Ken Davenport - Opinions from a Broadway Producer

The Sunday Giveaway: 2 Tickets to Russian Transport at The New Group

2012-02-19T11:00:00-05:00

This week we're giving away two tickets to the recently extended Russian Transport at The New Group starring funny girl and Saturday Night Live alum, Janeane Garofalo!

Russian Transport is about an immigrant couple running a struggling car service while, "trying to carve out the American Dream for their teenagers."

Classic 'root for the underdog' story, right?

Well, when Uncle Boris moves in, that story takes a unique turn.

And one of you is going to find out what that turn is when you win your free tickets to see the show.

Here's how to enter to win.

Comedians and more specifically Saturday Night Live comedians have a history of making great hollywood actors: Billy Crystal, Steve Martin, Dan Akryoyd are just three of them who have gone on to great careers in comic roles and dramatic as well.

So here's my query:

What Saturday Night Live star would you like to see on Broadway and in what show?

Cast that SNLer in a show in a comment below and I'll pick one who'll win the tix.

Go!

(Got a comment? I love 'em, so comment below! Email subscribers, click here, then scroll down, to say what's on your mind!)

------

FUN STUFF:

- Take the Musical Boot Camp! Click here for info and an application.

- Broadway Road Trip from DC on 4/28. Click here.

Who won the tickets to Venus In Fur on Broadway?

2012-02-18T11:00:00-05:00

Valentine's Day may have passed us by, but someone is gonna get all sexified when they head to Venus In Fur.

So enough teasin'. Who's going?

Congratulations to Robb Johnston! Start looking for a date, because you won!

Email me to set up the tickets.

Another giveaway goes up tomorrow at 11 AM. Check it out then.

(Got a comment? I love 'em, so comment below! Email subscribers, click here, then scroll down, to say what's on your mind!)

------

FUN STUFF:

- Take the Musical Boot Camp! Click here for info and an application.

- Broadway Road Trip from DC on 4/28. Click here.

Fun on a Friday: What a Producer does.

2012-02-17T11:00:00-05:00

Almost two years ago, I took a poll of all my Producing Peers in the Broadway League and asked them to give me their definition on what the &!$%# a Producer did anyway.

Over 100 of them responded. You can read all their smart, funny, sad and inspiring answers here.

And when you're done, then you can just look at the graphic below which has been making its way around the internet these days.

It pretty much says it all.

Happy Friday everyone. Here's to hoping you pull a rabbit out of your producing hat this weekend.

(Got a comment? I love 'em, so comment below! Email subscribers, click here, then scroll down, to say what's on your mind!)

------

FUN STUFF:

- Win Two Tickets to see Venus in Fur on Broadway. Click here to enter!

- Take the Musical Boot Camp! Click here for info and an application.

- Broadway Road Trip from DC on 4/28. Click here.

The next advancement in scenery . . . none.

2012-02-16T11:00:00-05:00

A friend of mine who stays up on the latest in all sorts of technology sent me a link the other day for a projection-like company called ViXen, which is marketing a "visual performance system". Check it out here.

My favorite part of their non-fancy website for such a fancy tech company is this quote: "We invite any requests or ideas and we will work with our extended community of colleagues to source and/or develop a solution that can accomplish almost any design."

In other words . . . "tell us what you want to do and we're pretty confident we can deliver it."

My early adopter friend suggested to me that there might be theatrical applications for their technology. "Sure," I said. There aren't many new shows that open up without a "Projection Designer" on the title page of the Playbill these days. (And we wonder why costs are escalating, we keep coming up with new types of professionals needed on shows, but we're not getting rid of any in the process!)

Remember last year's Tony Awards? There weren't many sets. Most shows used a sort of projection/LED combo on a light wall to get their bright-lite-like point across. And it worked, looking great and saving lots of bucks (not to mention lumber) in the process.

Do you think that we could be on our way to sets being entirely replaced by electronic representations? In 20 years will it all be projections? Will every theater come with screens, for you to light up as you wish?

