me it was simply this: that all the efforts from TRU sort of melded with the times we all are in today. Also finally some sort of total alchemy was realized for TRU.... There was something more than networking going on. I sensed a commitment as well as a TRU counsciousness coming into its larger "own." ~Catherine Gropper

Saturday January 24th, 10am to 6pm
The Players Theatre, 115 MacDougal Street

Produced by Theater Resources Unlimited
in association with Small Pond Entertainment

Click here for Curriculum
Click here for Faculty Bios
Click here for Application

Our curriculum and instructors are as follows:

Saturday January 24th

9am - registration and check-in, coffee and cake/bagles
9:45am - introduction of room (registrants)
10:00am to 11:15am - "Networking Your Way to Money: Turning Resistance into Results" with life coach Penelope Brackett of the Creative Seed. We will look at the nature of effective networking, how our beliefs affect our ability to present ourselves well, techniques for engaging others in our ideas, more.
11:15 to 12:00 - "Commercial and Not-for-Profit Asks: Defining the Differences" with attorney Cheryl Davis. We will define terms, then focus on the not-for-profit side: the legal paperwork and structure that is necessary in order to ask for donations, and the responsibilities to your donors, plus the ways in which not-for-profits and commercial companies can work together.
12:00 to 1:00 - "Commercial Financing: Formalizing Your Ask" with attorney Mark Beigelman. The required paperwork and structures at every level of development, from front money agreements to private placement to Federal filings. And the limitations placed on asking.

LUNCH - 1:00pm to 1:45pm

1:45-2:45 - "Putting it in Writing: Business Plans and Grant Proposals" with producer RK Greene (Room Service, Cougar!) and business consultant Sheila Speller. How to effectively organize your presentation to potential donors or investors; writing a persuasive narrative and building a compelling case for support, whether for a not-for-profit or commercial venture.
2:45-3:30 - "The Care and Feeding of Investors: Identifying, Cultivating, Maintaining Them" with Richard Frankel, president of Frankel Green Theatrical Management and of Richard Frankel Productions (Young Frankenstein, Hairspray, The Producers). How Richard Frankel Productions built their investor group from the 12 originals to a current group of 1000 or so investors; how they solicit new participants and maintain good relationships with them; their specific method of raising money.

3:30-3:45 - BREAK

3:45-4:15 - "Looking Beyond Family & Friends" with producer Tom Smedes (Naked Boys Singing, Ace the Musical). The importance of creative thinking in identifying investors for your project.
4:15-4:45 - "Producing as a Career Choice" with producer Sharon Carr (Glimpses of the Moon, Menopause, American Buffalo, I Love You Because, Dirty Dancing, Idaho!). Approaching producing as a career, gaining experience to back up your ask, building credibility as well as your resume.
4:45-6:00 - "Taking the Leap: Doing What You Didn't Know You Could Do" moderated by producer Cheryl Wiesenfeld (Legally Blonde, Caroline or Change, The Exonerated, Elaine Stritch: At Liberty), with producers Sharon Carr, Hillary Cutter, Van Dean, R.K. Greene, Janet Pailet, Tom Smedes.

RECEPTION - 6:00pm-7:00pm Sponsored in part by Marilyn Read and Greg Costello at Costello Wines - Distributors of fine wines in New York and New Jersey.

Cost: $175
Early registration: $150 (you must register by 1/20)
- $25 off for all current paid TRU members -

CLICK HERE for Application
CLICK HERE for Faculty Bios

You may send a check to:
Theater Resources Unlimited, 309 W. 104th Street 1D, NYC NY 10025.

