FEATURE STORY by Willard Manus

NEW YORK -- If you've ever thought of becoming a producer, now's your chance. The 23rd annual Commercial Theater Institute's three-Day Intensive Program is scheduled for April 29-May 1st. The seminar brings together working theater professionals who offer hard, factual information to producers, investors and other theater professionals interested in producing for Broadway, Off Broadway, sit-down productions (open-ended runs outside of NYC) and the road.

Topics covered include legal aspects of commercial producing, case histories of Broadway and Off Broadway productions, budget outline and analysis, marketing the commercial theater, developing investors, producing for the road, for-profit/not-for-profit relationships.

CTI director Frederic B. Vogel will introduce this year's seminar on Friday morning, April 29, with panels headed by the likes of Elliot H. Brown, Esq., Roy Gabay (Altar Boyz) and Charlotte Wilcox (Dirty Rotten Scoundrels) occupying the rest of the day. On Saturday and Sunday such topics as "Developing a Major Broadway Musical," "Developing & Producing Off and On Broadway," "Marketing for Broadway/Off Broadway in the 21st Century" and "Advertising Agency/Press Agents/Marketing Consultants" will be addressed.

The registration fee is $325 (before March 12, $295). Send check or money order only to Commercial Theater Institute, 1776 Broadway, #1400, New York, NY 10019. Register online at www.tdf.org. For more information call (212) 586-1109 or fax (212) 262-l672