And, will this make it possible for many, many, many shows to share the same space?

Oooooh, now there's the most compelling reason for the adoption of this type of tech in some theaters. With the flip of a drive, you could have an entirely different "set" of projections for a 2nd or 3rd show that split the rent.

While I don't think sets will ever disappear (nor should they), in the same way that I don't think orchestras will ever disappear (nor should they) no matter how much technology we come up with that simulates the same experience, I do think we'll see a bunch of shows that rely solely on projections in the next 10-20 years.

Seeing a set might be rare.

But if that's what it takes to keep people seeing shows, I'm fine with it.

(Got a comment? I love 'em, so comment below! Email subscribers, click here, then scroll down, to say what's on your mind!)

------

FUN STUFF:

- Win Two Tickets to see Venus in Fur on Broadway. Click here to enter!

- Take the Musical Boot Camp! Click here for info and an application.

- Broadway Road Trip from DC on 4/28. Click here.

What I learned about customer retention from a cruise line.

2012-02-15T11:00:00-05:00

One of the greatest challenges of building an audience for Broadway shows is that our experience pretty much stays the same, so it's hard to get people to come back time and time again. We're not a restaurant where you can try a different dish, or a vacation resort where every day is different. Other than casting, most shows don't want deviate too much from opening night. (Books and movies have it even harder than we do, because those physically can't change . . . however in both cases, if you buy them, you don't have to buy them again, unlike a theater ticket)

But non-profit and regional theaters around the country and around the world are another story. There's a lot to be learned about customer retention, and not only getting them to come back, but getting them to come back more often.

Our annual Davenport Theatrical retreat was this past weekend, and this year the team and I took a weekend cruise to the Bahamas. It was a lot of fun (if you're an Artistic Director or the head of any business, I strongly suggest retreats like this for team building and to focus on the upcoming year, and for just plain fun). So, in the middle of our meetings, the buffets, and yes, one solitary trust fall for the one employee who had never done one, I also picked up a few tips on how to keep your customers from sailing away.

The cruise industry spends a lot of their dollars on trying to get you to be a repeater. Here are a few ways that they do it, that can be adapted to what we all do:

1. The Power of the Photo

Before you even get on the boat, the ship's photographer is taking your picture. And the picture of every single guy & gal that walks up the gangplank. When you eat dinner? The photographer is there. At the pool? Guess who? When you're drunk and stumbling around the deck . . . flash! Photos are priceless marketing tools, because they are a physical representation of a personal emotional experience. You literally see yourself in the photo . . . which means it's not a long leap to see yourself having that same experience again.

Encourage your patrons to have their photos taken and yes, even to take photos (at appropriate times), as much as possible.

2. Future Cruise Consultant

This was one of my faves. There are a couple of desks in the center of the ship that are staffed by two sweet salespeople. Their job? To get you to buy your next cruise, while you're still experiencing the one you're on! Why does this work? The further you get away from an experience, the harder it is to remember how much fun it was. If you're having an awesome time, and someone promises you another one, and when you book now you can save $$$, guess what you're more inclined to do?

Box offices should remain open as long as possible. And if they can't, drop someone in the lobby selling subscriptions or your next show.

3. Survey Says?

I was reminded to fill out my end-of-cruise "satisfaction survey" at least ten times before I disembarked. Feedback is almost as important as lifeboats to the cruise industry. They are constantly updating and changing their systems and their amenities based on what their customers want.

Don't let an audience member go out the door without asking them their opinion. And be diligent in getting responses. It's the audience member that doesn't want to fill out the survey that is the one you really, really want.

4. Purchasing made simple.

If you've been a cruise then you know you carry around one of these charge cards that everything goes on, from your shore excursions to your fruity-umbrella drinks to casino chips. When buying stuff is simple, more people will do it.

What is your ticketing system like? How quickly can you process an order? How does your box office treat your patrons? Painless purchasing is a must, especially for higher price items like theater tickets.

