Theater Resources Unlimited to Honor Randall Wreghitt at 2013 TRU Love Benefit, 11/17

Theater Resources Unlimited (TRU) will celebrate its 22nd year as a not-for-profit service organization with a celebration of three extraordinary people at the annual TRU Love Benefit, Honoring Friendship, Remembering Friends. The 2013 TRU Spirit of Theater Award, presented to a member of the producing community who has demonstrated exceptional generosity, support and kindness to others in the business, will be posthumously awarded to producer Randall Wreghitt (Little Women, Beauty Queen of Leenane, Grey Gardens, The Lieutenant of Inishmore, Golda's Balcony, As Bees in Honey Drown, The Food Chain) who died unexpectedly at the age of 55 in May 2011.

The event will take place Sunday, November 17th at Caroline's on Broadway at 47th Street. It will begin at noon with wine, drinks and hors d'oeuvres, followed by a luncheon at 1pm and the awards ceremony and performances at 2pm. Tickets are on sale now at www.truonline.org/store-new.html.

"This will be a heart-felt, joyful celebration of friends who are still with us as well as friends who have sadly left us - a reminder of the importance of appreciating the good people in our lives, right now," states TRU president Bob Ost. Past recipients of the TRU Spirit of Theater Award have included producers Fredric Vogel, Philip Rose, Woodie King Jr., Cheryl Wiesenfeld, Pat Addiss, Elysabeth Kleinhans and Van Dean.

Thanks to the generosity of the Wreghitt family, this year's Gala is of even greater significance. TRU is proud to announce "The Randall Wreghitt New Producer Endowment," a private yearly monetary endowment presented to a member of TRU's Producer Development and Mentorship Program to produce a table reading of a show in development. The recipient will also receive a luncheon with one of TRU's Mentoring Producers at Joe Allen's, where Wreghitt regularly took aspiring producers for mentorship and sustenance.

There will be two additional honorees at the event. The 2013 TRU Humanitarian Award will be given to theater critic Michael Feingold (a two-time Pulitzer Prize nominee) for over 40 years of dedication to theater, using the vehicle of theater criticism to educate the American public about our cultural roots. He has written with a conscience and commitment to providing social, political and cultural context to help us better understand whom we are and where we have come from, and what theater's historical place is in world culture. He has been writing for the Village Voice since 1971.

"Though one might not readily associate a critic with humanitarianism, Michael is an enormously generous man whose mission has been to elevate the role of criticism to a vehicle of enlightenment. At a time when the Village Voice has restructured and chosen to let go of a treasured resource, TRU is stepping up to remind the world of this man's inspiring contributions," states Ost. "He is one of my oldest friends, and it is an honor to be able to publicly acknowledge his importance in our world."

A third honor, the TRU Entrepreneur Award, given to a cherished TRU member and friend for ongoing achievement, will be given to Patricia R. Klausner, a twenty year industry veteran who in addition to an exceptional career that spans both the not-for-profit world (Shotgun Productions) and commercial producing (Pippin, Trip to Bountiful, Scottsboro Boys, Stick Fly), has honed her producing skills with the guidance of TRU's Producer Development and Mentorship Program. Through Shotgun Production, Patricia has also created the Global Arts Initiative which offers scholarships and cultural exchange with South Africa. Patricia now runs the not-for-profit division of TRU's producing program, and was also briefly mentored by Randall Wreghitt.

"There are so many brave, unsung heroes in our community. Patricia's expansion from not-for-profit producing to the commercial world is an inspiring example of the possibility of reinventing our goals and our careers. I find her success empowering," says Ost.

The Honorary Benefit Committee lending their names and support to this year's event include some of Wreghitt's former producing partners and friends, including Pat Addiss (Little Women, Spring Awakening, Promises, Promises, Vanya & Sonya & Masha & Spike, A Christmas Story the musical), Michael Alden (Grey Gardens, Sarah Jones' Bridge & Tunnel, The King's Speech on stage, Bat Boy the musical), Michael Jackowitz (The Food Chain, Avow, How to Succeed... revival, Daddy Long Legs, The Best Is Yet to Come), Jana Robbins (Little Women, I Love You Because..., Ragtime revival, Through the Night) and Cheryl Wiesenfeld (Vanya & Sonia & Masha & Spike, The Gershwin's Porgy and Bess, A Steady Rain, Legally Blonde, Elaine Stritch: At Liberty, The Exonerated).

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 $185 Premium Patron Level reserved seating on the first tier near the stage and $160 for Patron Level reserved seating on the first tier sides and second tier. Non-reserved General Admission tickets may be purchased for $110. Tickets, VIP tickets, journal ads and tables are available through the TRU Store at www.truonline.org/store-new.html.

For inquiries about the event, email TRUnltd@aol.com or call 212/714-7628. For more information about TRU membership and programs, visit www.truonline.org or call 212-714-7628.

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