All stories by Ken Davenport on BroadwayStars

Friday, October 7, 2011

Do you want bigger fries with that? by Ken Davenport

As you probably know, especially if you're reading the Day-By-Day blog, I'm currently in tech for Godspell. Tech means two things: late nights and junk food. Last night, at just after 10 PM,…

SOURCE: The Producer's Perspective at 11:00AM
Thursday, October 6, 2011

What we can learn from the life of Steve Jobs. by Ken Davenport

I don't know if Steve Jobs ever even went to a Broadway show, but I do think he was one of the greatest Producers who ever lived. He built things the world didn't even know it needed. And he…

SOURCE: The Producer's Perspective at 11:00AM
Wednesday, October 5, 2011

A Broadway Top 40 by Ken Davenport

Every week, Ryan Seacrest counts down the Top 40, in a tradition handed to him by the shaggy-voiced Casey Casem. It's a weekly "hit-list" that I listened to as a kid, and millions …

SOURCE: The Producer's Perspective at 11:00AM
Tuesday, October 4, 2011

New Seminar: Tune Up Your Marketing Materials by Ken Davenport

If I were a statistics guy (wait a minute, I am), I'd say that 75% of the questions I get in email form and at my 'Get Your Show Off The Ground' seminars are marketing related. Specifically,…

SOURCE: The Producer's Perspective at 11:00AM
Monday, October 3, 2011

Can we Moneyball Broadway? by Ken Davenport

One of the most popular flicks of the last several weeks has been the Brad Pitt produced, Moneyball, based on the book of the same name. Simply put, Moneyball is about statistics . . . and h…

SOURCE: The Producer's Perspective at 11:00AM

Broadway Grosses* w/e 10/2/2011 by Ken Davenport

The following are the Broadway Grosses from the week ending October 2, 2011: Show Name GrossGross TotalAttn %Cap AvgPdAdm ANYTHING GOES $814,553 7,822 95.30% $104.14 BILLY ELLIOT: THE MUSICA…

SOURCE: The Producer's Perspective at 10:45AM
Sunday, October 2, 2011

The Sunday Giveaway: 2 Tickets to The Blue Flower at Second Stage. by Ken Davenport

When one of the most successful composers in musical theater history decides to make his producing debut with someone else's musical, you know something is up. That composer is none other th…

SOURCE: The Producer's Perspective at 11:00AM
Friday, September 30, 2011

How can we get people to see a show a second time? by Ken Davenport

One of the economic challenges of a long-running musical or play is that because it's pretty much the same experience, it's hard to get an audience to come back a second time (which is one o…

SOURCE: The Producer's Perspective at 11:00AM

The most popular posts of the month: September by Ken Davenport

I don't know where September went but it's g-g-g-g-gone. Let's see what interested you in what seems like the shortest month of the year. The most read post of the month: 5 Shows that Stand …

SOURCE: The Producer's Perspective at 10:30AM
Thursday, September 29, 2011

Our 4th and Final Reading of 2011 is . . . by Ken Davenport

We're going international, y'all! On December 12th at 8 PM, we'll have our final reading of the year and this time, we've gone overseas to get our subject. Martha, Martha comes to us all the…

SOURCE: The Producer's Perspective at 11:00AM
Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Is Cirque sucking up Broadway sales? by Ken Davenport

Patti LuPone should play Annie Oakley some day, because the woman is the 'straightest shooter' I've ever seen. When something's buggin' her, whether it's a photographer in a theater, or a ci…

SOURCE: The Producer's Perspective at 11:00AM
Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Actors produce in Hollywood. Why not on Broadway? by Ken Davenport

Out there in the hills of Hollywood, it's not uncommon for a movie star to take on the title of Producer, either on his or her own films or on other properties as well. Look at the current h…

SOURCE: The Producer's Perspective at 11:00AM
Monday, September 26, 2011

In a business about tourists, are we forgetting the locals? by Ken Davenport

When 65% of our audience is from "out-of-town", there's no question as to how we should overweight our marketing and product development strategies in order to achieve commercial success (if…

SOURCE: the Situation at 05:47PM

Sharing media space in the square. by Ken Davenport

Snapped this pic on Sunday eve as one of the first examples of media sharing in Times Square between two unrelated shows. This billboard (one of the baby bills in TS) first split pre-summer …

SOURCE: The Producer's Perspective at 11:00AM

Broadway Grosses* w/e 9/25/2011 by Ken Davenport

The following are the Broadway Grosses from the week ending September 25, 2011: Show Name GrossGross TotalAttn %Cap AvgPdAdm ANYTHING GOES $816,609 7,822 95.30% $104.40 BILLY ELLIOT: THE MUS…

