Ken Davenport - Opinions from a Broadway Producer

Broadway Vocab 101. Words used to describe numbers.

I threw out a word a few weeks ago that prompted a reader to pop me an email and ask, "What the fiorello does XXXXX mean?"

So, in an attempt to prevent future emails like that from readers (and future bad musical-cussing puns from me), I thought I'd introduce a new feature on The Producer's Perspective, called Broadway Vocabulary.  

I remember hearing Broadway-specific terms for the first time when I started working in the biz, and not having a clue what they meant, and being too shy to ask (my staff all just did a spit-take at the thought of me being too shy).  

In case any of you have the just-starting-out-shy-gene, this feature is for you. (Oh, and get over the shy stuff, by the way.  Channel your inner two-year-old and ask, ask, ask and you'll learn, learn, and earn!)

The first set of terms we will tackle are all related to the figures that Broadway producers examine on a daily, and sometimes hourly basis, depending upon when the show is opening and upon how OCD the producer is.

Hear are five Broadway Box Office terms: 

WRAP (noun and verb):  The dollar amount of ticket sales in a fixed period of a time, usually daily.  It includes tickets sold for performances that day (if any) as well as all performances in the future.  ex. Did you see yesterday's wrap?  How much did we wrap yesterday?  If our wraps don't go up, I'm going to wrap myself in a box and mail myself to Portugal.

ADVANCE (noun):  The dollar amount of ticket sales for all future performances of a show.  ex.  Who has a higher advance - Addams Family or American Idiot?  I don't know, but Wicked's advance is higher than the GDP of a small independent nation!

GROSS (noun and verb):  The total dollar amount of tickets sold before any deductions (see NET below) for a specific number of performances, usually weekly or daily.  ex.  How much did Miracle Worker gross during its first full week of previews?  When did the Broadway League start reporting the Gross figures?  If our grosses don't go up, I'm going to wrap myself in a box and mail myself to Portugal.

NET (noun and verb):  The total dollar amount of tickets sold after standard box office deductions (e.g. credit card commissions, group sales commissions, ticket printing fees, etc.), for a specific number of performances, usually weekly or daily.  ex.  How much did Miracle Worker net during its first full week of previews?  When did The Broadway League start reporting the net figures as opposed to the gross?  If we weren't overcharged for Credit Card Commissions, our net would be much closer to our gross.)

NAGBOR (noun):  pronounced "Nag-Bore".  An acronym for Net Adjusted Gross Box Office Receipts, or just a fancy way to say NET.  

If there's a word you want broken down in the next Broadway Vocab, just pop me an email.  

I promise I won't tell you to Fosse-off. 

What I learned about writing from a stand-up comedian.

Stand-up comics have it hard.

They could be the hardest working performers in the world.

They not only have to perform at the top of their game, they have to write all their own material.  Whereas an actor gets a script, and a playwright gets actors, comics compose, and perform.  

It's a high-pressure profession.  (Side note: for some great insight on the life of a stand-up comedian, Netflix or buy the documentary, Comedian, starring Jerry Seinfeld.  A great movie about how even someone like Jerry struggles for success.)

Since comedians have to be some of the most prolific writers around, I thought a stand-up was the perfect person to talk to about how they develop "material" of any sort.

When I asked a good stand-up comic buddy o' mine how he came up with so much great material, he pointed me to a book that he read when he was starting out, called The New Comedy Writing Step by Step by three time Emmy-award winner Gene Perret.

I read it last weekend and found a section that I thought you'd all enjoy.

In a passage entitled "Shortcuts to Humor," Mr. Perret identifies six bullet point reminders on how to generate good material:

• Reflect the truth
• Relax tension
• Shock
• Attack authority
• Involve the audience
• Just be funny

What's interesting to me about this list is that, except for the last one, it seems like a recipe for great playwrighting, not just great joke-writing.  

Comics are mini-playwrights . . . which is why so many of them go on to create television shows around their lives (Roseanne, Ray Romano, etc.), and we can learn from them.

So next time you're passing through Times Square and someone asks if you if you "like stand-up comedy" and tries to sell you a packet of 3 shows for $5 . . . maybe you should actually go.

10 Questions for a Broadway Pro. Volume 1: A Broadway Mad Man.

Today on The Producer's Perspective we're introducing a brand new feature, which is a spin-off on my Advice From An Expert articles.  

