Ken Davenport - Opinions from a Broadway Producer

Broadway Grosses w/e 11/29/09

Show Name	GrossGross	TotalAttn	%Cap	AvgPdAdm
A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC	$754,236	5,859	89.90%	$128.73
A STEADY RAIN	$1,199,574	8,666	101.14%	$138.42
AFTER MISS JULIE	$211,997	4,490	75.84%	$47.22
BILLY ELLIOT: THE MUSICAL	$1,574,502	11,368	100.00%	$138.50
BURN THE FLOOR	$311,317	4,317	51.69%	$72.11
BYE BYE BIRDIE	$796,620	8,000	97.47%	$99.58
CHICAGO	$576,139	6,699	77.53%	$86.00
FELA!	$510,371	7,114	86.33%	$71.74
FINIAN'S RAINBOW	$573,110	7,337	53.92%	$78.11
GOD OF CARNAGE	$506,133	5,243	60.80%	$96.53
HAIR	$888,940	8,965	79.36%	$99.16
HAMLET	$947,424	8,849	94.22%	$107.07
IN THE HEIGHTS	$741,437	7,426	68.00%	$99.84
IN THE NEXT ROOM OR THE VIBRATOR PLAY	$150,727	3,430	47.69%	$43.94
IRVING BERLIN'S WHITE CHRISTMAS	$753,035	7,777	53.51%	$96.83
JERSEY BOYS	$1,323,745	9,830	100.55%	$134.66
MAMMA MIA!	$972,818	9,862	82.29%	$98.64
MARY POPPINS	$1,068,271	11,666	81.15%	$91.57
MEMPHIS	$613,940	7,468	63.50%	$82.21
NEXT TO NORMAL	$375,858	4,676	75.71%	$80.38
OLEANNA	$129,778	2,060	32.03%	$63.00
RACE	$448,415	5,696	67.30%	$78.72
RAGTIME	$555,314	6,351	55.95%	$87.44
ROCK OF AGES	$640,634	6,392	80.14%	$100.22
SHREK THE MUSICAL	$1,025,635	10,551	76.10%	$97.21
SOUTH PACIFIC	$805,444	7,580	91.02%	$106.26
SUPERIOR DONUTS	$215,339	3,352	42.28%	$64.24
THE 39 STEPS	$184,861	2,543	53.97%	$72.69
THE LION KING	$1,693,074	13,239	100.05%	$127.89
THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA	$1,017,013	10,934	84.63%	$93.01
THE ROYAL FAMILY	$161,070	3,456	66.46%	$46.61
WEST SIDE STORY	$1,206,235	11,334	83.49%	$106.43
WICKED	$2,086,135	14,472	100.00%	$144.15
WISHFUL DRINKING	$293,221	5,726	71.29%	$51.21
TOTAL	$25,312,358	252,728	74.86%	$92.07

The 2nd Annual Producer’s Perspective Social!

Last year, I invited all of my readers to mingle offline at our first PP social, and we had a blast.  So, we’re doing it again!

On Thursday, December 10th, I’m inviting all of you to come join me in celebrating the holidays, and the theater in general, at The 2nd Annual Producer’s Perspective Social.

Just like last year, I’m buying the first round for each of you.  And we’ll have door prizes, including free tickets to Broadway shows like Mamma Mia, Memphis, Finian’s Rainbow as well as Broadway merch from my friends at The Broadway Store and Sh-K Boom/Ghostlight Records.

And for the grand prize, I’m giving away my newest favorite toy . . . The Kindle!

So come on down to Hurley's Saloon the Time Out Lounge at New World Stages on Thursday, December 10th at 6:30.  Say hello to me and to your fellow readers, who include Producers, Writers, Designers, Actors, Union reps and more.  We’ll talk shop and network and share stories from the past year and talk about the exciting stuff that is in store for all of us in 2010. 

Here are the deets:

Thursday, December 10th.
6:30 – 8:00 PM

UPDATE: Due to the overwhelming response, we've moved the event to a larger venue!  

Hurley's Saloon-2nd floor

232 West 48th Street (betw. Broadway and 8th)
Time Out Lounge at New World Stages
340 West 50th St. (betw. 8th and 9th aves)

To RSVP, email my assistant Melissa at melissa@davenporttheatrical.com.  She’ll need your full name.  