On-line payment (Paypal or credit card) at www.truonline.org/store.html
You may pre-register and hold your spot by emailing trunltd@aol.com

The Players Theatre Mainstage,
115 MacDougal Street (below West 3rd Street)

TRU BOOT CAMP FACULTY

	MARK BEIGELMAN - President of Beigelman, Feiner & Feldman, P.C. Mark specializes in entertainment, arts, media, corporate, real estate and bankruptcy law. Mark earned a master of arts degree from New York University and is a magna cum laude graduate of Cardozo Law School where he served as Senior Editor on the Cardozo Law Review. Since 1996 he has served as an adjunct professor at New York University. Mark was formerly associated with the law firm of Cleary, Gottlieb, Steen & Hamilton and was a founding partner of the law firm of Warren, Alpert & Beigelman. Prior to becoming an attorney, Mark served as a producer of the original off-Broadway production of Cloud 9 by Caryl Churchill and the Broadway productions of the Tony award winning musicals Nine and The Tap Dance Kid. In 1999, he served as an executive producer of the motion picture Trick, a film in competition at the 1999 Sundance Film Festival and released nationally by Fine Line Features in July of 1999, “Indocumentados” (2002), “A Dios Momo” (2005). As an attorney, Mark has served as production counsel on numerous films, including “Sling Blade,” “In the Bedroom,” “Pineiro,” “Kissing Jessica Stein,” “Junebug,” and "Then She Found Me" and has done work on numerous theatrical productions both on Broadway and Off-Broadway. He is admitted to the bars of New York and Connecticut.
	PENELOPE BRACKETT (The Creative Seed) is a nationally recognized veteran in the field of career and life coaching. An excellent speaker, trainer, program designer and author, Ms. Brackett coaches individuals and companies to create powerful businesses, vibrant communities and satisfying personal lives. In working with her diverse clientele including professionals in the arts, education, business, technology and finance, she brings her passion for creativity, communication and balance. Ms Brackett has been featured in The New York Times, The Today Show, CNN's Glen Beck, Child Magazine, Matters Magazine and the internet radio show, The Coaching Hour with Lester Thomas Shane. Penelope received the highest designation of Master Certified Coach from the International Federation of Coaching. She is the coauthor of "Seven Keys for Unlocking Success without Struggle" with Lester Thomas Shane. Her online newsletter, "The Fertile Ground" features articles and exercises to grow your life and career. Articles include: "Ask and You Shall Receive", "Emergency Distractions" and "My Gift's better than your Gift".
	SHARON CARR - After a 29-year stint in a Wall Street related business, Sharon began her producing career in January 2006. Off-Broadway credits include I Love You Because (February 2006) and Masked (July 2007). She joined GFour Productions as an independent Associate Producer, on Respect: A Musical Journey of Women in Cleveland (September 2006), Boston (October 2006) and Atlanta (March 2007); as well as the Minneapolis production of Menopause The Musical (May 2007+). In 2007, she also earned credits as a Producing Associate on Broadway with How the Grinch Stole Christmas (Holiday 2006) and Legally Blonde (April 2007). She participated in a money raise for both the Toronto & US productions of Dirty Dancing and the recent revival of American Buffalo; she is the lead producer of the hit comedy Glimpses of the Moon playing Monday nights in the Oak Room of the Algonquin Hotel. Future projects include Idaho! The Comedy Musical Love Story in development and the revival of Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None, opening Feb 2010 at Hartford Stage prior to its US Tour.
	CHERYL L. DAVIS is a partner at the firm of Menaker & Herrmann LLC. Her practice concentrates on intellectual property matters, including particularly copyright and trademark cases, and she has represented theater clients in connection with a variety of contract and corporate issues. A published playwright whose work has been frequently performed, Cheryl won the 2005 Kleban Award for her works as a musical theater librettist and her show Barnstormer received one of the 2005 Jonathan Larson Performing Arts Foundation Awards. She is a graduate of Princeton (A.B. 1983) and Columbia (M.S.J. 1986 and J.D. 1987) Universities, and an active member of the New York City Bar Association, where she has served on the Committees on Copyright and Literary Property and on Communications and Media Law. For more information, please visit her firm's website at www.mhjur.com Cheryl is the co-founder and Vice President of Theater Resources Unlimited.
