Theater Resources Unlimited to Launch Virtual Writer-Director Communications Lab
The program will be led by commercial producer Ric Wanetik and TRU executive director Bob Ost.
Theater Resources Unlimited (TRU) has announced their 2026 Writer-Director (Virtual) Communications Lab, set for Sunday, August 2, 2026, from 12-6:30PM EST and led by commercial producer Ric Wanetik (Tony-nominated Twilight Los Angeles: 1992, Broadway's Marlene, Off-Broadway's Jolson and Company) and TRU executive director Bob Ost. Seven directors are on board; two more may apply by emailing interest to trunltd@aol.com. Submissions are open now for writers with a submission deadline of July 17. Get more information at https://truonline.org/events/communications-lab-2026/.
One of the most important - and most sensitive - relationships in theater is that between playwright and director. In some ways, the entire success of a show can hinge on the shared understanding, trust, and mutual respect between these two artists. The director and the writer need to see the show with the same eyes; otherwise, their collaboration won't work. This is important to establish in the initial meetings. TRU's program will train theater artists in the crucial skills of communication. It is led by commercial producers, since the producer is generally the real-world mediator in writer-director disagreements and has a better overview of a production.
'I can't tell you what an awesome workshop experience I had! Clearly, my biggest takeaway was the incredible interaction with the writers and other directors! It was beyond illuminating! It didn't at all feel like five plus hours. It was the highlight of my Saturday!' ~Brian Daye, director, '21
'I left the Lab extremely encouraged, with a clearer understanding of how to navigate relationships with Directors as a writer (and vice versa!), as well as a greater confidence in my ability to discern what to look for in early partnership meetings. I now recognize the importance of understanding my own behavior style and being able to clearly communicate this with prospective partners on artistic projects for the sake of healthy collaboration.'~Jonathan Hogue, writer, '21
In this Lab, nine directors will team with nine writers prior to the Lab itself. Observers are also welcome to come watch and learn-limited space available. Playwrights will email a synopsis, pitch, and production history, plus 5-10 sample pages of a script; directors will select a project that interests them from those submitted, request and read the script, and prepare for a preliminary director-writer discussion about the play. We will watch and guide that discussion in the Lab. Participants will:
• Discover your personal communication style
• Learn to identify the style of the person you are with, and adjust to it for maximum mutual understanding
• Explore non-threatening ways of discussing text, communicating, and listening
• Identify your domain of authority, and determine protocols
Confirmed directors: Andrea Andresakis, Andrew Beck, Bryna Kearney, N'Kenge, Larry Ruth, Sharifa Williams, Connie Winston. Other directors (as well as writers) are encouraged to attend as observers and join the conversations.
SCHEDULE (subject to change)
11:30/45 - check-in, room intros
12:00-12:45 - The balance of power: who's in charge, and at what point can that shift? Producer, writer, director relationships.
-
Being honest and up front about your expectations and requirements.
-
When is a director a dramaturg?
-
SDC contracts, AEA contracts - how they impact the writer
-
The play's the thing: depersonalizing. (How to talk about the work without involving personal feelings.)
-
The role of the producer.
12:45-1:30 - Communication Styles - an overview and interactive exercise led by Ric Wanetik
1:30-1:40 - Break
1:40-3:20 - 5 interactions (about 10 minutes for each team to interact, and about 10 minutes for feedback)
3:20-4:00 - Lunch Break
4:00-5:40 - Remaining 4 interactions (as above)
5:40-6:15 - Questions, comments, observations
COST (writers and directors):
$100 non-members
$85 TRU members
Ric Wanetik is the President of Ricochet Group LLC, a strategic planning and communications advisory. Known for his onboarding of leadership at major theaters here and in England, Ric is a frequent advisor to several regional theaters and is an active producer, investor, and production supervisor. He is the Senior Advisor for America to the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC). He served as the President of RSC America, a US entity supporting the work of the Royal Shakespeare Company here and around the world. An investor in over 35 Broadway and Off- Broadway productions, Ric was the lead producer and Tony-nominated for Anna Deveare Smith's Twilight Los Angeles: 1992. In 1999, he was the lead producer for Broadway's Marlene, and was the sole producer of Off-Broadway's Jolson and Company. For eight years, Ric was the supervising producer for the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show on CBS-TV and has produced several TV Specials for cable, PBS, and universities, including: Segment Producer, Great Performances Anniversary Special; Executive Producer, A Tribute to Comden and Greendirected by Patricia Birch; producer for Ohio TV Network and CBS, What Ohio Kids Need. He is guiding the 2025 South Florida premiere of Fat Ham and the 2024 South Florida premiere of The NEW Fantasticks. He is a frequent speaker and lecturer on theatre management and marketing.
Theater Resources Unlimited (TRU) is the leading network for developing theater professionals, a thirty-three-year-old 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization created to help producers produce, emerging theater companies to emerge healthily, and all theater professionals to understand and navigate the business of the arts. Membership includes self-Producing Artists as well as career producers and theater companies. TRU publishes an email community newsletter of services, opportunities, and productions; presents weekly Community Gatherings about the arts, and monthly Town Halls about current social issues; offers a Producer Development & Mentorship Program taught by prominent producers and general managers in New York theater; and presents Producer Boot Camp workshops to help aspirants develop business skills. TRU serves writers through the TRU Voices Play Reading Series, TRUSpeak: Hear Our Voices (adapting short plays into films), Writer-Producer Speed Date, a Practical Playwriting Workshop, How to Write a Musical That Works, and a Director-Writer Communications Lab. Programs of Theater Resources Unlimited are supported in part by the Leibowitz Greenway Foundation, Stewart F. Lane & Bonnie Comley, Merrie L. Davis, Dunbar Hofmann Productions, and the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature. For more information about TRU membership and programs, visit www.truonline.org.
.jpg?format=auto&width=365)