In "10 Questions for a Broadway Pro," I ask . . . yep . . . a Broadway Industry Professional 10 Questions!  

We'll talk to all sorts of people involved in the modern theater and get their perspective on their job, their role in the biz and what they'd like to see change.  We're gonna hear from Casting Directors, Marketing Directors, Press Agents, and more (let me know if there is a position you'd like to hear from).

The inspiration for this feature came from my first gig on a Broadway show.  I was the Production Assistant on the Barry and Fran Weissler revival of My Fair Lady, starring Richard Chamberlain and a 23-year-old Melissa Errico.  My duties included everything from getting Richard his fresh-off-the-bone turkey sandwiches to typing up the rehearsal schedule on a Mac Classic.  

And it was one of the greatest times of my life.  

The best part about the gig was that I was exposed to a whole bunch of people and positions that I never knew existed before.  The job gave me a chance to see who was pulling the curtain strings of Broadway . . . and made me realize that I was even more excited about being behind-the-scenes rather than in them (I was on the actor-track).

I used to ask everyone involved in the show questions about what they did. Thanks to their answers, I learned so much about what I wanted to do and what I didn't want to do.

So, I thought I'd give you a virtual experience of what I went through back then, and introduce you to not only the biggest players on Broadway whose names aren't on the marquees, but also help us all understand what exactly they do on a day-to-day basis.

First up is one of Broadway's own Mad Men, Drew Hodges, the founder and CEO of SpotCo, one of the two Broadway heavyweight ad agencies.  (Drew also happens to be #21 on BroadwaySpace.com's 50 Most Powerful People.)  

Having sat in many an ad meeting with Drew, I can tell you that he's one of a very rare hybrid that combines incredible business acumen with unbridled creativity.    

Without further ado, here are 10 Questions with Drew!  
  

1.    What is your title?

Founder, SpotCo Advertising

2.    What show/shows are you currently working on?

Next Fall, Million Dollar Quartet, La Cage, Memphis, A Behanding in Spokane, Chicago, The Pee Wee Herman Show, Priscilla Queen of the Desert, Hair, A View From the Bridge, Billy Elliot, Fences, Time Stands Still, Red, In The Heights,  The 39 Steps, Avenue Q, West Side Story, Come Fly Away, Lips Together Teeth Apart, Present Laughter, The Miracle Worker, Blue Man Group, Radio City Christmas Spectacular, Love Never Dies.  In no particular order.

3.    In one sentence, describe your job.

We create identities and sell tickets for live theatrical events.

4.    What skills are necessary for a person in your position?

Creativity, marketing, problem solving, humility, humor, and fast thinking.

5.    What kind of training did you go through to get to your position?

I owned my own design studio doing advertising and design for entertainment - film, cable, and the recording industry - for 12 years. Before that, I got a BFA in Graphic Design from the School of Visual Arts.

6.    What was your first job in theater?

I did the poster for The Destiny of Me, the sequel to The Normal Heart for Tom Viola and Roger McFarland.  It's a portrait of my right hand.

7.    Why do you think theater is important?

It creates joy and outrage, both often when we need it most.

8.    What is your profession's greatest challenge today?

Conservatism, and too many cooks.

9.    If you could change just one thing about the industry with the wave of a magic wand, what would it be?

That every challenge be met with humor and poise, rather than blame.  The team is always better when unified and caring.

10.    What advice would you give to someone who wanted to do what you do?

If you wanted to work in advertising for theater, there are several paths to take.  If you are a graphic designer, video editor, web designer, etc., we just look for a great portfolio that has vibrancy, a sense of humor as a person, and the ability to move fast.  A love of theater is not essential, and often times, I like that people bring a more diverse palette to our Broadway materials.  If you wanted to be an account person, a writer, etc., a passion for theater is a great help.  A sense of marketing, or marketing courses as a background are nice.  We have several people from the BMI workshop, and the producing program at Columbia.  We also have people who have worked at other more traditional ad agencies, and that knowledge can be a huge help, when combined with the joy (or the heartbreak) of theater.

Because Drew is the kind of guy that always goes a little further in everything he does, he also answered a bonus question.  When asked what kind of advice he would give to someone that wanted to be a Producer, he answered as follows:
 

Surround yourself with the best people, and be willing to understand that every friend you have will tell you your project is perfect.  You need to listen to real people, and if your advance is falling, people don't like it as much as you think.  The opposite is also true- if your advance is climbing, no matter how slowly, people are genuinely loving your show and you should keep going.
 

