Theater Resources Unlimited January Panel via Zoom

Theater Resources Unlimited (TRU) presents the monthly Panel, Developing New Works in a Virtual New World: Different Countries, Different Challenges on Thursday, January 28, 2021 via Zoom. The panel will be led by Australian producer Neil Gooding, New York producer Cody Lassen, and London producer Katy Lipson. Reserve a spot on the event page at https://truonline.org/events/developing-new-works/, or by emailing TRUStaff1@gmail.com - you will be put on a list to receive the Zoom link.

“Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we were forced to rethink all TRU programs for Zoom presentation. Turns out that what seemed at first to be a drastic inconvenience has paid off with surprising benefits,” said Bob Ost, executive director of TRU. “We now have extended our reach well beyond the New York area, throughout the US and as far away as Australia, Singapore and Malaysia. This panel in particular illustrates the valuable lesson learned. How else could we have panelists speaking with us live from New York, London and Sydney? Very exciting!" 

New York doesn't see a likelihood of reopening theaters until September. London has tried opening theaters with social distancing but is now back in lockdown. Australia has had theaters re-opened since late November. The current COVID situation is really causing problems for our business around the world. Nevertheless, with all the roadblocks, New Works can still be developed right now. So what is the best use of the time and resources we currently have at our disposal? The vaccine is a likely pathway to the return of live theater, but how do we plan for the future with so many unknown factors?

The Zoom session will open at 5:30pm eastern time for roundtable introductions of attendees; program will start at 6:00pm - come prepared with your best 20-second summary of who you are, and what you need. 

With guest speakers: Australian producer Neil Gooding (Australian premieres of Gutenberg! The Musical!, and Dogfight and New York productions of Church and State, Handle with Care, The 39 Steps, Alan Cumming’s one-man Macbeth on Broadway); New York producer Cody Lassen (Tootsie, What the Constitution Means to Me, Indecent, Significant Other, Spring Awakening revival; upcoming Titanic, How I Learned to Drive); and London producer Katy Lipson of Aria Entertainment (UK Premiere Tour of The Addams Family, 50^th Anniversary Touring Production of HAIR, European Premiere of The Toxic Avenger and Off-West End Productions of Pippin, Spring Awakening, Mame, Rags and the British Premiere of Unexpected Joy at Southwark Playhouse which she also was a part of at The York Theatre, Off-Broadway), and the creator of the From Page to Stage festival of new musicals.

About the Panelists

Neil Gooding | As a director, Neil was nominated for a 2009 Helpmann Award and a 2009 Green Room Award for the Australian premiere of Gutenberg! The Musical!. He has also been nominated for a Sydney Theatre Critics Award for his direction of the Australian premiere of Dogfight. Directing highlights include the Australian premieres of Stalking The Bogeyman and The Bridges Of Madison County and the World Premiere of Paris (in concert), The Red Tree and Becoming Bill. Other highlights include the New York Production of Church And State (Asst. Director), Passion, The Hatpin (Asst. Director). Neil was also assistant director to Gale Edwards for the launch concert of Kookaburra Music Theatre Company. As Producer / Director Neil has created many productions including Sing on Through Tomorrow (a song revue of the music of Matthew Robinson); LOVEBiTES by Peter Rutherford and James Millar; Love Letters (starring Ian Stenlake and Rachael Beck), Truth Beauty And A Picture Of You and High Fidelity (Hayes Theatre Co); the national tour of Thank You for Being A Friend; as well as Side by Side by Sondheim and Diciasette (starring Mark Vincent). His producing work internationally includes the New York productions of Church and State, Handle with Care; The 39 Steps; Alan Cumming’s one-man version of Macbeth on Broadway; as well as being a financial investor in It’s Only A Play and The Ferryman. In London’s West End, NGP has produced the hit Australian play, Holding the Man, Cyrano and Back To The Future. 

Cody Lassen is a Tony-nominated theatre producer and live entertainment consultant. Broadway productions include Indecent, the Deaf West Theatre revival of Spring Awakening, and the upcoming revival of Paula Vogel’s How I Learned to Drive. He has been part of the producing team for other Broadway productions including Tootsie, What the Constitution Means to Me, Torch Song, The Band's Visit, Macbeth and Significant Other. Upcoming: the first revival of Titanic, The Flamingo Kid, Steven Sater & Duncan' Sheik's Alice By Heart and Burt Bacharach's Some Lovers. In addition to producing his own projects, Cody consults for producers, theaters and agencies to help them discover how they should market their shows for the best chance of financial and critical success. Previously, he was the director of marketing for Los Angeles' Center Theatre Group and its three theaters: the Ahmanson Theatre, Mark Taper Forum and Kirk Douglas Theatre. He is an active member of the Broadway League, the National Association of Musical Theatre, and serves on the Board of NY’s Vineyard Theatre. More info at codylassen.com

Katy Lipson - Aria Entertainment was founded in 2012 by Katy Lipson. In 2017, Katy was awarded the Best Producer award by the Off-West End Awards and is a recipient of the Stage One Bursary and Start Up Award. She made “The Stage 100” in 2018, 2019 and 2020 for her work at Hope Mill Theatre and in 2021 for her work as a solo producer. Katy produced the UK Premiere Tour of The Addams Family and the 50^th Anniversary production of HAIR at the London Vaults, which she originally co-produced with Hope Mill Theatre in 2016, where she was the Producing Artistic Director for all in-house musicals from 2016 – 2019. HAIR (The Vaults) won the award for Best Off-West End Production at the 2018 Whatsonstage Awards and completed a major UK Tour in 2019. Their transfer of Pippin, which played at the Southwark Playhouse, was nominated for a record number of Off West End Awards. Their production of Spring Awakening won the award for Best Regional show at the 2019 WOS awards. In 2012, the bicentenary year of Charles Dickens’ birth, she produced a revival of The Mystery of Edwin Drood at the Arts Theatre, West End. This was followed by a transfer to the same venue in 2017 of new musical The Toxic Avenger following runs at The Edinburgh Festival’s Pleasance Theatre and the Southwark Playhouse. Katy set up the From Page to Stage festival to support new musicals at all difference stages of development. In 6 years FPTS has given platform to over 100 new musicals of which many have gone on to have full productions and be licensed worldwide and now they run a full-time literary department for new musicals.

Theater Resources Unlimited (TRU) is the leading network for developing theater professionals, a twenty-seven-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, goods and productions; presents monthly panels as well as the new weekly Community Gatherings; offers a Producer Development & Mentorship Program taught by prominent producers and general managers in New York theater, and also presents Producer Boot Camp workshops to help aspirants develop business skills. TRU serves writers through the TRU Voices Play Reading Series, 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 Montage Foundation and the Leibowitz Greenway Foundation. For more information about TRU membership and programs, visit http://www.truonline.org.