Newly Formed Theatre Producers of Color Group Sets Tuition-Free Mentorship Program

The newly formed Theatre Producers of Color organization announced today its first educational program to support and mentor the next generation of BIPOC producers. The 10-week, limited-space program will be tuition free.

“Producers 101″ will feature a guest speaker roster of top Broadway producers to teach what TPOC says are the fundamentals of commercial producing, including securing rights, marketing and advertising, development paths, financing, and budgeting. The weekly course begins Jan. 25, 2021.

“Oftentimes, the opportunities for learning how to become a commercial producer are inaccessible and out of reach,” said TPOC founder Miranda Gohh in a statement. “We’ve observed many barriers keeping BIPOC out of commercial producing, and TPOC strives to break these down and make producing more accessible for a variety of voices. By making all of our programs free, we are allowing any BIPOC regardless of background, level of education, training, or previous accomplishment to join us.”

Rashad V. Chambers, a producer of Broadway’s The Inheritance, Betrayal, Ain’t Too Proud and American Son, will serve as TPOC’s overall program mentor. “Being a Broadway producer has been a dream come true,” Chambers said. “Representation matters and I am honored to work with TPOC to guide the next generation of producers. I wish this program existed when I was starting my career.”

Among the guest speakers will be Tony Award-winning and -nominated producers Stephen C. Byrd, Arvind Ethan David, Mara Isaacs, Alia Jones-Harvey, Brian Moreland, Greg Nobile, Joey Parnes, Ron Simons, and Barbara Whitman, as well as Maria Manuela Goyanes, the Artistic Director of Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company in Washington, D.C. and Lisa Davis, partner at Frankfurt Kurnit Klein & Selz.

TPOC is incubated and supported by Broadway For All, an organization that provides young artists and stakeholders in entertainment with the programming, community, and vision to build a more inclusive and powerful arts industry.

Applications for “Producers 101” are being accepted beginning today through December 13.

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