Ken Davenport - Opinions from a Broadway Producer

What can Broadway learn from the NBA lockout?

If you're a basketball fan, you've been foaming at the mouth and ornery to everyone you know for the past couple o' months, as you've suffered through B-Ball withdrawal thanks to the lockout.

Fear not, however, slam dunks and double-dribbles will return on Christmas day as a present to you all, now that a new 10 year agreement has been reached.

First class labor disputes in sports always catch my eye, because of the major similarity between the two sides of their negotiating table and the two sides of Broadway's table:

• Most of the owners of professional sports teams made money in other industries before getting involved with athletics.  (Sound like a lot of Producers you know?)
• The players are the best in the world at what they do and can't be replaced by others without weakening the product (Sound like a lot of actors/designers/directors/technicians you know?)

The specific causes of this year's lock out stems from the claim of the owners that they were losing $300 million a year.  What's interesting to me is that if you dig deeper and you find out that those losses come from 22 out of the 30 teams.  In other words, 74% of the teams were losing money, while 26% were making money.

Hmmmm . . . It is estimated that 20-30% of Broadway shows make money, and 70-80% lose money.

Coincidence?  Pareto's Principle?   

The owners sought to reduce salaries and salary caps, and after a ton of back and forth and the loss off two months of games, hundreds of jobs and millions of dollars, a settlement was reached . . . but not until the players dissolved their own union so they could be rep'd by individual lawyers and sue the League for an "illegal boycott."

What a mess.

And that's where I hope the similarities between our industries end.  Because no matter who won this dispute or any dispute . . . I can guarantee you who lost . . . The Fans.  And sure, the rabid mouth-foamers aren't going to switch from B-Ball to baseball because a couple of months go by before they get to watch a game.  But those aren't the fans I'd be worried about.  It's the casual fan that they could lose. 

And it's the casual fan we could lose if we ever find ourselves in a situation like the above.

And that's why all sides of our industry need to remember that there are no sides when it comes to our industry's survival. 

 

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

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FUN STUFF 

- Come to the 4th Annual Producer's Perspective Social on 12/15!  RSVP today.

- Win 2 tickets to see Bonnie and Clyde on Broadway!  Click here!

- Seminar Alert:  How to Invest in a Broadway Show on 12/10!  Click here for info.

Broadway's 2nd Quarter results: We've seen this story before.

26 Weeks down.  26 to go.

The 2011-12 Broadway season is half over and already people are wondering . . . will we shatter another sales record?

Well, so far, so good.  

The first 26 weeks of this Broadway season have grossed $534,026,464, a whopping 5.6% (!) increase over last season at this same time.  

So why aren't I whooping over this whopping?  

Because, once again, even though the cash registers are more full than ever, attendance is down 1.3%.  And this ain't the first time we've had this problem.

Now I could spin this and say that more bucks with less bodies demonstrates how smart we are getting at managing our inventory and increasing prices depending upon demand.  The NY Times just did an article about this very subject, which you can read here.  And it's true, we are getting better.  And the mega hits are turning into MEGA hits.  I mean, Phantom did over $1mm last week . . . after 23 years!  (That's a lot to be thankful for), but less bodies for the rest of Broadway is a problemo, my friends.  

And now that we've semi-mastered pricing, it's time we focus on getting more bodies to pay regular price.  

1.3% isn't a huge differential though . . . there are still 26 weeks to go.  Will we make up the difference?  

I'll be back to update you in 13 weeks to see where we're headed. 

 

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

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FUN STUFF 

- Come to the 4th Annual Producer's Perspective Social on 12/15!  RSVP today.

- Win 2 tickets to see Bonnie and Clyde on Broadway!  Click here!

- Seminar Alert:  How to Invest in a Broadway Show on 12/10!  Click here for info.

I'll admit it. I miss Tim Riggins.

I don't watch that much TV anymore.  And none of it is live.

What I do is pick a word-of-mouth recommended series available to watch instantly on Netflix and watch a few episodes a week while I eat General Tso's chicken, starting at the beginning and going to the end of a series.

It can take six months, a year or more, but I've watched The West Wing, The Sopranos, The Wire . . . and at 4:35 AM Saturday morning, I finished the series finale of Friday Night Lights.

For those of you who haven't watched this critically lauded series created by Brian Grazer and team, you won't know who Tim Riggins is.

But if you watched the series, you'll not only know who he is, but you probably wanted to hang out with him.  You probably wanted to tell him that he's a great guy no matter what some people think.  And now that the series is over, you're probably missing him.  