Feel free to spread the word to your friends but they will have to RSVP on their own.  No plus ones.  

FYI, space is limited so RSVPs are essential.  We had a terrific response last year and we did have to stop taking RSVPs so if you’re coming, RSVP today.

See you there!

10 Great gifts for the Producer in your life.

 Happy Black Friday! 

People are in line and online today, looking for great holiday gift ideas for their family and friends.  But what to you get for that odd bird in your nest that is or wants to be a Producer?

Here is a list of 10 gift ideas for those folks with shows on the boards, or for the Producers-to-be out there. 

And if you are a Producer, just email this list to your family and friends and tell them that it's their civic responsibility to do their part in stimulating the economy . . . by buying you everything on it. 

1.  The Abominable Showman:  The Unauthorized David Merrick Biography

David Merrick is to Broadway shows as Henry Ford is to automobiles.  Read all about how Merrick became the powerhouse that he was.  This bio is like a training manual of both what to do and what not to do.

2.  A subscription to Variety

Newspapers may be dead, but the weekly Variety is still a treat for Broadway Producers.  They may put us in the back of the mag, but anyone that titles the theater section "Legit" is worth a subscription in my book.

3.  The Kindle

Here's the bigger ticket item on the list that's worth 100x its weight.  In addition to reading more books, I'm now reading more scripts, thanks to the awesome PDF feature on my Kindle.  I took 8 scripts with me on a recent weekend away, all stored in my kindle.  If I had taken them by themselves, I would have had to check an extra bag (in a crazy way, the Kindle is already paying for itself!). 

4.  The CTI 3-Day Intensive

The 3-Day intensive taught by the Commercial Theatre Institute is a great primer for those looking to get a taste of what it means to be Producer.  CTI is the equivalent of teaching a man to fish.

5.  A Telecharge Gift Card

Yep!  You heard it right!  Telecharge finally has gift cards!  Woo-woo!  Celebrate by picking one up for your mini-Merrick.  My biggest regret as a Producer is that I didn't see enough shows as I was coming up.  It's expensive, as we all know, so help defray some of the costs with some good old fashioned tickets. 

6.  A subscription to the NY Lottery

Win the lotto and you could actually produce Spider Man all by yourself!  Hey, someone wins, right?  Why not you? And we all like to gamble, right?  Why else would we be in this biz.

7. A Donation to TDF's Open Doors program

This great program subsidizes high schools kids coming to the theater.  R&H told us that you have to be carefully taught, and TDF teaches better than anyone.

8. The Wii

We all need a little distraction, right?  

9.  A Domain Name

The key to web marketing is to start early.  Start your producer early with a GoDaddy starter kit.

10.  The iPhone

No list of mine is ever complete without the iPhone.  Sure, AT&T sucks more than Moose Murders, but carrying music demos of shows in a killer web phone that has an app-game where you can produce We Will Rock You is something I'm telling Santa that I want.

10 Things this Producer is thankful for this Thanksgiving.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! 

I love holidays.  Family, food, and big box office numbers.  Mmm, mmm, good.

In addition to being thankful for the flock of tourists coming to town from now through New Year's, here is a list of my ten other theatrical thankfuls this year.

1.  The Producers of Avenue Q had the courage to try an unprecedented downsize with their move Off-Broadway.  By doing so they kept over 50 people employed and just may have opened up a whole new 'avenue' of distribution for Broadway shows of a certain size.

2.  I got the rights to a book called Miss Abigail's Guide to Dating, Mating and Marriage.  It'll be the female version of Defending The Caveman.  Give me 12 months max, and it'll be up.

3. I moved into a new office, and already it feels like we're ready for something bigger.  Offices are like aquariums . . . always get the bigger one, because when you get it home, you're going to want it.

4. The Independent Theater Bloggers Association (The ITBA) was formed and now has 40+ members!  The bod chose a group of award winners for the 2008-2009 season, and at the same time just may have unofficially declared the start of the new media revolution in the theatrical industry.

5.  My Dad had a subdural hematoma, had emergency brain surgery, and is now better than ever (ok, that's not theatrical, but if anything deserved a standing ovation on this list, it would be this one).

