TRU to Present 'Back On Everyone's Radar: That Festival We Thought We'd Lost'

A dependable haven for artists in isolation, Theater Resources Unlimited will present Back on Everyone's Radar: That Festival We Thought We'd Lost on April 25. 

In the room: Mark Russell, founder and artistic leader of the Under the Radar Festival, in residence at The Public Theatre from 2006 to 2023. The last time we talked to Mark he had literally just learned that The Public Theatre was no longer able to support his annual presentation of contemporary cutting edge "theater that investigates the nature of the theater experience." And he had no idea what he would do next or if he would find a new way to share his vision with the rest of us. Yet, within a year he had bounced back and found a new producing partner, ArKtype, and had reformatted his festival by running it at multiple venues throughout New York City. How did he do it? We'll talk about how the pieces came together, and how the rebooting has required rethinking and hard work. What, if anything, has been lost? And what has been gained? Click here to register and receive the zoom link.

UPCOMING:

5/2/25 - Using the Virtual Toolbox to Develop Your New Musical

In the room: Stacia Frenandez, co-owner, Tom Polum, CEO and executive director of Streaming Musicals; Tyler Milliron, CEO of Milliron Studios; and Gina Gallego, Joel S. Bailey and Jan Roper, writers of the new musical América Tropical which was the 2025 presentation of the TRU Voices New Musicals Reading Series, and will have its On Demand premiere on Sunday 5/04. We'll touch on the advantages and disadvantages of live staged readings versus filmed presentations, and consider different ways of capturing a show on film including live broadcast, livestream and On Demand; plus the options available if you choose to film a new work in development, the costs and the rules you need to follow. Click here to register and receive the zoom link.

5/9/25 - Follow the Leader: How TheaterWorksUSA Serves Youth and Family Theater

In the room: Barbara Pasternack, artistic director since 2000. We'll look at the founding of TWU by Jay Harnick and Charles Hull, and what it was like for Barbara to follow in their footsteps. How did she leave her own mark? What lessons were learned over the years, and how has the company adapted and changed? What was the impact of shutdown, and has live performance returned to "normal" for young audiences? We'll also touch on the function and importance of TYA, the difference between young audiences and family audiences, and the full range of programming offered to cultivate new audiences as well as new artists. Click here to register and receive the zoom link.

More information about upcoming interviews is available at: truonline.org/tru-community-gathering.

To receive the Zoom invitation for weekly meetings, email TRUnltd@aol.com with "Zoom Me" in the subject header. These gatherings are free for TRU members, non-members are asked to make an optional tax-deductible donation or consider joining TRU at truonline.org/membership to support the organization's ongoing service to the community.