I find myself missing all the characters in FNL . . . just like I missed the characters on The West Wing, The Sopranos, 24, The Wire, etc. . . . Just like I missed the characters in Les Miz, August Osage County, Speed The Plow, and so many other great plays and musicals after their final curtain came down.

Great characters are the key to great drama.  They get under your skin and into your hearts.  They become part of your family.  And you can't forget them.  

And when you can't forget someone, or something, you find yourself talking about . . . or, even blogging about it . . . which turns into a word-of-mouth recommendation . . . which is how great drama becomes successful drama.

Create characters that your audience can't get enough of, and they'll crave your work that much  more.

Clear eyes, full hearts, Tim . . .

(Fun fact - FNL starred Scott Porter, the original Matthew in Altar Boyz) 

 

(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 

- Come to the 4th Annual Producer's Perspective Social on 12/15!  RSVP today.

- Win 2 tickets to see Bonnie and Clyde on Broadway!  Click here!

- Seminar Alert:  How to Invest in a Broadway Show on 12/10!  Click here for info.

Broadway Grosses* w/e 11/27/2011

The following are the Broadway Grosses from the week ending November 27, 2011:

Show Name	GrossGross	TotalAttn	%Cap	AvgPdAdm
AN EVENING WITH PATTI LUPONE AND MANDY PATINKIN	$313,879	5,136	69.35%	$61.11
ANYTHING GOES	$797,455	7,115	86.68%	$112.08
BILLY ELLIOT: THE MUSICAL	$922,035	9,962	87.63%	$92.56
BONNIE AND CLYDE	$395,637	6,575	78.80%	$60.17
CHICAGO	$614,925	7,112	82.31%	$86.46
CHINGLISH	$274,260	3,911	45.39%	$70.13
FOLLIES	$678,719	6,062	47.01%	$111.96
GODSPELL	$404,876	4,296	73.06%	$94.24
HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING	$1,271,961	11,319	99.36%	$112.37
HUGH JACKMAN, BACK ON BROADWAY	$1,472,987	9,614	102.19%	$153.21
JERSEY BOYS	$1,099,523	9,018	91.80%	$121.93
LYSISTRATA JONES	$152,419	5,381	71.18%	$28.33
MAMMA MIA!	$817,860	9,106	75.98%	$89.82
MAN AND BOY	$315,015	4,925	84.56%	$63.96
MARY POPPINS	$1,236,147	13,204	91.85%	$93.62
MEMPHIS	$729,924	8,840	75.17%	$82.57
ON A CLEAR DAY YOU CAN SEE FOREVER	$557,463	6,804	71.10%	$81.93
OTHER DESERT CITIES	$501,005	4,934	81.04%	$101.54
PRISCILLA QUEEN OF THE DESERT	$760,599	8,265	61.17%	$92.03
PRIVATE LIVES	$324,314	5,132	64.86%	$63.19
RELATIVELY SPEAKING	$520,264	5,306	61.64%	$98.05
ROCK OF AGES	$415,755	3,954	84.78%	$105.15
SEMINAR	$420,181	5,202	80.88%	$80.77
SISTER ACT	$755,160	9,293	66.19%	$81.26
SPIDER-MAN TURN OFF THE DARK	$2,070,196	14,961	96.90%	$138.37
STICK FLY	$270,599	5,506	63.79%	$49.15
THE ADDAMS FAMILY	$890,346	9,157	75.35%	$97.23
THE BOOK OF MORMON	$1,677,963	9,846	102.63%	$170.42
THE LION KING	$2,079,616	13,422	100.04%	$154.94
THE MOUNTAINTOP	$575,900	6,157	72.27%	$93.54
THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA	$1,118,532	11,958	93.13%	$93.54
VENUS IN FUR	$409,782	5,061	97.33%	$80.97
WAR HORSE	$1,036,155	8,552	100.00%	$121.16
WICKED	$2,205,025	14,472	100.00%	$152.36
TOTAL	$28,086,475	269,558	80.45%	$96.77

*Broadway Grosses provided courtesy of The Broadway League.

The Sunday Giveaway: 2 Tickets to Bonnie & Clyde on Broadway.

Another week, another Broadway musical! 

Special thanks to the Producers of Bonnie & Clyde, the sponsors of this week's Sunday Giveaway.  One of
you will get two free tickets to see B&C, which is one of the few new musicals opening on Broadway this year, and only one of two opening this Fall.

How do you win?  I thought you'd never ask.

Bonnie and Clyde is a musical about a very famous couple 'o criminals.  

What criminal would you like to see as the subject of a musical?  Extra credit if you title it. 

Comment your answer below and I'll pick a winner randomly and you'll head off to see the show.  