6.  Thanks in part to new management and in part to NPH, the Tony Awards ratings were up 20% in key demos!

7.  My investors, as well as a whole slew of theatrical investors, stayed in the theatrical waters this past year, despite the choppy economy.  They understand that investing in the theater is like investing in the market.   Diversify, stay in the game, and the one that we're all waiting for will come.

8.  Michael Riedel at the NY Post mentioned the BroadwaySpace.com "50 Most Powerful People on Broadway" article in his column not once, but twice.  I'm thankful that I only commissioned the article and didn't write it, because I heard there were some really happy people and some really peeved people.

9.  Leslie Arden signed on to write music and lyrics for Somewhere In Time.  After several years of searching for the right person, I found her.  I felt like Richard Collier himself.  The first reading will take place in the summer of 2010, if not sooner. 

10.  Finally, I'm thankful for my readers.  Not only have you multipled over the last 12 months, but the comments and discussions that are emerging on the blog are exactly why I started writing in the first place.  We're increasing the volume of the conversation about making Broadway, Off-Broadway and theater in general work, both artistically and financially.  And when we do that, we all benefit.

And now I'll sign off this entry with the same Kenism I used last year:

Enjoy your T-day. Just remember . . .

Eat a turkey.  Don't produce one.

Stock and Amateur is the way to a "living" . . . but for whom?

There was a great article on the front page (!) of Variety this week (it's rare that a theater story gets the cover) about the life after Broadway for musicals that may not have been so well received by The White Way.  (To be honest, the article seemed like a byline from a Dreamworks exec, because the article began by stating how DWorks was set to recover a chunk of their $26 million capitalization through national tours and high schools, therefore not making the past year and a half a total loss.)

The article went on to give specific examples of how a bunch of theatrical writers have earned a great deal of cash from shows that, for lack of a better word, flopped on Broadway.  Some of the shows mentioned were All Shook Up, Footloose, Seussical, and The Wedding Singer. 

Apparently, the success of the post-Broadway life of these shows has afforded the very talented writers of these musicals to keep on keeping on as theatrical writers.  Let's all be thankful this Thanksgiving week for that!  Good writers writing is better for all of us.

But there is one thing about the article that bugged me a bit.

In the third paragraph, the author writes . . .

Community theaters and high school productions don't produce the instant big bucks of Broadway and tours, but the royalties paid to creatives, producers and investors are pure profit . . .

Uhhh, hold up.  

Profit to Producers?  I'm not so sure about that.

Let's break down how this works a little more specifically.

Producer finds show.  Producer produces show.  Show fails on Broadway for what could be one or several of a billion reasons:  bad show, bad producing, bad timing, bad whatever.  Whatever the reason, investors lose millions.

There is much sadness.

(Now here's where the Variety article comes in.)

Stock and amateur rights are sold to a company like Samuel French or MTI.

In most cases, the Authors receive 60% of all monies.  The show receives the other 40%.  (Sometimes this can be 70/30 or 50/50, depending on the number of years this agreement is in place.  At some point, however, the Authors will receive 100%).


So where does that 40% go?  Well, if the show has not recouped, then it goes straight to the investors in an effort to get them paid back. 

In the case of most flops, as evidenced by the article's description of the current financial situation of Footloose (hasn't recouped despite healthy licensing), the shows still never recoup.

Since Producers only really make money when the shows recoup, this means that despite taking the risk in the first place, despite mounting the production that got the Stock and Amateur companies interested in the first place, the Producers get zip.

Doesn't that seem a bit counter-intuitive?

And what if I added to his fact that it has become more traditional lately that Directors (on original musicals, mostly) get a piece of the S&A for their contribution to the long term viability of the show.

So here's my question . . . 

It truly is fantastic that the S&A money can keep our writers writing by helping to pay their rent or buy a 2nd home.  I want these guys working on shows so I can produce them.

But if the Producers aren't getting anything to help pay their rent after a show flops, what is keeping them Producing? 

Is this one of the main reasons why there are more career writers than career Producers?

Here's my proposal:

Producers should get a small negotiated percentage (the exact number to be determined based on who originated the project, how much was completed before the Producer came on board) of all monies received by the Authors from stock and amateur . . . until recoupment. 

I don't want it forever.  If a show recoups, I'm good.  Keep it.  We're all gonna be ok. 

