Ken Davenport - Opinions from a Broadway Producer

Attention musical theater writers, it’s time for boot camp!

Stuck on Act II?  Need some structure to help with your structure?  Want a deadline to make sure your show gets finished on time?

Come to Musical Boot Camp!

The writers we talk to and who submit shows to us ask us for feedback, creative criticism as well as help with making sure they accomplish their goals on time (New Year’s Resolutions anyone?).

We’re big believers in the “group think” so we put our heads together and came up with a solution to help a whole bunch of you with similar issues at the same time. 

So, by popular demand, my Director of Creative Development, the fabu Jane Caplow, and I are thrilled to announce the first Musical Boot Camp, a workshop for musical theater writers to help keep you on track and make sure you get your shows done, and done well.

The very first Boot Camp starts Wednesday, March 14th.  It’s a six-week workshop from 5 – 7 PM with a very select and limited number of participants. 

To get more information and apply for one of the few slots, click here.

One note:  it’s going to be some work, so don’t apply unless you’re serious about getting your show or musical project to the next level.  And as with all of our seminars and workshops, when it’s over, we guarantee that you’ll be much happier with the state of your project than when you began.  

And you’ll be meeting a lot of other passionate folks just like you in the process.  Project Building + Networking = Awesome.

Take The Boot Camp!

 

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I want a new "I want."

There's a classic musical theater axiom that states within the first fifteen minutes of any musical, the lead character or protagonist must have what is known as an "I want" song.  Click here for a more thorough analysis or here to read Stephen Schwartz's commentary on the subject. 

I'm definitely a subscriber to this Lehman Engel school of thought, and look for it in all the musicals I read, write and produce.  

But lately I've been thinking that as much as I love the strength and determination of a "want", what seems to be necessary for a musical is more than just a "want".  I can want an ice cold coke.  I can want to take a vacation.  But that doesn't seem like enough.

For a character to break out into song, the themes must be grander.  Love, adventure, immortality, revenge, justice and so forth are more the kinds of things necessary to start a musical engine.

So, I've stopped thinking about what a character wants . . . and have started thinking about what a character dreams.  

Since audiences love to watch a character's dreams come true (because it gives them the hope that theirs may come true as well) it seems more fitting to hear about these in the first fifteen.  

It's a subtle difference, mind you, but an important one in my "book".  

Dreams are worth dying for.  And it's those kinds of grand themes that make for the most compelling musicals.

(BTW, if you're looking for a great book on writing musicals, read Mr. Engel's classic, Words with Music.)

 

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What if Ghost The Musical was written by a Ghost?

A friend of mine wrote a book.

Wait, that’s not entirely accurate. 

 A friend of mine made it look like he wrote a book.  The truth is, he had it written by someone else.  A ghost.  (Insert spooky music here, or this from the upcoming musical version of Ghost.)

And in the publishing world, hiring a ghostwriter is a lot more common than you think.  It’s what a lot of people do if they (or someone else) think there is a market (translation: money to be made) in the written word of that individual or in a particular subject.

Bill Clinton’s bio, Barack Obama's Dreams from My Father, and yep, sorry to burst your bubble young female detectives, but even the Nancy Drew books.

And that’s what amazed me as I’ve been reading on the subject lately.  I always knew that business books and biographies were written by poltergeists-for-hire who for a fee will write your book and turn over ownership to you.  And in those genres, it makes a heck of a lot of sense, because without a Casper, the books probably wouldn’t have ever been written in the first place. 

But fiction? 

Yep.  And a lot of it.  (Some folks say as much as 40% of today's books are ghosted.)

Ever wonder why your favorite mass paperback author can turn out a book a year 20 years in a row?  They might be incredibly prolific . . . or they might have a little supernatural aid.

So, of course, I wondered why it doesn’t ever happen in the theater? 

What if someone like Neil Simon hired the brightest young comic mind he could find to churn out a new play for him.  The play would be produced, there would be a built in audience and a lot of press, and maybe it would get a head start in the market. 

And I’m not saying the young comic Turk wouldn’t have Neil’s guiding hand along the way.  He’d be involved and it would have to meet his approval before it saw a day on the stage. 

Could a successful songwriting team do it?  With as long as it takes a show to develop, maybe this is a way to have more musicals by some of our favorite writers?

Why doesn't it happen?

Is it ego?  Is it that our genre of entertainment is more complicated than the novel and requires more collaboration? 

Maybe a little of both.