5. They own an actual island.

I can't imagine what the staff meeting was like 30 years ago when someone at Royal Carribean said, "I'm sick of port fees and other vendors on shore making money off us. Why don't we buy an island?" I'd bet money that most of the people in the room thought guy or girl was bat-guano crazy. This kind of big thinking created a whole new revenue stream for the cruise companies, and also keeps their customers inside their walls, giving them more marketing opportunities.

Whenever one of my staff members has a crazy idea, we preface it with . . . "I wanna buy an island!" . . . to remind us that the wackiest ideas may be the best. Encourage your people to buy lots of islands.

(Got a comment? I love 'em, so comment below! Email subscribers, click here, then scroll down, to say what's on your mind!)

------

FUN STUFF:

- Win Two Tickets to see Venus in Fur on Broadway. Click here to enter!

- Take the Musical Boot Camp! Click here for info and an application.

- Broadway Road Trip from DC on 4/24. Click here.

Could these 10 things really save the theater?

2012-02-14T11:00:00-05:00

Crab legs aren't the only juicy things served up in Seattle these days. Brendan Kiley, an e-scribe for Seattle's The Stranger, wrote one heck of a juicy article recently, entitled, "Ten Things Theaters Need to Do Right Now to Save Themselves."

The title grabs you, right? Well wait until you read some of the ideas . . . including moratoriums on Shakespeare, encouraging boozing, and free babysitting.

You can read the firestartin' article here.

Do I agree with all of them? Do you? Feel free to chime in below with your comment of choice. But honestly, whether you agree or disagree isn't even why I'm posting this article today. What I love about Mr. Kiley's couple hundred words is that he proposed some radical solutions to a real problem.

And while sometimes radical revolutions aren't successful (Occupy Wall Street comes to mind), the one thing they always do is get people talking . . . and slowly, change occurs.

So read the article, then try startin' a revolution of your own.

(Got a comment? I love 'em, so comment below! Email subscribers, click here, then scroll down, to say what's on your mind!)

------

FUN STUFF:

- Win Two Tickets to see Venus in Fur on Broadway. Click here to enter!

- Take the Musical Boot Camp! Click here for info and an application.

Attention musical theater writers, it’s time for boot camp!

2012-02-13T11:00:00-05:00

Stuck on Act II? Need some structure to help with your structure? Want a deadline to make sure your show gets finished on time?

Come to Musical Boot Camp!

The writers we talk to and who submit shows to us ask us for feedback, creative criticism as well as help with making sure they accomplish their goals on time (New Year’s Resolutions anyone?).

We’re big believers in the “group think” so we put our heads together and came up with a solution to help a whole bunch of you with similar issues at the same time.

So, by popular demand, my Director of Creative Development, the fabu Jane Caplow, and I are thrilled to announce the first Musical Boot Camp, a workshop for musical theater writers to help keep you on track and make sure you get your shows done, and done well.

The very first Boot Camp starts Wednesday, March 14th. It’s a six-week workshop from 5 – 7 PM with a very select and limited number of participants.

To get more information and apply for one of the few slots, click here.

One note: it’s going to be some work, so don’t apply unless you’re serious about getting your show or musical project to the next level. And as with all of our seminars and workshops, when it’s over, we guarantee that you’ll be much happier with the state of your project than when you began.

And you’ll be meeting a lot of other passionate folks just like you in the process. Project Building + Networking = Awesome.

Take The Boot Camp!

(Got a comment? I love 'em, so comment below! Email subscribers, click here, then scroll down, to say what's on your mind!)

------

FUN STUFF:

- Win Two Tickets to see Venus in Fur on Broadway. Click here to enter!

- Take a Broadway Road Trip from DC on 2/25! Click here!