But if it doesn't, Producers deserve a small piece to help keep them in the game.  Just like we are all better off with writers writing, we're all better off with Producers producing.

Otherwise, Producers who produce shows that cost them money, time and investors (ever tried to raise money from a group of people after a show flops?), aren't going to be too happy reading articles like this one.

If you were a Producer on one of the shows mentioned, how would you feel?

 

Broadway's 2nd Quarter results: The season is half over. How we doin'?

It's that time already, can you believe it?  Seems like just yesterday we were BBQing in our backyards and taking Summer Fridays.  

And now look . . .

The temp has dropped, it gets dark at 4:30, and the Radio City Christmas Show is kicking again.  You know what that means?

We've reached the end of the 2nd Quarter of our Broadway Fiscal Year.

Week #26 of the Broadway season ended on Sunday, so let's check and see how we're doing!

Total gross sales for Quarter #2 were $242,217,564, which is UP (!) 5.9% over last year's Q2 posting of $227,836,554.

All I have to say to this bit of news is thank you Mr. Jackman, Mr. Craig and Mr. Law (and the retiring company of God of Carnage, don't forget).

So, we're winning the second furlong, but where does this put us for the entire horse race of a season?

As you'll remember from our Q1 analysis, our gross was down 3.2% and attendance was down a gi-normous 9.6%.  Thanks to our strong Q2, we've picked up ground.

The season gross tally thus far is $500,376.907, or up a marginal .4%.

Unfortunately, the disturbing spread in our gross and our attendance remains.

Last season we had put 6,125,872 butts in the seats.  This year, we've only put 5,806,155. 

How will we do in Q3? 

Unfortunately, I'm predicting some more slippage.  We will lose some ground over the next 13 weeks.  Those giant super power plays disappear soon, and I don't see any other million-dollar shows on the horizon, do you?  And the shows killing with the critics (Ragtime, Finian's) haven't yet exploded at the BO.  (Sign of the economic times, or are the critics losing power even faster than we thought).

We need a big fat musical hit. 

Will it be this?

Broadway Grosses w/e 11/22/09

Show Name	GrossGross	TotalAttn	%Cap	AvgPdAdm
A STEADY RAIN	$1,170,859	8,645	100.90%	$135.44
AFTER MISS JULIE	$229,019	4,364	73.72%	$52.48
BILLY ELLIOT: THE MUSICAL	$1,297,066	10,768	94.72%	$120.46
BURN THE FLOOR	$320,485	5,660	67.77%	$56.62
BYE BYE BIRDIE	$592,404	7,768	94.64%	$76.26
CHICAGO	$405,115	5,322	61.60%	$76.12
FELA!	$249,610	6,888	95.53%	$36.24
FINIAN'S RAINBOW	$532,291	8,546	62.80%	$62.29
GOD OF CARNAGE	$497,779	5,392	62.52%	$92.32
HAIR	$596,302	7,095	62.81%	$84.05
HAMLET	$934,627	9,074	96.61%	$103.00
IN THE HEIGHTS	$525,294	6,620	60.62%	$79.35
IN THE NEXT ROOM OR THE VIBRATOR PLAY	$143,731	4,427	61.55%	$32.47
IRVING BERLIN'S WHITE CHRISTMAS	$534,443	7,407	57.33%	$72.15
JERSEY BOYS	$1,149,626	9,823	100.48%	$117.03
MAMMA MIA!	$743,680	8,955	74.72%	$83.05
MARY POPPINS	$658,797	9,718	67.60%	$67.79
MEMPHIS	$640,437	9,287	78.97%	$68.96
NEXT TO NORMAL	$341,883	4,619	74.79%	$74.02
OLEANNA	$149,424	2,769	43.05%	$53.96
RACE	$519,352	7,204	85.11%	$72.09
RAGTIME	$419,359	6,734	59.32%	$62.27
ROCK OF AGES	$560,631	6,391	80.13%	$87.72
SHREK THE MUSICAL	$580,238	8,033	57.94%	$72.23
SOUTH PACIFIC	$651,648	6,512	78.19%	$100.07
SUPERIOR DONUTS	$222,868	3,477	43.86%	$64.10
THE 39 STEPS	$142,276	2,599	55.16%	$54.74
THE LION KING	$1,191,066	11,635	87.93%	$102.37
THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA	$655,516	8,412	65.11%	$77.93
THE ROYAL FAMILY	$201,887	3,353	64.48%	$60.21
WEST SIDE STORY	$949,737	10,162	74.85%	$93.46
WICKED	$1,430,006	13,343	92.20%	$107.17
WISHFUL DRINKING	$385,078	6,389	79.54%	$60.27
TOTAL	$19,622,530	237,391	73.23%	$77.54

Advice from an Expert: Vol. XIII. What is The Broadway League?

