NEW YORK CITY: Theatre Producers of Color (TPOC), a new organization aimed at supporting the next generation of producers who are Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) through education, training, and mentorship, has announced its first educational program, Producing 101. The 10-week, tuition-free program will teach participants the fundamentals of commercial producing, including development paths, financing, budgeting, and more. Applications are being accepted through Dec. 13.

“Oftentimes the opportunities for learning how to become a commercial producer are inaccessible and out of reach,” said Miranda Gohh, TPOC founder and one of the founders of the Industry Standard Group (TISG), 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.”

Participants for the program will be selected by early January 2021, with Zoom courses beginning on Jan. 25, 2021, and running through March 29, 2021. The course will feature Tony-winning and -nominated guest speakers, including Stephen C. Byrd, Arvind Ethan David, Mara Isaacs, Alia Jones-Harvey, Brian Moreland, Greg Nobile, Joey Parnes, Ron Simons, and Barbara Whitman, along with Woolly Mammoth artistic director Maria Manuela Goyanes and Lisa Davis, partner at entertainment law firm Frankfurt Kurnit Klein & Selz. Rashad V. Chambers, another founding member of TISG, will serve as the overall program mentor.

TPOC is looking to use the course to explore questions around the role of a commercial producer today, the responsibility of producers to create positive impact, and rethought producing models making theatre more equitable, inclusive, and anti-racist. The organization is incubated and supported by Broadway for All, which provides programming, community, and vision to build a more inclusive industry.

“Being a Broadway producer has been a dream come true,” said Chambers in a statement. “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.”

More information on the programming, including how to apply, is available online.