Simple!  

 

(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 

- Come to the 4th Annual Producer's Perspective Social on 12/15!  RSVP today.

 

Who won the tickets to Kander & Ebb's The Visit?

Ali Curran, come on down, because you just won two free tickets to see Kander & Ebb's The Visit!  (And I gotta tell you, I'm a litle jealous, because from what I hear, The Visit is quite the K&E gem.)  Email me to get your tickets.  

There were a lot of shows entered in this week's giveaway that you all thought should make their way on to the big stage that as of yet have not.  You should check them out here.  

Who knows, maybe one of them is another hidden gem that could be polished up into a big Broadway diamond . . . with the right Producer.

 

(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 

- Come to the 4th Annual Producer's Perspective Social on 12/15!  RSVP today.

 

 

A Special Black Friday Broadway Blog

It's 12:38 AM as I type.  We're 38 minutes into Black Friday, and I know a bunch of people at brick and mortar stores right this very second.  In the middle of dessert at the Thanksgiving dinner I attended, one of the diners disappeared.  "Where's so-and-so?" 

Three people responded so quickly and so in unison, they could have been the Shirelles from last season's Baby It's You.  

"Best Buy," they chorded.

That spark plugged a convo about $200 sixty inch TVs, a rare iPad discount, and lots of other BF deals stores are offering starting tomorrow today.  

Now, last year I spent a blog talking about my ideas for how Broadway could be more of a part of this major shopping day (and it's sister shopping day - Cyber Monday), which you can read here.  

This message isn't about that . . . it's simple call to all the theater folks out there that are shopping tomorrow today for their loved ones.  

Buy 'em theater tickets.

Pick something for them, of course . . . whether that's a subscription to MTC or your local touring house, or tickets to Jersey Boys, a Telecharge gift card, or even something you hate but you know they'd love.  

But buy 'em theater tickets.  

Because seeing something live beats seeing something on a TV any day of the week . . . I don't care how big it is.  

 

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

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FUN STUFF 

- Come to the 4th Annual Producer's Perspective Social on 12/15!  RSVP today.

- Win 2 Tickets to Kander & Ebb's The Visit!  Click here.

7 Theater things I'm thankful for this Thanksgiving

There's a whole bunch of things about the theater industry that I wish were a whole lot . . . different.  But despite all that, on a day like Thanksgiving, it's important to remember that while there is a dump truck full of things we'd all love to change, there are also a bunch of things we should be thankful for.

Here's a list of 7 theater things I'm thankful for this year.

1.  Broadway League and Actors' Equity finalize new deal with no fireworks.  

The Broadway League and AEA recently announced that their pretty chill negotiations were completed and a new contract had been ratified.  Here's the thing - when it was announced that the negotiations were over, I forgot that they were even going on.  And that's exactly what you want from your labor talks.  There was no talk of strikes, and from what I heard on the inside, it was a pretty peaceful process.  Congratulations to both sides.  Let's hope the Local 1 negotiation coming up is just as smooth. 

2.  Both Broadway grosses and attendance were up!

For the first time in a few frames, Broadway recorded both a jump in gross and in attendance in 2010.  Growing grosses and expanding audiences are what we need to stay healthy.  We did it last year, and now, we're shooting for two seasons in a row.

3.  Broadway's in prime time!

NBC green lit a new pilot called "Smash" that is all about . . . Broadway.  Yep, millions of people are going to hear about what we do every day in a prime time series, and that's even if it sucks.  And from what I heard, it doesn't.  And you know what a successful show could do, right?  See Thankful Thing #2.

4.  The Jackman is back, man!

People would buy premium tickets to see Hugh Jackman hold a phone book.  He wouldn't even have to read it.  When 'cool dudes' like Hugh come back to Broadway, it creates quite a frenzy, and . . . well, it makes us cool by association.  (BTW, do phone books even exist anymore?)

5.  Stars?  Who needs 'em?

The Best Musical of 2011 didn't have one f@&#ing star in the cast, proving once again, make the show the star, and you'll win every time.  

6.  Downsizing becomes a trend.

First Avenue Q, then 39 Steps, now MDQ and Rent have followed the concept we talked about in this blog, extending the life of the shows, and providing work for hundreds.  Oh, and at the same time, they gave some much needed street cred to Off-Broadway.

7.  Spider-Man is a member of the $1mm club.

I know, this seems like a strange thing for me to be thankful for, right?  I'm not a Producer of Spider-Man (and I wouldn't want to be), so why am I thankful that this show is not only still running, but still grossing well over one million every week?  Well, it's like this.  Spider-Man get some of the worst set of reviews I've seen . . . twice . . . and it didn't seem to matter, proving once again, that reviews aren't what makes a show run . . . it's the audience.