Want to hear more expert advice from Drew but don't have a show that he can advertise yet?  Listen to some of his American Theatre Wing panels here.    

Broadway's 3rd Quarter results: The final furlong begins.

We've rounded the last turn on this Broadway season.  There are just thirteen weeks to go before we put another one in the books.

But will this one go in the record books?

It looks like the answer is yes . . . for two very different reasons.

At the end of the third quarter, our grosses are still up a fractional .5% over last year's numbers.  If we can hold on to that itsy-bitsy growth, Broadway will have another record-grossing year.  

To be honest, I thought we'd have dropped into negative territory this quarter, but we managed to hold steady. How?  Remember those 2 million dollar Wicked weeks?  Our biggest hits, including Wicked and J-Boys, mastered variable and premium pricing this year, and made up for the big grossing shows (Steady Rain, Hamlet, etc.) that came and went.

On the other end of the spectrum, our attendance is still down an unfortunate 4% from last year, which means my pre-season prediction of a drop in seasonal attendance for the third year in a row looks to be as sure as a Tony nom for Liev Schreiber.  Why will this drop go in the record books?  It's the third drop in a row, and that hasn't happened in 25 years.  (To cut us some slack, this last year we were in the midst of a slight economic crisis, in case any of you haven't heard.)

But we've still got one quarter left, and a couple of big musicals in big houses yet to open, not to mention all those plays.  Maybe we'll see a turnaround?

As we head into the final furlong, I'll be cheering hard for a come-from-behind win at the wire.  But I'm not rooting for the grosses to go up . . . it's that attendance figure I want to even out.

Unfortunately, that one's a real long shot.

Broadway Grosses w/e 2/21/10

Show Name	GrossGross	TotalAttn	%Cap	AvgPdAdm
A BEHANDING IN SPOKANE	$455,335	7,340	85.67%	$62.03
A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC	$485,701	6,751	90.64%	$71.94
A VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE	$880,386	8,763	101.52%	$100.47
BILLY ELLIOT: THE MUSICAL	$1,190,501	10,865	95.58%	$109.57
CHICAGO	$537,616	7,085	82.00%	$75.88
FELA!	$571,753	7,948	96.46%	$71.94
GOD OF CARNAGE	$401,766	5,904	68.46%	$68.05
HAIR	$699,728	9,443	83.60%	$74.10
IN THE HEIGHTS	$728,321	8,845	82.26%	$82.34
JERSEY BOYS	$1,145,386	9,865	100.42%	$116.11
LOOPED	$94,462	2,190	59.77%	$43.13
MAMMA MIA!	$855,846	10,900	90.95%	$78.52
MARY POPPINS	$933,852	12,131	84.38%	$76.98
MEMPHIS	$658,350	10,432	88.71%	$63.11
NEXT FALL	$102,609	3,219	78.07%	$31.88
NEXT TO NORMAL	$353,909	5,690	92.13%	$62.20
PRESENT LAUGHTER	$296,348	5,228	88.31%	$56.68
RACE	$481,692	5,960	70.42%	$80.82
ROCK OF AGES	$611,565	7,796	97.74%	$78.45
SOUTH PACIFIC	$623,420	6,701	80.46%	$93.03
THE LION KING	$1,454,918	13,190	99.68%	$110.30
THE MIRACLE WORKER	$256,258	5,561	90.04%	$46.08
THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA	$916,411	11,738	90.85%	$78.07
TIME STANDS STILL	$329,808	5,126	98.58%	$64.34
WEST SIDE STORY	$1,087,016	13,075	96.31%	$83.14
WICKED	$1,602,783	14,472	100.00%	$110.75
TOTAL	$17,755,739	216,218	88.19%	$76.54

Someone that you don't know may want to give you money for your project.

One of the most FAQ I get is "How do I raise money for my show?"

While raising money seems like one of the greatest challenges you will face, it's not.  Creating a great show is a lot harder than raising money for it (and if you do the creation right, the raising part will be easier than passing Obama's Health Care plan if Scott Brown wasn't in office).

Raising money takes creativity, like our ladies involved in the "Producer Off" (who, by the way, lost a pair of oven mitts last week . . . it's getting steamy over there).

There are people out there that will fund anything.  Think about it.  Imagine the worst show, the worst art exhibit, the worst book, restaurant, movie, product, etc. that you have ever paid for.  Someone invested in it or donated to make it happen.  And if those crap-tastic things can find funding, certainly you can, too!

