TRU to Present 'The Most Unkindest Cuts Of All: America's Defunding Of The Arts'

A dependable haven for artists in isolation, Theater Resources Unlimited (TRU) is celebrating its fifth year of non-stop weekly Community Gatherings this Friday, having offered to date over 250 conversations and unlimited camaraderie since April 17, 2020. TRU hosts these Community Gatherings every Friday at 5pm ET via Zoom, originally presented to explore the creation of art and theater in the time of COVID-19, and now to ensure that these crucial conversations continue going forward.

5/23/25 - The Most Unkindest Cuts of All: America's Defunding of the Arts.

In the room: Tannis Kowalchuk, artistic director of Farm Arts Collective; Stephanie Prugh, director of development for The York Theatre Company; Bevin Ross, executive director of The Drama League; Tooshar Swain, director of Public Policy at Americans for the Arts. America has never been a leader when it comes to funding the arts, but today things have taken a more disturbing turn than ever. So many iconic institutions are suddenly under siege starting with a forced takeover of the Kennedy Center and now the defunding of NPR and PBS. What is hitting our theater community most directly, in this moment, is the neutering of the National Endowment of the Arts which is rabidly cutting funding to organizations that are not aligned "with the president's priorities." We'll consider what those priorities might be and how this effects individual artists and well as theater companies. At heart: why does art matter, and what is this administration afraid of? Is this a form of censorship, and how do they justify an apparent infringement of free speech? And ultimately what is being done - or can be done - to counter this attack? Click here to register and receive the zoom link.

UPCOMING:

5/30/25 - Balancing Act: The Many Sides of Robert Cuccioli

 In the room: Robert Cuccioli, an actor equally adept with musicals and classic plays. On Broadway, he debuted as Javert in Les Miserables, got a Tony nomination for Jekyll and Hyde and brought his split-personality expertise to Spiderman: Turn Off the Dark as Norman Osborne/Green Goblin. Off-Broadway shows included And the World Goes Round, The Rothschilds and Enter the Guardsman, as well as distinctly non-musicals Antony and Cleopatra and A Touch of the Poet. He has made frequent appearance with Shakespeare Theatre of NJ, and also loves to direct. We'll talk about how he chooses his roles, and whether he approaches the classics any differently than he approaches musicals. And yes, we will touch on the current environment of the arts, and theater, in America. Click here to register and receive the zoom link.