	RICHARD FRANKEL launched Richard Frankel Productions in 1985, as a production and general management company with the off-Broadway production of Penn & Teller.  Together with partners Marc Routh, Tom Viertel and Steve Baruch, they then produced and Richard Frankel Productions general managed Driving Miss Daisy, Sills and Company, Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune, The Cocktail Hour and Love Letters off Broadway, on national tour, and in engagements in London, Chicago and San Francisco. Current and recent productions include Mel Brooks’ Young Frankenstein on Broadway, Hairspray on Broadway and in London, Gypsy on Broadway, and Stomp in New York, Las Vegas and on tour. Other productions have included The Fantasticks, Company, Sweeney Todd, Smokey Jose’s Café,  Swing!  The Sound of Music,   A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum with Nathan Lane; Angels in America,  My Old Lady,  Oleanna,  Mnemonic, The Mystery of Irma Vep,  Forever Tango, Jeffrey, Song of Singapore, Later Life, Marvin’s Room, Tap Dogs,  The Rocky Horror Show and Death Defying Acts. Broadway musicals in development include Leap of Faith with music by Alan Menken, iSondheim written and directed by James Lapine, The Hudsucker Proxy, directed by Jerry Zaks and A Little Night Music directed by Trevor Nunn.  In 2008 he and Laura Green opened Frankel Green Theatrical Management to provide General Management, Executive Producer, and consulting services to other producers on and off Broadway as well as general management for RFP shows.   Other companies affiliated with Richard Frankel Productions include a booking agency for touring productions (On the Road) ,  a theatrical marketing company (Broadway Print and Mail ) and Broadway Asia, which produces shows for the Asia market. Shows produced by Richard Frankel Productions have been awarded 35 Tony Awards, 46 Drama Desk Awards, 37 Outer Critics Awards, 4 Grammy Awards, 8 Olivier Awards, 2 Pulitzer Prize.
	R.K. GREENE is an entrepreneur having started several businesses over the years. A theatre professional since 1978, he was a founding member of the Seattle Group Theatre, a multi-cultural ensemble that produced its own work. As an actor, he appeared in numerous productions Off-off Broadway, on tour and in regional theater, producing several projects including a multi-state tour of Mass Appeal. In 2000, he founded The StoryLine Project LLC, a commercial theater production company, to develop new plays and musicals. Current projects include Dearest Cousin, The Other Side of Newark, and Cougar! The StoryLine Project made its debut as an above line producer for the Off Broadway hit, Room Service. In the non-profit world, R.K. is the Business/Marketing Director at The Directors Company, and is currently assisting to transfer Irena’s Vow to Broadway. In parallel to his theatre career, R.K. has clocked seven years in New York publishing and 10 years as a management consultant with Ernst & Young, which included three years as an expatriate in Europe. He wtas the Director of International Projects for ZeTek Power plc, a start-up developer and manufacturer of fuel cells based in London and New York and led his team to define and implement the company's expansion strategy. Most recently, he was an analyst at Citigroup. R.K. continues to consult with companies on business strategy and with government agencies on economic development – the most recent project being Take Me To the River in West Harlem with his consulting company Creative Cities International. www.storylineproject.com