But the real reason that we don’t have ghostwriters in the Broadway biz is that . . . despite a lot of cracks we take for being commercial . . . our art is too pure for that.   Sure, we’re the commercial theater, but we’re not in the mass commercialization business as much as it may seem. 

Our passionate writers wouldn’t let someone else touch their ideas for all the gold in the world.

And that’s why ghosts don’t haunt Broadway, I'm proud to say, and never will.  

 

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The one most important characteristic in every villain.

Bad guys.

Every show has them.

But how do you make sure that your bad guy isn't . . . well . . . bad.  (And I'm not talking Michael Jackson "Bad," btw.)

I've seen a few shows and read a few scripts lately, which have all suffered a similar flaw in the construction of their "bad guy".  So I spent some time over the holiday weekend thinking about some of my favorite bad boys and remembered why they were my favorite . . .

And you know what it was?  

No matter how bad they were, I loved them . . . even just a little.

It's a simple rule, but it's easily forgotten.

Think about your favorite evildoers in your favorite stories  . . . Javert, Dracula, Darth Vader, Hannibal Lecter . . . there is something about them that no matter how villanious they may be . . . no matter how many things you wish they hadn't done . . . you still love them just a bit.  (A quick tip on telling whether a villain has made its ways into the hearts of audience members?  If people want to dress up as the character for Halloween, the Author has done his/her job.)

Fail to make sure your audience feels this way about your villain, and, well, you'll end up with a moustache twirling cliche that'll won't move your audience and won't move tickets.

(For more classic storytelling techniques, check out this book - it was written for screenwriters, but I find it to be a bible for writing musicals especially).  

Who is your favorite villain?

 

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Top 10 Holiday Gifts for the Producer in your life.

Happy Holidays PPers!  

In case you haven't checked a calendar recently, there are only 13 days until C day and only 8 until the first day of Hanukkah.  If you're still shopping for the Producer or Theater Pro in your life, here are 10 suggestions of things that I love that I'm sure that special someone in your life will love too.  

Or if you're that Producer or Theatre Pro, here are 10 toys (in no specific order) that I'd be asking for. :-)

1.  A Course from The Commercial Theater Institute

Not too many places teach commercial theater producing.  CTI is one of the few.  In addition to their intensive weekend and 14 week programs, CTI also has terrific half-day and full day seminars.  

2.  Telecharge Gift Card

One thing everyone can agree on: theater tickets are pricey.  Another thing we can all agree on: there is so much a Producer can learn from seeing shows.  So get a Telecharge Gift Card and let your Producer pick what they want to see.

3.  A Subscription to Entrepreneur Magazine

Broadway Producers are small businessmen and women.  So why not see what other businessmen and women are doing to get their startups off the ground?  I get more tips and tricks from Entrepreneur than any other publication out there.

4.  The Be A Broadway Star Board Game

Yep, I created and developed this game.  But even if I didn't, it would be on this list.  I think it's one of the best gifts for all Broadway lovers out there.  

5.  Kindle

Reading scripts while looking for a show to produce is like panning for gold.  You gotta sift through a ton before you find a nugget.  And those scripts are heavy!  Do what I do, read 'em on a Kindle or an iPad, and you can take 100 with you wherever you go.  

6.  A Joe Allen's Gift Certificate

You want be a Producer?  You gotta be ready to have a lot of lunches.  So, when eating mid-day, you might as well sit at a table amongst tables of other theater pros while they wine and dine .  . . and whine and dine.  Joe Allen's is one of the originals and one of my favs.  And, while you eat, you can pray that one of your show posters never ends up on the wall.  

7.  Professional Script Analysis

Being objective about your own writing is hard.  And getting friends and family to read your script doesn't always get you the most objective opinion.  Get the Producer or Author in your life professional script coverage to give them some tips on how they can tune up their script so they are ready for their big break.  For more info, click here. 

8.  A Starter Website

Every show, production office, actor, etc. needs a website.  They are the business card of the 21st century.  Get your loved one started with a domain name (read this blog as to why they need one now), simple website and more so they can make themselves look as professional as they are.  My favorite provider is Godaddy.com. 

9.  The Abominable Showman: The Biography of David Merrick

This book is a textbook of what to do, and what not to do in your career as a Producer.  If you love the theater, and the backstage stories of how it all happens, then this book is a must.  And if books are your Producer's thing, check out this list of my other recommended readings on the bottom right hand side of my blog.

10.  A "Contract Signing" Pen

I got my first "fine pen" as a gift a few years back, and I pull it out whenever I sign something I deem important.  It's my lucky pen.  And it just feels cool to write with.  What's great about this gift, is that a nice pen is usually not something anyone will buy for themselves.  This one is my favorite.  Get it engraved and it is that much cooler.  And here's to it bringing you and yours lots of good luck.

