Patrick Blake News

Theater Resources Unlimited (TRU) will celebrate its 24th year as a not-for-profit service organization with its annual gala, the TRU Love Benefit. This year's theme is Making Our Gardens Grow, recognizing three people who are each helping to change the landscape of theater in highly individual ways. The 2015 TRU Spirit of Theater Award, given to a member of the producing community who has demonstrated exceptional generosity, support and kindness to others in the business, will be awarded to producer Patrick Blake (The 39 Steps, Bedlam Theatre's Hamlet/St. Joan, Play Dead, My Life Is a Musical, The Exonerated, In the Continuum), also the founder of Rhymes Over Beats, a game-changing new hip hop theater company; the TRU Humanitarian Award will be presented to Teresa Eyring on behalf of one of American theater's pre-eminent service organizations, Theatre Communications Group (TCG); and the TRU Entrepreneur Award, given for consistency, unique thinking and innovation, will be presented to Linda Amiel Burns for 38 years of The Singing Experience, a unique cabaret workshop that helps ordinary people blossom into singing 'stars.'

Theater Resources Unlimited (TRU), and The Playroom Theatre, present the September panel, An Introduction to TRU: A Free-for-Everyone Seasonal Kick-off plus Networking Meet-and-Greet, tonight, September 29, 2015 at 7:30pm at The Playroom Theater, 151 W. 46th Street, 8th floor, NYC 10036. Doors open at 7pm for networking and refreshments; roundtable introductions of everyone in the room will start at 7:30pm.

Producer Douglas Denoff announced today that technology journalist and television personality David Pogue will make a celebrity guest appearance in the two-time Tony Award winning hilarious hit comedy 39 Steps at the 8:00pm performance on Saturday, September 26th at the Union Square Theatre (100 East 17th Street). For tickets to the performance and more information, visit www.39StepsNY.com

Producer Douglas Denoff announced today that original Broadway and off-Broadway cast member Arnie Burton will depart the two-time Tony Award winning hilarious hit comedy 39 Steps, following his 1,000th performance as Man #2/Clown #2 on Monday, September 28th. Having originated the role in the original Broadway production, Burton returned for the current engagement at the Union Square Theatre. Cameron Pow (The Lion King) will join the cast on Wednesday, September 30th, taking over for Burton.

Theater Resources Unlimited (TRU), and The Playroom Theatre, present the September panel, An Introduction to TRU: A Free-for-Everyone Seasonal Kick-off plus Networking Meet-and-Greet, on Tuesday, September 29, 2015 at 7:30pm at The Playroom Theater, 151 W. 46th Street, 8th floor, NYC 10036. Doors open at 7pm for networking and refreshments; roundtable introductions of everyone in the room will start at 7:30pm.

Theater Resources Unlimited (TRU) in association with Diana Amsterdam, presents Practical PLAYWRITING: How to Write for Commercial Production, a one-day intensive today, August 22, 2015 from 11:00am to 5:30pm at the Desotelle NuBox Theatre, 300 W. 43rd Street, 3rd floor. This is a unique writer's workshop with a happy ending: a chance to pitch your work to a panel of producers, and is part of The TRU Beginnings series of opportunities for works in early development.

The two-time Tony Award winning hilarious hit comedy 39 Steps announced today that it will celebrate Alfred Hitchcock's 116th birthday on Thursday, August 13th by inviting the audience to join special post-show festivities, including a custom designed cake by Cake Alchemy . 39 Steps will also celebrate by launching a daily in-person lottery.

Theater Resources Unlimited (TRU) in association with Diana Amsterdam, presents Practical PLAYWRITING: How to Write for Commercial Production, a one-day intensive on Saturday, August 22, 2015 from 11:00am to 5:30pm at the Desotelle NuBox Theatre, 300 W. 43rd Street, 3rd floor. This is a unique writer's workshop with a happy ending: a chance to pitch your work to a panel of producers, and is part of The TRU Beginnings series of opportunities for works in early development.

The two-time Tony Award winning hilarious hit comedy 39 Steps has released a new block of tickets for October and November 2015. In addition, all seats to Wednesday matinees this summer will be available for $39. The production began performances on April 1, 2015 at the Union Square Theatre (100 East 17th Street). For more information, visit www.39StepsNY.com.