I mentioned The Broadway League in a post recently, and a new reader dropped me a note asking just what the heck "The League" was. 

I was in the middle of composing my own response, when I realized that I had a few questions about the League and its history myself.  So I decided to call in an Expert for all the answers!  

So, here she is, Ms. Charlotte St. Martin, the Executive Director of The Broadway League (and #19 on BroadwaySpace.com's list of Broadway's Most Powerful People) with a guest blog on The League.

- - - - -

In 1930 the brand new League of NY Theatres stated in a document called "The Primer of the League of NY Theatres"  that "a new stimulus is being given to the Theatre in general as a result of the formation of the League.  While that was 79 years ago, it would be safe to say that the League still does that.  And the purpose of the League at that time, "that the public may be assured of better theatrical conditions, greater convenience in purchasing theatre tickets and a vigorous policy by the Members of the League to place the American theatre in that high position which it deserves to hold in the community" would still hold true today and would be a great mission statement today, as well as then. 

Other stated purposes at that time are still quite relevant today. 

- To eliminate theatre ticket speculation and to protect the public from the exorbitant charges made by ticket brokers for desirable locations. 
- To make theatre going easy for the public. 
- To make it possible for the public to buy tickets for good seats at theatre box offices. 

Even though our name was different then, it is not without merit to mention that one of the key goals of The Broadway League today is not so dissimilar. We have a committee that has been working on an initiative to educate consumers on a national level about "How to buy a ticket from the official sources of Broadway" to insure that our theatregoers are getting what they pay for!

In addition to New York producers and theatre owners,  members of The Broadway League also include the presenters of Broadway in over 150 cities and 250 venues across the country. The organization is a member-driven trade association representing the commercial theatre industry in those areas most important to them including: 

1.  Labor

We negotiate with the 14 unions representing Broadway in NYC.

2.  Marketing and Branding 

Through audience development programs such as Broadway on Broadway, Kids' Night on Broadway and Back 2 Broadway, one of our key goals is to introduce new audiences to theatre through education and opportunities to experience live theatre.  In addition, another key goal is to differentiate a Broadway show from other forms of live entertainment, and the branding campaign launched last year entitled "Now that's Broadway" is the face of that initiative.

3.  Government Relations

We communicate the needs of commercial theatre with our local, state and national elected officials.  Whether we are working on improving the traffic pattern for NYC, or fighting the attack on our wireless devices with the FCC, we are there to represent the needs of our members. A key new initiative is to work with our lobbyists in Washington D.C. to create tax incentives for the producers of commercial theatre, which ultimately creates a significant number of jobs across the country.

4.  Conferences and Forums

We host meetings, conferences, forums, and other types of events which are opportunities for our members to learn, network and solve industry challenges.

5.  Research

We maintain historical data on individual playhouses and productions - the Internet Broadway Database (www.IBDB.com). The League is "the" source of information about commercial theatre that is important to our members. We collect weekly box office grosses for Broadway and Touring Broadway, and provide research reports on the demographics of the Broadway and Touring Broadway audiences as well as Broadway's economic impact.

6.  Tony Awards

As co-presenter of the annual Tony Awards which are aired on CBS-TV, the awards recognize excellence and provide national exposure for Broadway.

Over the years we have been quite active in a variety of issues. We convinced the N.Y. State Legislature to drop proposed draconian censorship laws, spearheaded a boycott of segregated playhouses, fought McCarthyism and the Hollywood blacklist by refusing to shutter productions because of artists' political views,  collaborated with the theatrical unions and the City of New York to create a pension plan for Broadway employees, plus so much more. 

