Podcast Episode #23 – You want a National Tour? You’ve got to talk to Steve Schnepp first.

Ok, now that all that Tony nonsense is out of the way, we can get back to our regularly scheduled podcast program.

Where was I?  Ok . . .

How do shows get out on the road?  Is it because of their box office receipts?  Awards?  Politics?

Sure, all that factors in, but the simple answer is . . . Broadway shows get out on the road because a Booking Agent, like Steve Schnepp of Broadway Booking Office (the guy behind Beautiful, Curious Incident, Gentleman’s Guide, etc.), gets behind them and sells them.

We don’t talk about the mechanism of the Broadway national tour much, because there’s so much more excitement and sexiness about Broadway.  But like syndication in television, or foreign sales in movies, National Tours can be a heck of a lot more profitable (and less risky) than the primary run.

That’s why I wanted to get one of the best booking agents in the biz to tell us his secrets of The Road, and thankfully, Steve was willing to sit down with us and share his unique perspective on the touring biz.

On this episode you’ll hear Steve talk about . . .

  • The key ingredient a show needs to make a tour possible (besides him, of course).
  • Whether or not stars matter on the road in 2015.
  • What Les Miz sold for twenty years ago, and why that’s not so different from what it sells for today.
  • How to get your show touring.
  • Is there a place for the non-union tour?

The business of Broadway isn’t just in Times Square. It stretches all over the world, and thanks to people like Steve, it’s healthier than ever.

Tune in to hear why and how you and your show can be a part of it.

Click here to listen.

Listen to it on iTunes here.  (And give me a rating, while you’re there!)

Download it here.

 

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Ken created one of the first Broadway podcasts, recording over 250 episodes over 7 years. It features interviews with A-listers in the theater about how they “made it”, including 2 Pulitzer Prize Winners, 7 Academy Award Winners and 76 Tony Award winners. Notable guests include Pasek & Paul, Kenny Leon, Lynn Ahrens and more.

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