TRU and League of Professional Theatre Women Team Up for Women Warriors Town Hall

Theater Resources Unlimited and the League of Professional Theatre Women join forces this Thursday night in a significant event, a Town Hall, Women Warriors, Then. And Now: How the Voices of the Past Inform Today's Battle for Equality. This conversation will kick off an ongoing collaboration that includes discounted reciprocal memberships. This is a chance for two professional theater organizations to come together and blend into an even stronger mutually supportive community. Visit here to register and request the zoom link. TRU Town Halls are live at Polaris North Studio, 245 W. 29th Street, 4th floor, NYC, with simultaneous streaming available for our friends outside of New York City.

States TRU executive director Bob Ost: "Whether you identify as a female theater maker or are simply conscious and concerned about the struggles women face in today's world, we invite you to be a part of the conversation. And part of the community."

Co-hosts to include: Jane Bergère, a multi Tony and Olivier Award winning producer for Broadway, London, Australia and Asia, currently represented on Broadway with Dog Day Afternoon staring Jon Bernthal and Ebon Moss-Bachrach as well as Death of a Salesman, starring Nathan Lane; Elivia Bovenzi Blitz, Costume Designer, educator; Cheryl L. Davis, Kleban, Larsen and Audelco award winning playwright/ librettist/ lyricist, award winning TV soap writer, general counsel for the Author's Guild and co-founder and vice president of TRU; Lynnie Godfrey, actress, singer, dancer, director, producer, dramaturg/sensitivity consultant and former president of the League of Professional Theater Women. Patricia Snyder, Emmy winner for Hizzoner! docudrama about Fiorello La Guardia, founding director of The Empire State Youth Theatre Institute, producer (regional theaters and Broadway; Raggedy Ann in Moscow, The Kennedy Center and Broadway; Sleeping Beauty Kabuki, A Tale of Cinderella and Narnia off Broadway). Moderated by Bob Ost of TRU and Cynthia Straus of LPTW.

Strides towards equal rights have been made thanks to the dedication of fearless women throughout history. Women won the right to vote, and yet the Equal Rights Amendment is still in limbo. Cultural shifts moved women from second-class citizenship under the thumb of a patriarchy into something that resembles equality. But is it? Women have populated leadership positions in the business world, and yet equal pay is a challenge to this day. Compassion and common sense brought women a little closer to bodily autonomy until the political pendulum made a steep swing in the other direction. Given the challenges women are faced with today how do we up the ante in order to navigate the sweeping tide of patriarchal backlash and adjust to the current demands? How can we get equal rights for women - and for all - back on track? Are the methods of our past warriors still effective today? What can we learn from them and how can we apply it effectively in today's world?

Doors open at 6:30pm for networking and roundtable introductions of everyone in the room - come prepared with your best 20-second summary of who you are, and what you need. The Open Forum will start at 7:00pm. Free for members of TRU, Polaris North and members of LPTW; $15 for non-members (with a $5 ticket option available to anyone who needs it). Please use the bright red reservation box here on our web page, or email or phone at least a day in advance (or much sooner): e-mail TRUStaff1@gmail.com.

PANELISTS

Jane Bergère is a multi Tony and Olivier Award winning producer for Broadway, London, Australia and Asia, currently represented on Broadway with Dog Day Afternoon and Death of a Salesman. Previous Tony awards for Angels in America revival, Hello, Dolly! revival, Kinky Boots, Clybourne Park, War Horse, La Cage Aux Folles revival, Glengarry Glen Ross revival. Recent: Dead Outlaw, John Proctor is the Villain, All In, The Shark Is Broken, Funny Girl revival, Water for Elephants; the revival of The Crucible, Sylvia, It Shoulda Been You, Wolf Hall, You Can't Take It With You, Rocky, Twelfth Night/King Richard III starring Mark Rylance, Annie, Driving Miss Daisy starring James Earl Jones and Vanessa Redgrave; A Little Night Music revival; All My Sons starring John Lithgow and Katie Holmes; Mark Twain's Is He Dead?, Caroline, or Change by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Tony Kushner; and Mary Zimmerman's Metamorphoses. Jane's Off Broadway and regional productions include The Exonerated, Houdini The Musical and Capture Now. She also produced the national tour and London productions of The Exonerated. Prior to her work as a Broadway producer, Jane was the Artistic Director of Connecticut's Broadway Theatre in Darien, CT where she produced over 50 musicals.

Elivia Bovensi Blitz (is an accomplished Costume Designer and educator whose work brings a keen eye for character and period detail to the stages of New York City and beyond. She has built a versatile career that spans Broadway, Off-Broadway, regional theater, and film. Elivia's artistic foundation was established at Russell Sage College, where she earned a BS in Musical Theatre, followed by a prestigious MFA in Design from the Yale School of Drama. This dual background in performance and design allows her to approach costumes with a deep understanding of the performer's physical and emotional needs. Her impressive professional credits include serving as an Associate or Assistant Costume Designer on recent high-profile Broadway productions such as The Lost Boys, The Great Gatsby, Moulin Rouge, Fiddler on The Roof, Tammy Faye, Real Women Have Curves: The Musical, and Lincoln Center's revival of My Fair Lady. She has also contributed to numerous productions beyond Broadway, having worked at The Public Theater, The Guthrie, The Alliance Theater, Manhattan Theatre Club, Hartford Stage, Berkeley Rep, and Yale Repertory Theatre. Elivia has earned widespread critical acclaim for her masterful use of vibrant palettes and intricate detailing to breathe life into both character and atmosphere. Frequently hailed by critics as "extraordinary," "dynamic," and a "feast for the eye," her lead designs for regional and Off-Broadway stages are celebrated for their visual impact. Notably, The New York Times has recognized her work for its profound ability to elevate theatrical narratives through sophisticated visual storytelling. Beyond the stage, Elivia has served as a dedicated mentor to the next generation of designers. She has taught Fashion History as an Adjunct Professor at the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT), as well as Costume & Theater Design courses at CUNY Queens College. Her academic contributions ensure that the craft of theatrical design continues to evolve through rigorous technical training and creative exploration. www.eliviabovenzi.com

Cheryl L. Davis received the Kleban Award as a librettist for her musical Barnstormer, (written with Douglas J. Cohen) about Bessie Coleman, the first Black woman flyer. The show received a Jonathan Larson Award through the Lark Play Development Center. Her play Maid's Door received great reviews, won seven Audelco Awards, and was a finalist for the Francesca Primus Prize. Her play The Color of Justice (commissioned by Theatreworks/USA), received excellent reviews in the New York Times and Daily News, and tours regularly. Her musical Bridges, which was commissioned by the Berkeley Playhouse, received its world premiere in February 2016 to great reviews and three award nominations from the San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle. She received a Writers' Guild Award for her work on "As the World Turns", and was also nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award. Her work has been read and performed internationally, including at the Cleveland Play House, The Actors Theatre of Louisville, and the Kennedy Center. She is the General Counsel of the Authors Guild.