Theater Resources Unlimited (TRU), Molly Morris and Patrick Blake present The Hummingbirds by Garret Jon Groenveld on Monday, June 22, 2015 at 7pm at the SoHo Playhouse, 15 Vandam Street, NYC. This two-hander will now feature acclaimed actors Ellen McLaughlin and Eric Berryman and will be directed as a staged reading by Eric Tucker (Wall Street Journal Director of The Year, 2014).

Theater Resources Unlimited (TRU), Patrick Blake, and Rhymes Over Beats present Echoes of Octaviaby Michelle T. Johnson on Monday, June 15, 2015 at 7pm at the SoHo Playhouse, 15 Vandam Street, NYC. Echoes of Octavia is directed by Brent Buell and features Onyi Okoli, Tyson Hall, Nina Yvette Coleman, Erick Carter, Torre Reigns, Jada Castillo, Alisha Espinosa. The play takes place in Octavia's Diner, a cozy, family-owned soul food restaurant in the middle of a black neighborhood in the Midwest. Zora, the business mind of the diner, receives the offer of a lifetime - a chance to write a book about the legendary sci-fi author Octavia Butler. She'd have to move half way across the country to work on it, but her father wants her to stay and run the diner. She's torn between family duty and her dream.

Theater Resources Unlimited (TRU) presents The 2015 TRU Voices Play Reading Series, the 17th annual series of new plays by TRU writers produced by TRU producers on consecutive Mondays: June 15, 22, and 29, 2015 at 7pm at the SoHo Playhouse, 15 Vandam Street, NYC. The series is followed by the 'Dollars and Sense' panels on producing featuring prominent commercial producers, artistic directors and general managers.

There is no place like New York!  With a city this rich in culture, scandal and diversity, the possibilities for theatrical reenactment are endless.  The Players Theatre Short Play and Musical Festival encourage playwrights to mine this precious resource by offering an annual NYC - themed festival each June.  Celebrating its 5th year, "Only in New York" opens Thursday, June 4 and runs for three weeks.  Each week five original short plays, by five separate playwrights will be presented and a "Best of the Week" production will be selected by  audience vote.

Theater Resources Unlimited (TRU) presents a new TRU Producer Boot camp, Recognizing Commercial Potential: Is This Show Worth Investing In?, an innovative workshop on Sunday, June 14th, 2015 from 12:00pm to 4:00 pm at The Playroom Theatre, 151 W. 46th Street, 8th Floor, NYC.

Theater Resources Unlimited (TRU) presents the TRU Producer Boot Camp: Weekend Intensive for Showcase Producing, today and tomorrow, May 30 - 31, 2015 from 10am - 6pm. Location to be determined.

Theater Resources Unlimited (TRU) is offering some much-needed guidance for anybody who is thinking about putting up a showcase production in New York: the 2015 TRU Producer Boot Camp: Weekend Intensive for Showcase Producing, on Saturday and Sunday, May 30 - 31, 2015 from 10am - 6pm at the Desotelle Studio/NuBox Theatre, 300 W. 43rd Street, 3rd floor, New York City.

The two-time Tony Award winning hilarious hit comedy 39 Steps celebrates its 39th performance at the Union Square Theater (100 East 17th Street) tonight, Monday May 4th at 7:00 PM.  39 Steps opened to rave reviews on Monday, April 13, 2015 and is a New York Times and Time Out Magazine Critic's Pick. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit www.39StepsNY.com.

The two-time Tony Award winning hilarious hit comedy 39 Steps will offer a Producer's Pick performance to benefit The Actors Fund tonight, Monday, April 27 at 7:00 PM. The Actors Fund's Producer's Pick tickets are donated by the producers, and can be purchased at http://www.actorsfund.org/performances-and-events/39-steps. All proceeds from the sale of these select tickets to this regular performance will go to The Actors Fund, which helps all professionals in performing arts and entertainment. 39 Steps is a New York Times Critic's Pick that opened to rave reviews at the Union Square Theatre (100 East 17th Street) on Monday, April 13, 2015.

Theater Resources Unlimited (TRU) presents the TRU Producer Boot Camp: Weekend Intensive for Showcase Producing, on Saturday and Sunday, May 30 - 31, 2015 from 10am - 6pm. Location to be determined.

Theater Resources Unlimited (TRU) presents Writer-Producer Speed Date (The Art of the Pitch) on Sunday March 29, 2015 at 5:30pm and 6:30pmat The Players Theatre, 115 MacDougal Street, 3rd floor.