 

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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) 

 

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"Trust me! This show is the next (insert major success story here)!"

I have produced exactly one movie, so far, but I still get lots of movie pitches and screenplays.  I don't mind them, actually, because I'm sure I will stick my toe in the water again soon when the right project comes along.  

But writing about Paranormal Activity yesterday reminded me of one of those pitches I just got a few days ago for an indie-horror movie.

"You into movies, Ken?  Because I've got one for you."

"Oh yeah?  What is it?  What's it about?"

"I'm telling you.  This is the next Paranormal Activity!"

And that's when, believe it or not, I checked out.

Believe me, I understand the importance of framing, and giving your potential buyer something familiar to sink his/her teeth into . . . but that's not what this person was doing.  This person was baiting me with financial success.  Ok, I sorta get that too . . . but it wasn't what I asked.  And if you think I got into this business for financial success, you've been riding on the crazy train for a little too long.  Sure, Producers hope for financial success (usually so we can produce riskier stuff in the future), but it's not why we do it.

And more importantly, and this is the point of this blog . . . do you know how many people have approached me with . . . "I have the next Stomp!  I have the next Blue Man Group!  I have the next Book of Mormon, Les Miserables . . . even . . . I have the next Altar Boyz!"

You know what all those shows, and any of Broadway's biggest hits, have in common?

They are all unique.

So stop trying to be someone else's show, and just try to be your own.  

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Got a musical? Submit it to NYMF . . . but hurry.

The morning after one of his new shows opened, Hal Prince always held a production meeting for his next show.  It always kept him moving forward, and never allowed him to bask in the glory if his show was a hit, or get too depressed if his show wasn't . . . because there was work to do on the next one.

It's one of my favorite lessons from this book (which I highly recommend), and it's something that I've adopted as well.

And I'm not the only one . . .

The New York Musical Theatre Festival just ended a few days ago. They haven't even had their awards gala yet (which is on Nov. 6th, btw).  

But they are already seeking submissions for next year's festival! 

In a schedule switch-up, next year's NYMF will happen in July, which means the script-reading crew upstairs (NYMF and I share a building) will be hard at work soon enough.

So, if you've got a musical that you think could be the next Next to Normal, [title of show], or (yep), Altar Boyz, then submit away . . . but the deadline is SOON!

You have to send in your script by October 31st.  And that's, gulp, 11 days away!  

To submit your script, click here.

If you haven't finished or even written your script, you've got 11 days to do it.  And don't say "it can't be done."  What's the worst that could happen . . . you don't get in?  At least you'll have a script, right?

That's what Hal would do. (I may get post-it notes made up that say "WWHD").

Good luck!

 

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Our 4th and Final Reading of 2011 is . . .

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, Marina comes to us all the way from Romania, and was written by Bucharest native, Ana-Maria Bamberger.  Before her career as a playwright, Ana-Maria was a physician, but eight years ago she put down the stethoscope and picked up a pen keyboard.   

Full disclosure - Martha, Martha has had a life before our reading in Romania, and a fairly successful one at that.  And after Ana-Maria picked up that keyboard, she picked up a few awards as well, and has gone on to quite a career as a playwright.

So why did we choose it for our developmental reading?

1 - I'm a big believer in building theatrical bridges/tunnels/skywalks from NYC to the rest of the world, and

2 - I thought it would be an interesting test to see how a play that has had success in another country and in another language would translate to NYCese.

And, I happen to know that while Ana-Maria loves having her work done in European theaters . . . there's one place she'd really like to make it . . . and it ain't London.

Save the date!  Davenport Reading Series goes global.  

Monday, December 12th at 8 PM.  Invite will be blogged a week before.

 

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What we can learn from "Jersey Shore".

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 show on my descent into LAX last week.  I was horrified, of course, but I was a teensy bit hooked.  Why?

It's not the stories, it's not the scenery . . . it's the Snooki.

Interesting and unique characters are at the core of all successful "shows", televised or not.  Obviously, you need to avoid spray-tanned caricatures, but at the same time you need to remember why you can't stop watching shows like this, or movies like The Godfather or plays like Hamlet . . .

These are fascinating people that you don't meet on every street corner.  

So when I sit down and write nowadays and find myself stuck in a boring scene, I repeat this little mantra . . . 

You wanna 'em hooked?  You gotta give 'em just a bit of Snook.

 

 

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