The more things change, the more they remain the same? No!  Perhaps our mission in fulfilling the needs of our members and theatregoers has remained the same.  But as those needs became more complex and diverse, so has the evolution of our organization into a modern way of thinking and one that yields positive results to better our industry.

- - - - -

For more information on The League, including how to become a member, visit www.BroadwayLeague.com 

 

The Shubert stimulus package.

Earlier this week, the theatrical royal family known as The Shuberts announced an unprecedented three year development deal with two commercial producers, Frederick Zollo and Robert Cole.  Zollo and Cole (has a nice ring, doesn't it?) have been responsible for a bunch of shows between them including Angels in America, Chitty² Bang², and, this season, they teamed up like the Wonder Twins to produce a little event known as A Steady Rain.

The deal seems pretty simple.  Zollo and Cole get three years to develop projects and get dibs at Shubert theaters (one of the most challenging issues facing producers is how to develop a show without knowing if it will get a theater).  This first-look deal guarantees Z&C that their shows will have a home, and gives their artists the security that their work will be seen on a Shubert stage.  In addition, the Shuberts get first chance to invest, and they've given the guys some nice offices in the castle on 44th St.

What's exciting about this deal is its similarity to the movie model.  The Shuberts have forged a relationship with producers that they trust, respect and that have done well for them; guaranteed them "distribution" (theater availability); and pledged financial support if the product is something they are interested in.  While the guys aren't necessarily hired guns that are being paid to develop product, they have been given an incredible public demonstration of confidence and support from the largest landlord in the theatrical world.  

Independent producers are so often out there on their own, flailing in the wind, trying to drum up interest for projects from artists, investors, etc,.and that is getting harder to do considering how risky of a proposition Broadway is.  When a producer can say that they have a contractual relationship with The Shuberts for developing new material that guarantees them a theater and possible investment, that goes a long way. 

Look, Z&C are smart, successful, and powerful producers in their own right, so I'm sure they didn't have problems getting their phone calls returned before this deal.  Still, I'd bet that they go up a few notches on everyone's call list now.

This is a bold move, and a great one.  Let's hope it's successful for everyone, because if it is . . . they'll be looking for more Producers to fill the offices in Shubert Castle.

My suggestion for the next deal?  Get someone from the Roth generation.

Movie sites versus theater sites. What do you visit?

I went to see Paranormal Activity last week (a must-see thriller, by the way, for the story in the movie and the story behind the movie).  

There were 167.4 previews of upcoming attractions before PA began, and each one of them ended with the customary web address that I could visit to get more info on each movie.  

As I heard website after website, I asked myself two questions:

1.  Why do movie sites use dashes so often?  (e.g. www.paranormalactivity-movie.com)  Is it because they are late on getting the domains?  (shame, shame, you should have read this, movie companies).  Is it because they believe the rumor that the words broken by dashes helps your SEO?  

2.  Why don't I visit movie sites before seeing a movie?

This was the big one.  

I spend hours in front of my computer.  And before I do anything these days, from taking a trip to buying a fan to choosing interns, I'm googling everything I can about the subject at hand, and visiting the primary website for said subject.

Except for movies.

Huh.  

I go to show websites all the time, though.  Weird.  Well, maybe not so weird.  I'm in the business, right?  Of course I visit show websites more often than movie websites.

Maybe that's why. Or maybe not.  I'm confused!

So let's ask people not in the business!

I wanted to ask the general theatergoing public what they did before seeing movies and shows, so with a little help from my friends at Audience Rewards, we posed the following questions to a bunch of audience members who see both movies and theater, and here are the results:

Before seeing a movie, do you visit a movie's website?

Only 6% said all the time.

Before seeing a show, do you visit a show's website?

23% said all the time. 

Quite a difference.

Why such a difference?  Is it because the places to buy tickets for movies (e.g. Fandango, Moviefone, etc.) have all the info we need, and then some?  Is it because a movie ticket is so cheap, audience members don't feel the need to do as much research since there's not as much at risk?  

I'm not sure.

But one thing I am sure about . . . if 23% of our audience members are visiting a website before seeing a show, we better make sure our websites are kickin'.  We have a huge opportunity to not only convert a customer, but to keep a customer.

What about you?  Do you visit movie sites with more/less or the same frequency that you visit theater sites?

Let's do our own survey in the comment section of this blog (email subscribers, visit here to comment).