SOURCE: The Producer's Perspective at 10:45AM
Saturday, September 24, 2011

Who won the tix to Sister Act? by Ken Davenport

Holy Nuns, batman! We had a new comment record for last week's contest with 240+ entries!!! Wowza! In case you missed it, the challenge was to rename a musical replacing one of the words wit…

SOURCE: The Producer's Perspective at 11:00AM
Friday, September 23, 2011

In a business about tourists, are we forgetting the locals? by Ken Davenport

When 65% of our audience is from "out-of-town", there's no question as to how we should overweight our marketing and product development strategies in order to achieve commercial s…

SOURCE: The Producer's Perspective at 11:00AM
Thursday, September 22, 2011

Theater things that don't make sense: Vol. 9 by Ken Davenport

I got pitched an opportunity today to be a part of a group sales catalog that was being distributed to thousands of potential group sales buyers. All that I had to do was buy an ad. Seems li…

SOURCE: The Producer's Perspective at 11:00AM
Wednesday, September 21, 2011

And the winner of this negotiation is . . . by Ken Davenport

A lot of folks out there on both sides of the bargaining table think that negotiating an actor deal or an artist deal is the same as buying a house or a car or a fake rolex on Canal Street..…

SOURCE: The Producer's Perspective at 11:00AM
Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Why older brothers make great marketers. by Ken Davenport

The secret of marketing an experience like theater is knowing how to tease. Because the price of a Broadway show can be in the triple digits, your audience needs to understand what they are …

SOURCE: The Producer's Perspective at 11:00AM
Monday, September 19, 2011

Broadway is only as good as the people in it. by Ken Davenport

When I was a kid I collected baseball cards of my favorite players. When I was a kid I had posters of my favorite movie stars on my walls. When I was a kid . . . I didn't know one Broa…

SOURCE: the Situation at 05:14PM

5 Takeaways from the Get Your Show Off The Ground Seminar. by Ken Davenport

Since we started the Get Your Show . . . seminar, I'm proud to say that we've gotten some pretty great feedback and had some pretty great success stories . . . so I'm glad that people are en…

SOURCE: The Producer's Perspective at 11:00AM

Broadway Grosses* w/e 9/18/2011 by Ken Davenport

The following are the Broadway Grosses from the week ending September 18, 2011: Show Name GrossGross TotalAttn %Cap AvgPdAdm ANYTHING GOES $815,653 7,916 96.44% $103.04 BILLY ELLIOT: THE MUS…

SOURCE: The Producer's Perspective at 10:45AM
Friday, September 16, 2011

The longest running plays don't get revived. by Ken Davenport

We often talk about the longest runnings show in Broadway history . . . Phantom, Cats, Les Miz, Chicago . . . but rarely do we talk about the longest running plays. Why? Because you wouldn't…

SOURCE: The Producer's Perspective at 11:00AM
Thursday, September 15, 2011

Broadway is only as good as the people in it. by Ken Davenport

When I was a kid I collected baseball cards of my favorite players. When I was a kid I had posters of my favorite movie stars on my walls. When I was a kid . . . I didn't know...

SOURCE: The Producer's Perspective at 11:00AM
Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Why a bump is a like a breakup. by Ken Davenport

I took a call today from a producing peer who was having a serious issue with a project. After a heck of a lot of work (a couple of years, actually), the show just blew up. It was nothing he…

SOURCE: The Producer's Perspective at 11:00AM
Tuesday, September 13, 2011

5 Shows that stand out at the NYMF by Ken Davenport

I walked home from my office on Sunday night . . . and I felt a little chill in the air. That could mean one of two things: A) I'm a little wimpy. Or B) It's time for NYMF!!! Despite...

SOURCE: The Producer's Perspective at 11:00AM
Monday, September 12, 2011

Is there a Producer Doctor in the house? by Ken Davenport

We've all heard the expression, "Show Doctor", right? You know, that Director or Writer who joins a troubled production out-of-town, or in previews, with the goal of providing the …

SOURCE: The Producer's Perspective at 11:00AM

Broadway Grosses* w/e 9/11/2011 by Ken Davenport

The following are the Broadway Grosses from the week ending September 11, 2011: Show Name GrossGross TotalAttn %Cap AvgPdAdm ANYTHING GOES $732,228 7,287 88.78% $100.48 BILLY ELLIOT: THE MUS…

SOURCE: The Producer's Perspective at 10:45AM

What we can learn from “Jersey Shore”. by Ken Davenport

Yep, believe it or not, there is something to be gained from those guidos and guidettes that have four-ways in tequila-filled jacuzzis. I watched a few minutes of the super-successful s…

SOURCE: the Situation at 10:39AM
Sunday, September 11, 2011

The Sunday GiveBACK. by Ken Davenport

In honor of the 10 year anniversary of this very tragic day in our country's history, I've decided to not have a Sunday Giveaway today. Consider it a moment of promotional silence as we hono…

SOURCE: The Producer's Perspective at 11:00AM

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