Ken Davenport - Opinions from a Broadway Producer

Could these 10 things really save the theater?

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!)

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"These Three Things . . ."

Today is October 13th.  

And there are three very special things associated with this great day.

- On October 13th, 1929, my father was born.  Today he turns 82.  Happy Birthday, Dad.  Thank you for giving me the gift of the theater.  Without you, I'd be a lawyer.  

- On October 13th, 2007, four years (!) ago now, I started blogging.  And thankfully you started listening, and inspiring me to do more.  And I love doing more. 

- And today, on October 13, 2011, after a two year gestation process, Godspell starts performances tonight, on its way towards its opening on November 7th.

Dad, Blog, Godspell.  What a trifecta.

October 13th is officially my lucky day.

If you've enjoyed my blog over the past four years, I hope you'll come see Godspell.  And come to a preview.  For those of you who are reading this blog to learn more about how Broadway shows come together, you'll learn a lot by seeing the show early, and then returning in a few weeks to see how it morphs, shifts and evolves.  As I said on the my last official entry on the Godspell Blog today, previews are the pupal stage for Broadway shows.  And well, I'm pretty excited about the beautiful butterfly Danny Goldstein and this sickly talented cast are cooking up at Circle in the Square.

Click here to get tickets.  We've got 6 shows this weekend.

And when you come, make sure you say hi.  I'll be at all the previews, most likely wearing my red Godspell hat, so I'll be easy to spot.  I'd love to say hello, and perhaps we'll have some time to continue this conversation we started online four years ago . . . offline and in person.  And isn't that what theater is all about?  I love blogs, and I'm thankful for this one . . . but we're in the theater because we like to meet other people in (legal) dark rooms and listen to ideas.  I look forward to hearing yours.

So Happy Birthday, Dad.

Happy Blog Birthday, The Producers Perspective.

And I'll see you at Godspell. 

 

(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 

- 0 Days to Godspell!  Read the day-by-day account of producing Godspell on Broadway here.

- Tune up your marketing materials at my new seminar!  Learn more here!

- Win tickets to Chinglish on Broadway!  Click here!

 

Who's producing that show? Read these articles and you'd never know.

Allow me to present three articles, from three of our major online trade sites:

• The announcement of the opening of the Lysistrata Jones box office on Playbill.
• The Porgy and Bess limited run release on Theatermania.
• The Chinglish "previews begins" update.

You know what each of these articles has in common?

They list the actors in each show.  They list the creative teams.

And not one of them lists the Producers.

There was a time when the names of Producers were synonymous with the shows they produced.  Those days seem to have passed, since our very own trade sites don't even feel obligated to add these names to the articles.  Sure, one argument is that there are more names listed these days so they don't want to take up too much space (although last I heard, online words were cheap).  

Could it be that these names are less valued nowadays?  

That's what I'm afraid of.

Don't misconstrue this blog.  This isn't a "wah, wah, we should get attention too!" entry.  No, no, quite the contrary.  Do I think that these sites should include the Producers of shows in every article they do that includes the rest of the team?  Absolutely yes, and you should push the press agent of your shows to make sure it happens.

But more importantly, it's time for us Producers to start doing the type of work that makes the reporters want to list us as associated with the shows that we're helping to make happen.

Credit for anything doesn't come because you think it's deserved.  It comes only when it's earned.

 

(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 

- 1 Days to Godspell!  Read the day-by-day account of producing Godspell on Broadway here.

- Tune up your marketing materials at my new seminar!  Learn more here!

- Win tickets to Chinglish on Broadway!  Click here!

 

My blogging secrets . . . revealed!

Starting a blog is one of the action items I give when I consult with executives at non-profit theaters. I'm a big believer in putting a face and a voice behind a brand. Simply put . . . a customer is much more likely to be loyal to a person than a building.

But while setting up a blog may be easy, maintaining a blog is not.  A lot of people mistake it as a short term solution, when it is much more of a long term strategy. And if you don't love it, then forget it. It's just like painting a portrait or even writing a play . . . you do it, because you want to, because you feel like you have to, not because you think it's going to get you sh*t.

Dave Charest, who gives 'Wicked Smaht' Marketing Tips for Indie Arts on his site, www.DaveCharest.com, interviewed me over the weekend for a podcast on building a blog.  

If you want tips on how to build a blog and keep it going, give it a listen. 

Click here.

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Do you pay full price for Broadway shows? Then who does?

Damian Bazadona and his company, Situation Marketing, just about built the on-ramp from Broadway to the information super-highway.  That's why he has been on The List for two years in a row.

So it's probably no surprise that Damian knows how to ask the interesting questions, like the ones he posted in this recent blog on his EntertainmentMarketing site.

Damian used his "connections" at Shubert Ticketing to find out some pretty useful information on the current trends of Broadway buyers and their desire for discounts.

Here's what he found out:

• In 2010, almost half (43%) of "new" musical buyers in the NY Metro Area (those people not in the Telecharge system), used a discount code on their first purchase.
• In 2010, 29% of new out-of-town or Tourist musical buyers used a discount code.

Plays are almost identical.

• In 2010, almost half (40%) of "new" play buyers in the NY Metro Area used a discount code on their first purchase.
• In 2010, 29% of new out-of-town or Tourist play buyers used a discount code.

In his blog, Damian takes that data and then asks some more very interesting questions about whether or not discount-driven promotions are doing what they are intended to do, which is bring in new audiences to the theater, who will hopefully buy higher priced tickets for future shows.  

Is that working?

Well, to get that answer, I'd like to see the answers to Damian's question for 2009, 2008, 2007, and all the way through 2001.  And I'd also like to look at the percent of full-price buyers over the last ten years year by year to see if that figure (which usually hovers around 50%) has decreased . . . or increased.  (I think there's a reader out there that can help me with this question . . . you know who you are . . . what do you say?)

Could we get rid of discounting altogether?  

Yes. I'll give you two ways on Monday.  

Read Damian's terrific insights here.

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Today's blog is my . . . 1000th post!

Now here's a blog I will admit I never thought I'd write!  

When I started blogging three years ago, I didn't give a thought as to where it would take me.  But take me it has . . . to great debates, to great conversations, and to meeting great people who are passionate about the theater from all over the world.

And I certainly didn't give a thought as to how many posts I would write.

But here I am, 1000 posts later . . . and I have you to thank for it.   I'll see you at 2000 . . . which is another three years from now.

Wow.  Let's just think about that for a second.  Where will the theater be in three years?  What shows will still be running?  Who will be the new hotshot writer?  And most importantly . . . how much will tickets cost???

I'd love to hear your predictions.  Comment below on where you think the theater will be three years from now.

And we'll put the predictions in a little blog-like time capsule and dig it up in 2014.

See you then!  And thanks again for helping me hit 1000!  

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The LA Seminar is SOLD OUT!  

But the social still have some room!  If you're in LA and you love the theater, come to the social TOMORROW NIGHT!  Click here for more details.

The next NYC seminar is on March 19th. Save $55 if you register by 1/31/11.

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