I call this The Moose Murders Factor.  And I remind myself of this mantra whenever I start searching for the right people to invest in my shows.

They're out there . . . you just have to find them.

Here's a website that's trying to help folks like you find funders.

It's called Kickstarter.com and it's a self-proclaimed "funding platform for artists, designers, filmmakers, musicians, journalists, inventors, explorers . . . "

Here's how it works:

You post a project with a fundraising goal.  People see it (and you push people to it). People fund it, sometimes a dollar at a time.  You reach your goal, you get the cash.  You don't reach your goal, you get zilch (this more or less guarantees the funders that your project will be completed).

Pretty simple, right? (You can read more about it here.)

The biggest catch is that Kickstarter isn't open to everyone yet.  Projects are accepted by invitation only.  But, it was founded by a guy in Brooklyn, so I figure if we can't find some invites, we can all just go bang on his door until he spreads some love to Producer's Perspective readers.

My only other annoyance?  Theater isn't a category/tag.  While you can post a project about anything (and there are a few theater projects on the site), you can't filter by it.  Once again . . . dude, you live in Brooklyn, there are a zillion theater peeps living seven to a room just a few blocks from you.  Help 'em out!

And if we can't get some assistance from KS, maybe one of you entrepreneurial web geniuses out there will start your own version just for the non-profit performing arts.

Because Moose Murders got money.  So can you.

What's the West End doing right that we aren't?

2009 was a thermometer-bursting year for West End theater.

Despite the world economic crisis, the West End set a record with a yearly gross of £504,765,690 or approximately $786,134,270, which is a 7.6% increase (!) from the previous year.

But that's not what's got me curious/burning with envy.

Even us tea partiers can keep the grosses going up year after year, thanks to our yearly price increase.

What's remarkable about the London figures is that they've also managed to increase their attendance at the same time, by a whopping 5.5%, to a 2009 total of 14,257,922 theatergoers.

And this was all in the midst of a monumental recession!

Huh.  An increase in gross and an increase in attendance.  Isn't that exactly what's supposed to happen?

But it's not happening here in the colonies.  We're on track to see a drop in attendance for the third season in a row, despite slight increases in our grosses. 

What is London doing right?

Is it the half price booths on every block?  Is it because they let you eat and drink in the theatres?  Is it because Hollywood stars seem even more willing to do West End productions than Broadway productions?

Is it because they have a Queen and Princes and say things like "bollocks"?

Nica Burns, the President of the Society of London Theatre (their version of our Broadway League), had this to say about the increases:

Britain's artistic community continues to create exceptional work. The extraordinary quality and breadth of productions available nightly in London explains these record figures in such a difficult year economically.  Excellence is everything - look no further than London's theatre which adds a great deal more to London's revenue than just the ticket price.

Well said.  This is a product-driven industry on both sides of the ocean.  My only quibble is that I'd trade the word "excellence" with the phrase, "The Rumpelstiltskin Factor."  When people are willing to give their first born away to see a show (whether or not it's any "good") that's when numbers are going to increase.  

If we had 12 Steady Rain-like shows with 12 Hugh Jackmans, our mercury would be rising, too.  12 Wickeds, 12 Will Ferrell's and so on and so forth.

Still, it can't just be that.  These increases suggest a different sort of energy occurring in the West End than is occurring here.  And I'm not quite sure what it is.

But I tell you this . . . I'd almost be willing to give them back one of the colonies in exchange for the secret.

What should a Producer study? A Producer's curriculum in detail.

I got an email from a college student this week who knows she wants to be a Producer.  There's no question about it. She'd declare it as a major . . . if she could. 

Her school has a theater major and a business major but it doesn't have a "producer's track" . . . and not many do.  Even my alma mater only has a minor (and until we can turn Producing theater into a more stable and viable career choice, I'm not sure many will).

Since her school hasn't spec'd out a plan for producers-to-be, she asked me what I thought she should study on her way through school.

As I'm sure you can imagine, I'm a big pusher for producers to take standard business courses as they're coming up, from accounting to marketing to contract law (and there are still times I wish I had taken a few more myself).

But mostly I advised this focused young woman to take theater classes.  I told her to take a directing class, with people that want to be directors.  Take an acting class with actors.  Take a writing class with writers.  Take a design class with you-know-who and so on.