	TOM SMEDES is a Theatrical Producer and General Manager with experience spanning twenty-five years. He is currently producing Ace the Musical for Broadway.  He recently was a producer on the Broadway show [title of show] at the Lyceum Theatre and is one of the producers of the musical revue Naked Boys Singing! now playing at New World Stages in New York City and is approaching its tenth anniversary Off-Broadway making it the 6th longest running musical off-Broadway. NBS! has played in over 35 cities under Tom’s supervision / license. Tom’s recent productions include the London Production of Side By Side By Sondheim and The London Production of Musical of Musicals (the Musical!); Dog Sees God: Confessions of a Teenage Blockhead; Jonathan Harvey’s Beautiful Thing; The Black & White Blues, A New Orleans Restaurant Musical; The Women of Lockerbie, with The New Group; the one man show entitled 21 Dog Years: Doing Time @ Amazon.com, written and starring Mike Daisey at the historic Cherry Lane Theatre prior to its international tour of London, San Francisco, Seattle, Chicago and Sydney and People Are Wrong at The Vineyard Theatre. General Management credits include: Criss Angel: Mindfreak; Altar Boyz; The Musical of Musicals; High Infidelity starring Morgan Fairchild and John Davidson at The Promenade Theatre; Now Hear This, starring Kathy Buckley at the Lamb’s Theatre; Love Janis at the Village Theatre; Captain Louis by Stephen Schwartz; Ann Randolph’s Squeezebox produced by Anne Bancroft.
	SHEILA L. SPELLER is president and founder of Orielle Creative Company, a business consulting company for creative artists, creative professionals, arts organizations and entertainment companies. She now combines her wealth of knowledge from both the creative and business arenas, to help empower artists and creative professionals to assist them with integrating the business of their artistic discipline into their creative life. Sheila is a seasoned professional with over 20 years experience in front of the camera and behind-the-scenes in the performing arts and entertainment industry, and holds an M.B.A. with a specialization in Media Management, including Theatre, Arts Administration, Film and Television. She is a 2007 graduate of the Commercial Theatre Institute, and was awarded a partial TRU Scholarship to attend. Sheila recently produced a reading of the play Another Man's Poison and currently has 4 plays in development. Her company creates business plans for theatre productions, and also provides a variety of services such as: writing a marketable synopsis, script submission packaging, pre-production table read management, and statistical survey reporting/analysis for productions, essentials for any playwright working to move their project forward. Sheila is a frequent speaker on entrepreneurship and business planning and has presented seminars for creative professionals at the School of Visual Arts, colleges, and Art Councils.
	CHERYL WIESENFELD - Broadway: Legally Blonde; Dirty Rotten Scoundrels; Caroline, or Change; ‘night, Mother; Elaine Stritch: At Liberty (Tony). Off-Broadway: In the Continuum; Shockheaded Peter; The Exonerated; Talking Heads; The Waverly Gallery. Ms. Wiesenfeld was the recipient of Theater Resources Unlimited's 2007 "Spirit of Theater" Award for her ongoing generosity to young producers in the New York community, as well as her selfless support of the work that TRU does. She is one of the founding Mentors in the TRU Producer Mentorship Program, and to date has mentored six aspirants, including guiding one production to win four Audelco Awards, and helping another production find success in regional theaters.
	MICHAEL RODERICK (Boot Camp Director) started Small Pond Entertainment five years ago when he found that it was virtually impossible for an artist to be at their best when they also had to produce. He developed a system for the advancement of a producing organization to be the umbrella for shows that lacked producers. Over the years Small Pond has become a major name in the NYC Theatre Community having presented shows in numerous venues and with hundreds of different artists. As Artistic Director, Michael has produced over 30 shows since his arrival in NY in September 2002. He has also been the organizer of networking events that have included representatives from The New York Musical Theatre Festival, Fractured Atlas, and RWS casting and Associates. He holds a BA in Secondary Ed English and Theatre performance from Rhode Island College and an MA from NYU in Educational Theatre Colleges and Communities. Michael also teaches English at LaSalle Academy where he is the head of the drama program. He has written 15 plays and his play "I'll do it Tomorrow" will be published in the 2004- 2005 Best American Short Plays published by Applause books. www.smallpondentertainment.com

Click here to return to Curriculum
Click here for application

About TRU | Newsletter | Networking | Officers | Links | Photos | Home
Join TRU Now | Get the TRU Update

Site designed and maintained by
Golden Door Productions Webhosting, Inc

Questions or comments? Send an Email