Theater Resources Unlimited (TRU) and Weist Barron present the actor workshop Building Your Reel on Tuesday, September 28, 2010 at 7pm at Weist-Barron Studios, 6th Floor, 45 W. 45th Street, NYC.
One of the single most important weapons in an actor's arsenal is his demo reel. "How long should it be?" "What type of footage should be included?" "There is a great scene but it's poorly shot. Should it be included?" "There is not enough footage for a reel. Should a scene be shot or a slate included?"
Three industry experts will take participants through the process of building their reel from a creative, technical and marketing perspective. Actors will hear what casting directors look for, what footage works best, how to stand out from the crowd, what to expect from a video editor, the pitfalls to avoid, and how to best distribute their reels.
The workshop will include:
· Presentations by: Annie Chadwick (actress, founder of Up To Date Theatricals, and career consultant); Brette Goldstein (casting director for film, commercials, industrials and theater; audition coach); and Jeremy Handelman (commercial theater and video producer and founder of Wag That Reel).
· Examples of actual reels
· Evaluation of attendees' reels
· Q&A session
Actors attending the workshop who already have a reel are invited to submit their reel in advance. Two or three of these reels will be pre-selected to be presented to the workshop attendees and evaluated by our panel. Participants must register to attend by emailing TRUnltd@aol.com, then they should contact Jeremy Handelman at info@WagThatReel.com to make arrangements to drop off demo reel on DVD.
FREE for TRU members; $20 for non-members. Reservations are REQUIRED; e-mail TRUnltd@aol.com to reserve a spot.
The next TRU Actor Resource Night and "Speed Date," part of a monthly series of programs that TRU has created to address the needs of its actor members, is scheduled for Thursday, October 21, 2010 at Weist-Barron Studios. For details, visit
www.truonline.org TRU was founded in 1992 to promote a spirit of cooperation and support within the general theater community by providing information and a variety of entertainment-related services and resources that strengthen the business capability of producing organizations, individual producers, self-
Producing Artists and other theater professionals. Incorporated since November 1995. TRU provides networking opportunities, educational and support services for the performing arts community with an emphasis on the needs of producers and other individuals involved in the business of putting on a show. The company holds monthly seminars on a wide range of subjects important to theatrical producers and artistic directors conducted by panels of experts from both the commercial and not-for-profit segments of Broadway, Off-Broadway and the motion picture industry. These educational forums have been a core program of TRU since its inception.
In 2003, TRU established an Annual two-day Audition Event to serve both producer members with casting needs, and actor members looking for opportunities to be seen. From there TRU expanded actor programs to include a quarterly networking event ("Speed Date"), as well as free seminars for actor members. TRU also has a casting service, with books of thousands of actor headshots, many from the Audition Event, available to members when they are casting shows. TRU also publishes a monthly email community newsletter of services, goods and productions, including casting notices.
In addition, TRU produces the TRU VOICES Annual New Play Reading Series and the TRU VOICES Annual New Musicals Reading Series in which TRU underwrites developmental readings of new works for theater. In 2001, TRU began giving annual scholarships to The Commercial Theater Institute, to encourage the development of aspiring producers, created a Producer Mentoring Program whose mentors are among the most prominent producers and general managers in New York theater, and presents Producer Boot Camp workshops to help aspirants develop the business skills they need. In March '08, TRU was associate producer of its first Equity showcase, Missives at 59E59 Theatre, a play that was developed in the 2006 TRU reading series.
Programs of Theater Resources Unlimited are supported in part by public funds awarded through the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA) and the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs, as well as generous support from the Friar's National Foundation Association.
For more information about TRU membership, visit www.truonline.org or call 212-714-7628.
