A dependable haven for artists in isolation, Theater Resources Unlimited (TRU) announces the TRU Producer Bootcamp, Raising Money for Theater 2022: Who, How and When to Ask, held virtually on Sunday, January 23, 2022, 12pm-7pm ET. For more information and to register, visit truonline.org/events/raising-money-for-theater-2022/.

The world has been on hold since March 2020, but hope is on the horizon at last: though uncertainties persist, at least we have an effective vaccine and have seen the tentative return of live theater. It's more important now than ever for the voices of theater to be heard, so get ready to move ahead with passion and a plan, and an awareness of how to navigate our current world-in-transition. For producers, one important step is finding the money and resources to make it all happen. And with our new engagement in the virtual world, maybe it's time to think globally. 

We invite you to acquire some basic tools and crucial information that will help you to overcome your money shyness and virtual roadblocks and effectively reach out to supporters. From pitching techniques and presentation skills to legal requirements and business planning, plus a wealth of first-hand experience from a half dozen producers who are currently active in the Broadway and off-Broadway worlds, we promise you an informative, empowering and inspiring day.

Workshop faculty will include (confirmed so far): producers Jane Dubin (Is This a Room? and Dana H.; The Prom, Tony winning The Norman Conquests, An American in Paris, Farinelli and the King, Bandstand, Peter and the Starcatcher, Absolute Brightness of Leonard Pelkey, The 39 Steps, Ann); Neil Gooding (Australian premieres of Gutenberg! The Musical!, and Dogfight and New York productions of Church and State, Handle with Care, The 39 Steps, Alan Cumming's one-man Macbeth on Broadway; upcoming production of Back to the Future in London); R.K. Greene (Peter and the Starcatcher, The Lightning Thief tour, Farinelli and the King, A Time to Kill, Cougar the musical, Room Service); Cody Lassen (Tootsie, What the Constitution Means to Me, Indecent, Significant Other, Spring Awakening revival; upcoming Titanic, How I Learned to Drive); and Cheryl Wiesenfeld  (Ain't Too Proud, The Great Society, 4-time Tony winner for All the Way, Vanya & Sonia & Masha & Spike, The Gershwin's Porgy & Bess, Elaine Stritch: At Liberty). Plus entertainment attorney Lee Feldshon and Eric Goldman, and financial advisor Bailie Slevin of Entertaining Finance. 

Application Details
To apply online: Fill out the online registration form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd-sefjvSKaBR9RsxBeBnKPBZxnuBDhYuTMT576tLy0gkOJDA/viewform.

To apply by mail: Download this application on Word or an editable PDF and send with payment to: Theater Resources Unlimited/BCMoney, 115 W. 29th Street, 12th floor, NYC NY 10001: https://truonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/BOOT_CAMP_app21.pdf.

Non-Members: $200 
TRU Members: $165
(apply before January 13, 2022 and save $30)

Special workshop/membership packages available:

Festival Discount: $135
For anyone who has applied to any of the upcoming festivals.

Student Discount: $115 
Email [email protected] with proof of your festival application, or a student ID, and we will provide you with a code to use with the Special Discount button in the bright red ticketing box when registering. 

To apply for available COVID-19 Scholarships, fill out this form to demonstrate financial need: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSesvoSPaXeJODzun7Eg9nLseLu8iUtlUXvMvmA-1gveQOz6lA/viewform.

SCHEDULE AND SPEAKERS (subject to change)
11:45am-12:00pm - Registration and check-in

12:00pm-12:40pm - "Commercial and Not-for-Profit Asks: Defining the Differences" with attorney Eric Goldman. 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, and new developments during the pandemic shutdown.

12:40pm-1:20pm - "Commercial Financing: Formalizing Your Ask" with attorney Lee Feldshon. The required paperwork and structures at every level of development, from front money agreements to private placement to Federal filings. The limitations placed on asking. New paths to take during COVID-19, the impact of force majeure, and other current developments.

1:20pm-1:30pm - BREAK

1:30pm-2:00pm - "Why Is This Show Likely to Succeed: Making Your Case with an Effective Business Plan" with R.K. Greene. Your business plan is your blueprint for success, and a compelling sales tool when approaching investors. It helps you understand your project and how best to pitch it. RK will offer a flexible template covering all the basic areas of information you need to include, as well as offering guidance in creating a plan that is professional looking and appealing. 

2:00pm-2:45pm - "How to Present Yourself to Investors" with financial advisor Bailie Slevin of Entertaining Finance. We will take a look at a basic money raising pitch both from your side and the investor's side, learning how to speak the same financial language, exploring how to best communicate your proposal to your target audience. GETTING the money is what it is all about but HOW you go about the process makes all the difference. It takes simplicity, focus, structure, organization and follow through to make it happen. This section will concentrate on "winning language" and "successful steps" to get the support for your creative projects.

2:45pm-3:15pm - "The Investor Perspective" with Jane Dubin. Tips for closing with that investor prospect. How an investor's interest in a project may differ from an associate producer's, why they invest, and best ways to make your ask so it maintains their interest.

LUNCH/ZOOM BREAK - 3:15pm to 3:45pm

3:45pm-4:30pm - "Cultivating and Maintaining a Pool of Investors" with Cody Lassen and Neil Gooding. Who to go to, what to talk about, how to present material, disclosures and much more. Identifying prospective investors is just the first step. How do you communicate your passion for a project, incentivize a prospect and close the deal? PLUS the business and hierarchy of theatrical producing: definitions of lead producer, co-producer, investors, and appropriate lingo, budgets, capitalization, and recoupment charts.

4:30pm-5:15pm - "Practical Tips and Money-Raising Secrets" with Cody Lassen. Practical tips, tricks, and tools you can use to raise money and manage investor relations. From initial investor research through closing night and beyond, you'll learn how to create a plan for managing the fundraising process that you can put to use right away. 

5:15pm-5:30pm - BREAK

5:30pm-6:30pm - "Where Do We Go from Here?" - an interactive talkback moderated by Cheryl Wiesenfeld with Jane Dubin, R.K. Greene and others. How do we plan for the future with so many unknown factors? Panelists will share their current projects and plans, where they are now and how they are dealing with the current roadblocks. Followed by a Q&A with attendees.  

6:30pm-7:00pm - Breakout networking session

Theater Resources Unlimited (TRU) is the leading network for developing theater professionals, a twenty-eight-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.
(from )

truonline.org/events/raising-money-for-theater-2022/

• This event has passed.
  January 23, 2022

  January 23, 2022
• Theater Resources Unlimited
  309 West 104th Street, New York, NY

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• Contact Michelle Tabnick for more information
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