Theater Resources Unlimited (TRU) will celebrate its 20th year as a not-for-profit service organization with their annual TRU Love Benefit, Connections: Bringing People Together to Create and Experience the Arts, and TRU has brought together a great lineup of major Broadway talent to help celebrate this milestone. The event will take place Sunday November 6th, noon to 4pm, at Caroline’s on Broadway. It will be hosted by the comedy twins, the Stone Brothers. Broadway legend Melba Moore (Tony award winner for Purlie, Hair, Timbuktu) and Marianne Tatum (Barnum) are joining the originally announced stars: Tony nominees Liz Larsen (The Most Happy Fella, Hairspray, Damn Yankees revival) and Orfeh (Legally Blonde, The Great American Trailer Park Musical, Saturday Night Fever); plus Darren Ritchie (Wonderland, Dracula the musical), Lawrence Clayton (Les Miz 25th anniversary, The Civil War, Dreamgirls) and Lee August Praley and Alison Marie Bryant performing a song from the NYMF hit F#@king Up Everything. Jana Robbins (Gypsy, Tale of the Allergist’s Wife) will help pay tribute to TRU friend and advisory board member, the late Randall Wreghitt.
The event starts at noon with open bar and passed hors d’oeuvres, followed by a 3-course luncheon at 1pm and the awards ceremony and performances. The 2011 recipient of the TRU Spirit of Theater Award will be Bruce Lazarus, a producerof Broadway and off-Broadway shows including Say Goodnight Gracie, The Gathering, Only Kidding, Shakespeare’s R&J and Maybe, Baby It’s You. Lazarus is also an entertainment attorney who in his 20 year career has represented such shows as the original productions of Blue Man Group and The Lion King in his capacity as head of business and legal affairs for Walt Disney Theatricals. TRU will also present their annual TRU Humanitarian Award toBen Cameron on behalf of Doris Duke Charitable Foundation for their invaluable work supporting the arts during this period of economic crisis, and for their commitment to supporting theater as a means of improving the quality of people’s lives. This year’s award for a successful self-producing artist, the TRU Entrepreneur Award, will be given to Lou Rodgers for keeping her company Golden Fleece Ltd. vital for over 38 years, supporting new works of musical theater and commissioning new works.
A prominent lineup of industry luminaries lends their names to the event. The Benefit Committee includes attorney Brooke Barona of Sterling Publishing; Andre Bishop, artistic director of Lincoln Center Theater; Anne Bogart, artistic director of SITI Company; entertainment attorney and general manager Peter Breger, chairman of the Off-Broadway Alliance; Lauren Class Schneider, executive producer of Play On Broadway; Oskar Eustis, artistic director of the Public Theatre; Carl Flanigan, creative producer of Blue Man Group; producer Marty Gasparian; producer and general manager Roger Gindi; advertising executive Bill Hofstetter of hofstetter+partners / agency212; Todd Haimes, artistic director of Roundabout Theatre; Susan Lee of Camp Broadway; producer Barbara Ligeti; producer Dana Matthow; director Eleanor Reissa; marketing consultant and producer Michael Roderick; Tim Sanford, artistic director of Playwrights Horizons; publicist Keith Sherman; and producer Elsa Suisman.
In addition to the luncheon and show, TRU will run a Silent Auction at the event and on-line, featuring tickets to a dozen Broadway shows including Spider-man and Porgy and Bess, plus over 30 other gift items and services. Email [email protected] for information on how to bid on the Silent Auction. The proceeds from this event directly benefit the programs of Theater Resources Unlimited, a not-for-profit service organization that educates people in the business of the arts, with a focus on producers, emerging theater companies and self-producing artists. Programs include monthly panels, workshops, a Producer Development and Mentorship Program, a new plays and new musicals reading series and a community e-newsletter of jobs, services, resources and theater events.
Tickets for the event will be $175 Premium Patron Level reserved seating on the first tier near the stage and $150 for Patron Level reserved seating on the first tier sides and second tier. Non-reserved General Admission tickets may be purchased for $100. Tickets are available through the TRU Store at www.truonline.org/store-new.html.
Leave a Reply