These are the people that are going to be on your team in the future.  Learn their language.  Learn what makes them tick.  Learn what they want out of a show.  And by doing so, you'll learn how to help solve their problems.

Theater is one of the most collaborative art forms there is, and part of a Producer's job is to make sure those collaborators are working at their absolute best with each other throughout the long process of developing and putting on a show.  By making an effort to learn their craft, and by understanding more of what they go through on a day-by-day basis, you'll be able to earn more of their respect . . . and you'll be able to help them do their best work.

Oh, and another part of a Producer's job is to be able to spot talent.  By sitting in these classes, you'll have the inside scoop on tomorrow's superstars.

That's right . . . the next Tony Kushner, Joe Mantello and Al Pacino are sitting in a class somewhere this very second.

By sitting among them, you'll be able to spot that talent, and snatch them up for yourself . . . before I do.

(And for those of you out of school?  All of this still applies.  There are umpteen classes for theater artists all over the country, and even online.  And great business classes, too.  There's no excuse to not know anything anymore. It's all in front of the screen you are staring at right now.)

Homework isn't just for kids.

When we were in school, most of us did our homework.

Why?

Because someone said we had to.  So we did it.  Pretty simple. 

Maybe you knew your homework would factor into your grade, which would factor into what college you went to, and so on . . . but basically, you did it because someone told you to do it, and gave you a day when it was due.

Every day I hear people talk about how they haven't finished writing a script, or how they haven't finished editing their film, or a stand-up routine, or a song, and so on.  

And I wonder . . . if that script, or film or stand-up routine was homework . . . would they have finished it?

I'd bet yes.

And when so much of success is just finishing what you're working on, or executing that great idea that you've been kicking around for years, there has got to be a way to create a systematic approach to help you do just that.

That's why I'm an advocating an Adult Homework System . . . or AHS.

Here's how it works:

• Find yourself a friend, a teacher, a shrink, or even a random person online.
• Describe what you want to accomplish (complete a script, a song, or whatever).
• Make that person give you your homework with a due date.
• Do it in the allotted time.
• Rinse and repeat.

Make sense?  

I'd bet you finish what you're working on a lot faster (and probably with even better results).  (There's probably an idea for a great social networking website here, where people sign up to be "teachers" or "students" and are randomly assigned to one another, and the teachers help the students' dreams come true.)

It's hard to motivate yourself.  That's why the educational system exists (and why it costs so much freakin' money).  

And there is nothing wrong with asking for a little help to keep you on track.

Because homework isn't just for kids.

It's for students.

And life is about learning every single day. 

Broadway Grosses w/e 2/14/10

Show Name	GrossGross	TotalAttn	%Cap	AvgPdAdm
A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC	$917,526	6,981	93.73%	$131.43
A VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE	$791,116	8,597	99.59%	$92.02
BILLY ELLIOT: THE MUSICAL	$1,109,442	9,759	85.85%	$113.68
CHICAGO	$578,407	6,677	77.28%	$86.63
FELA!	$527,692	6,347	77.03%	$83.14
GOD OF CARNAGE	$420,652	5,731	66.45%	$73.40
HAIR	$593,128	7,366	65.21%	$80.52
IN THE HEIGHTS	$740,580	8,773	80.34%	$84.42
JERSEY BOYS	$986,753	8,716	88.72%	$113.21
MAMMA MIA!	$771,095	9,614	80.22%	$80.21
MARY POPPINS	$837,224	11,010	76.59%	$76.04
MEMPHIS	$599,184	8,666	73.69%	$69.14
NEXT TO NORMAL	$340,961	5,183	83.92%	$65.78
PRESENT LAUGHTER	$282,052	5,070	85.64%	$55.63
RACE	$488,218	5,629	66.51%	$86.73
ROCK OF AGES	$590,842	6,891	86.40%	$85.74
SOUTH PACIFIC	$516,653	5,441	65.33%	$94.96
THE LION KING	$1,213,222	11,592	87.61%	$104.66
THE MIRACLE WORKER	$122,265	2,030	87.65%	$60.23
THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA	$676,107	8,770	67.88%	$77.09
TIME STANDS STILL	$299,069	4,695	90.29%	$63.70
WEST SIDE STORY	$1,012,095	11,135	82.02%	$90.89
WICKED	$1,359,810	13,620	94.11%	$99.84
TOTAL	$15,774,092	178,293	80.96%	$85.61