 

What about y'all?  What theater thing are you thankful for this year?  Comment below!

And have a happy Thanksgiving!

 

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

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FUN STUFF 

- Come to the 4th Annual Producer's Perspective Social on 12/15!  RSVP today.

- Win 2 Tickets to Kander & Ebb's The Visit!  Click here.

It's much easier to market to people when they are in your house.

Advertising isn't about impressions.  It's about conversions.  Someone could offer me a free 1,000,000 piece direct mail for Godspell to citizens in Sri Lanka and it would be just about worthless, because the odds of a Sri Lankan citizen buying tickets to a Broadway show, are, well . . . like the odds of you buying a ticket to the Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage in Sri Lanka.  Not impossible, but not likely.

The key is finding the people that are most inclined to buy a theater ticket, and advertising to them.  Advertising to 1,000 people that are constant theatergoers is more lucrative than advertising to 10,000 people who aren't.  

So where do you find them?  

Well, I've got one place you find theatergoers . . . in theaters. (Insert "Duh" here.)  

Last week, 250,000 qualified customers walked in and out of our theaters . . . wouldn't it make sense to increase our advertising efforts there?

I've written about this subject before, but I was reminded of what a poor job we do it marketing to the people "in our house" after seeing Tower Heist this weekend at my local Loews.  Everywhere I turned, I saw advertising for other movies.  There were cardboard cutout displays and posters in the lobby.  There were hanging signs near the concessions booth.  The popcorn sellers were all wearing Arthur Christmas T-Shirts.  Before my movie I saw previews.  My jumbo sized soda cup was branded.  And more.

Now, I do not . . . let me repeat and in bold . . . do not . . . think that the theater should go to such extremes to advertise inside its theaters.  To do what our slutty but more successful brethern in the film industry do would be like hanging up a Verizon sign inside the Louvre.  Blechy.

But, there are things we can do that are more subtle that could have the same desired effect.

• Could a flyer or flyers be given to every customer who picks up tickets at the box office?
• Could the merch bags be stuffed with offers from other shows?
• Could a "theatre host/concierge" walk through the lobby, talk to patrons, and recommend other shows, and hand out information/offers upon request?
• Could there be signage for other shows, but just not in the actual theater itself - what about the restrooms?
• What about flyer stands for other productions in the lobby by the box office?
• Union regulations abound on Broadway, but why not allow customers to purchase tickets for other shows in the box office via the B.O. staffer or by ATM like device?

There is absolutely a line that we don't want to cross with promotions inside our theaters. No question.  But IMHO, we haven't even come close to it yet.  

What are your ideas for advertising to theatergoers once they are inside our four walls?

 

(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 

- Come to the 4th Annual Producer's Perspective Social on 12/15!  RSVP today.

- Win 2 Tickets to Kander & Ebb's The Visit!  Click here.

5 Takeaways from this past Sat's 'Get Your Show Off The Ground' Seminar.

As has become the custom here at TPP, here is a list of just five of the takeaways from this past weekend’s Get Your Show Off The Ground Seminar. 

1.  Sending out unsolicited scripts is like an actor sending out headshots.  It’s a little like playing the lottery.  It’s ok to play, but I wouldn’t expect to pay your rent on your winnings.
2. People invest in people who are passionate about their project.
3. If you want to produce a Broadway show, but you don’t have twenty Broadway shows on your resume, surround yourself with people who do.
4. You are never too small to have fans.  Start a list of the people who love what you do as soon as you start doing it.
5. Critics, Awards, etc. all don’t matter.  The audience is the ultimate judge.

To see some of the other takeaways from previous sessions click here.

You know, I have to be honest and say that I never imagined that I’d be doing these seminars year after year.  I thought there were maybe a handful of folks out there that were this motivated to get their show to the next level.  Thanks for proving me wrong.  Everyone who comes and shares their project and their dreams for their project with me is an inspiration.

Because so many of you asked me to schedule the seminars further out, we’ve laid out the seminars for all of 2012 already.  Check the schedule and reserve your show’s spot here.

And don’t forget to check out the Investing Seminar, for those of you looking for info on Broadway Investing (there’s one coming up on Dec. 10^th!), as well as our just added Email Marketing Seminar on January 12^th. 

See you at a seminar!

 

(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 

- Come to the 4th Annual Producer's Perspective Social on 12/15!  RSVP today.

- Win 2 Tickets to Kander & Ebb's The Visit!  Click here.