Broadway Grosses* w/e 2/12/2012

2012-02-13T10:45:00-05:00

The following are the Broadway Grosses from the week ending February 12, 2012:

Show Name	GrossGross	TotalAttn	%Cap	AvgPdAdm
ANYTHING GOES	$578,531	6,515	79.37%	$88.80
CHICAGO	$401,948	5,116	59.21%	$78.57
GODSPELL	$279,878	4,368	74.29%	$64.07
HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING	$656,165	8,338	73.19%	$78.70
JERSEY BOYS	$864,895	8,471	86.23%	$102.10
MAMMA MIA!	$542,159	7,514	62.70%	$72.15
MARY POPPINS	$667,272	10,263	71.39%	$65.02
MEMPHIS	$506,683	7,543	64.14%	$67.17
OTHER DESERT CITIES	$433,404	4,901	80.50%	$88.43
PORGY AND BESS	$818,346	8,521	79.78%	$96.04
PRISCILLA QUEEN OF THE DESERT	$580,877	8,476	62.73%	$68.53
ROCK OF AGES	$396,120	4,280	91.77%	$92.55
SEMINAR	$358,861	4,594	71.42%	$78.12
SISTER ACT	$426,152	6,700	47.72%	$63.60
SPIDER-MAN TURN OFF THE DARK	$1,378,970	14,433	93.48%	$95.54
STICK FLY	$196,337	3,901	45.19%	$50.33
THE BOOK OF MORMON	$1,485,740	8,752	102.63%	$169.76
THE LION KING	$1,349,837	12,268	91.44%	$110.03
THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA	$604,378	9,302	72.45%	$64.97
THE ROAD TO MECCA	$181,398	3,187	54.80%	$56.92
VENUS IN FUR	$346,117	4,527	79.48%	$76.46
WAR HORSE	$846,659	7,507	87.78%	$112.78
WICKED	$1,508,501	14,109	97.49%	$106.92
WIT	$232,701	4,016	77.23%	$57.94
TOTAL	$15,641,927	177,602	75.27%	$83.56

*Broadway Grosses provided courtesy of The Broadway League.

The Sunday Giveaway: 2 Tickets to Venus In Fur

2012-02-12T11:00:00-05:00

She's baaaaaaack.

And when I say She, I mean, the actress that is the reason this show even opened on Broadway in the first place.

Not too long after the critics drooled all over Nina Arianda's performance in last year's Born Yesterday, a revival of David Ives' Venus In Fur was slated for The Great White Way this fall. With similar praise showered upon Ms. Arianda and the production, the limited run soon turned into an extension, that include an expensive move to another theater.

Now that's a performance that's gotta be worth seeing, right?

Well, one of you is going to see it for free!

Here's how you can win two tickets to see Nina in Venus in Fur this February:

Give me an example of a performance that was so good you'd produce the show again just to see it. And it doesn't have to even make sense. If the answer is "Robert Goulet in Camelot", then ok. Just tell me something that inspired you so much, you'd want everyone you know to see it.

I'll go first.

Raul Esparza in Tick, Tick, Boom.

Your turn!

(Got a comment? I love 'em, so comment below! Email subscribers, click here, then scroll down, to say what's on your mind!)

------

FUN STUFF:

- Take a Broadway Road Trip from DC on 2/25! Click here!

Who won the tickets to see Nick Jonas in How To Succeed?

2012-02-11T11:00:00-05:00

Whooooa! Twitter just about blew up with this week's giveaway!

There's an awful lot of peeps out there who want to see Nick Jonas strut his stuff in H2$ on the Broadway. And frankly, I'm one of them, because I hear he's grrrreat.

So who is the winner? Who's going with three of their friends and going to be the envy of all their others?

Congratulations to . . .

I'll tell you tomorrow.

Kidding, kidding.

The winner is @Mialoves1Dchi.

Congrats, Mia! Email me and we'll set you up.

(Got a comment? I love 'em, so comment below! Email subscribers, click here, then scroll down, to say what's on your mind!)

------

FUN STUFF:

- Take a Broadway Road Trip from DC on 2/25! Click here!

- SEMINAR ALERT: Get Your Show Off the Ground Seminar: 2/18. Only 2 spots left! Sign up today!