TRU Welcomes Audience Extras As A Sponsor Of Industry Panels

Theater Resources Unlimited (TRU) is pleased to welcome Audience Extras as a sponsor of a new series of industry panels, produced in association with Back Stage. Audience Extras is one of the best known and trusted sources of "papering" (i.e. providing additional audience to shows when needed) for producers in the New York area. Appropriately enough, TRU is kicking off the panel series with an evening about audience development, Getting Butts in Seats in a Butt-Ugly Economy on Wednesday, March 18 at 7:30pm at The Players Theatre, 115 MacDougal Street (below W. 3rd Street), NYC.
 
Panelists will include Joseph Craig, executive vice-president of Nielsen NRG's live theatrical events division; Ken Davenport, producer (Blithe Spirit, Speed-the-Plow, Altar Boyz, My First Time); Hugh Hysell, president of HHC Marketing, president of HHC Marketing (clients: Impressionism, Jersey Boys, 39 Steps, Irena's Vow, Rooms, Enter Laughing, Marvelous Wonderettes, ...Pink Carpet), producer (Impressionism).
 
The Nielsen Company, legendary for taking the pulse of the American television viewing public, has in the last three years turned their expertise toward gathering feedback for live theater productions, including applying the methods of focus group testing to shows in the same way other industries have tested their products for years. Producer Ken Davenport has established a solid reputation for marketing and generating audiences for his shows, and creating hit off-Broadway shows during a time in which off-Broadway has been struggling.  HHC Marketing also works with a number of on-line ticketing services, including BroadwayBox.com, LunchTix.com, TicketsThisWeek.com, BroadwayInsider.com and TheMenEvent.com

Topics for discussion will include: the value of focus groups and other ways of tailoring product to audience; ticketing resources and papering services such as Audience Extras; internet social marketing as an audience development tool; and additional topics to be announced.
 
Doors open at 7:00pm for networking and refreshments, panel starts promptly at 7:30pm. Free for TRU members; $12 for non-members. Please call at least a day in advance for reservations: 212/714-7628; or e-mail TRUnltd@aol.com.  The panel will be co-moderated by Sherry Eaker, editor-at-large of Back Stage.
 
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. 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, and in recent years executive director Ost has partnered with Ms. Eaker to generate topics of interest to both TRU membership and Back Stage readers.  "Through TRU, Back Stage is able to reach beyond its actor base to a wider theater community," said Ost, "and we get more visibility through the Back Stage connection."
 
Audience Extras (AE) is a "papering" system that was established by Mr. Peter Copani and his son John-Vincent to benefit the Performing Arts in innovative ways, by screening for responsible, dependable and discreet people to put in an empty seat when a producer needs extra audience; and by distributing "paper" complimentary tickets in a way that can develop future audiences, on a "free sample" introductory basis.

TRU also publishes a monthly email community newsletter of services, goods and productions.  In addition, TRU served as the umbrella organization for a co-production by several of its member companies as a part of the first annual New York Fringe Festival.  From that experience, the organization has expanded its production efforts by creating 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, and most recently created a Producer Mentoring Program whose mentors are among the most prominent producers and general managers in New York theater.  In March, TRU was associate producer of its first Equity showcase, Missives at 59E59 Theatre, a play that was developed in the 2006 TRU reading series.  TRU programs for actors include an Annual Audition Event, Resource Nights and "Speed Dating" as well as free monthly actor events, including workshops.
 
Programs of Theater Resources Unlimited are supported in part by public funds awarded through the New York State Council on the Arts 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.

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