The trouble with the transfer from Off Broadway to On. by Ken Davenport

One of the well worn paths to the Great White Way is the Off Broadway to On Broadway route.  A show starts out at an Off Broadway theater, gets some great reviews and some even better wor…

Why shows buy billboards in Times Square. by Ken Davenport

Who doesn’t love an infographic? You know what an infographic is, right?  They’re those cool cartoony-lookin’ squares of statistics on a certain subject that give you go…

Sure you get a refund if an above-the-title star is out, but what about . . . by Ken Davenport

Although it’s not a publicized policy (and why isn’t it again?), if a star that is billed above-the-title in a Broadway show is out due to illness, vacation or a b.s. claim of…

The Sunday Giveaway: Two tickets to Hair at the Hollywood Bowl! by Ken Davenport

Here’s a giveaway for all my West Coast readers! Although, this show is so star packed, if you win, it would be worth a flight from just about anywhere in the world. The shows at th…

Who won the week of free rent at The Davenport Theatre? by Ken Davenport

Congratulations, everyone!  We have a new record for the number of entries into our Sunday Giveaway! Shocking, right? Not really.  Broadway theaters are not only the hardest theaters t…

She called me Steve: My Tribute to Elaine Stritch by Ken Davenport

“Steve, get me your boss.  I gotta talk to him.” “Elaine.  My name is Ken, not Steve.” “Sure, sure, Steve.” “It’s Ken, Elaine.  Same …

What I learned about Producing from a Food Court. by Ken Davenport

For anyone that is familiar with my trashy dietary intake, you probably know that I heart me a food court.  And I frequent them often.  In fact, if you’re ever in a mall and can&…

Why plays don't make good movies. by Ken Davenport

Since I announced I was dipping my toe into the shark-filled movie waters a few weeks ago, I’ve gotten a lot of emails from screenwriters and playwrights asking me to consider adding t…

So you want to enter a Theatre Festival " but which one? by Ken Davenport

One of my go-to recommendations for my writer consultation clients with new works is to hit the festival circuit. While there are definitely some cons to being one show in a sea of …

The Finalists for our 3rd Annual 10 Minute Play Contest are . . . by Ken Davenport

Here ye!  Here ye! Behold, the 10 Finalists for our 3rd Annual 10 Minute Play Contest! Each one of the 10 Minute plays below will win $50, just for making it this far.  And, on Thursda…

The Sunday Giveaway: One Week of Free RENT at the Davenport Theatre! Seriously! by Ken Davenport

I talk to a lot of Producers.  And I talk to a lot of Writers. And so many tell me that they have shows that they want to put up.  But for one reason or, well, for one reason (mo…

Who won the tickets to Clinton The Musical? by Ken Davenport

I never would have thought I’d be interested in producing political theater, but after reading some of your ideas for shows, I gotta say, I’m intrigued. Who wouldn’t be cur…

A Six Year Old Reminds Us of the Power of Musical Theater. by Ken Davenport

I was at a schmancy business conference several months ago, and I was mingling during the perfunctory after hours nocktails (that wasn’t a typo, btw – I call cocktail hours…

Six Year Old Tells Us What Kinky Boots Is All About. by Ken Davenport

A wonderful reminder of the power of musical theater.

Did you miss TEDxBroadway? The 2014 TEDxBroadway Videos are now live. by Ken Davenport

One of the requirements for holding a TEDx event is that you have to, have to, have to film every talk, and put them online for the world (wide web) to see.  Since TED’s mission is …

Three ways to get an agent, and the one silver bullet to guaranteeing you one. by Ken Davenport

Everybody wants an agent. Why? Well, everybody wants to be loved. And when an agent or manager or other rep signs up, they are raising their hand and saying, “Hey. I love your talent. …

Who does your lawyer or agent work for? by Ken Davenport

When I was an actor in the early 1800s (ok, not that long ago, maybe the 1850s), every one of my friends (and myself included) desperately wanted an agent.  We sent out 100s of headshots,…

And the winners of the 2014 Broadway Marketing Awards are . . . by Ken Davenport

Who says no one gives a @#&% about marketers? For the 2nd year in a row, we received a good ol’ fashioned poop ton of entries in our online Broadway Marketing Awards, where we give…

The Sunday Giveaway: Two tickets to Clinton at NYMF! by Ken Davenport

Every year in every theater festival, one show snags the press spotlight. As soon as I heard that a musical called Clinton was coming over from the UK to make its American debut in thi…

Who won the tickets to see Once on Broadway? by Ken Davenport

Oh, I see how it is.  You looooooove the Broadway giveaways, don’t you? Or at least you loooooooooove you some Once, because the entries to this Sunday’s giveaway were o…

While we celebrate independence, others do not. But they sing about it. by Ken Davenport

Happy fourth, everyone.  I hope that you’re reading this on your smartphone by a pool somewhere, taking a bite out of a BBQ’d burger, waiting for the fireworks to  . . . we…

Do You Hear The People Sing in China by Ken Davenport

Want your show in Vegas? Follow these three rules. by Ken Davenport

I was an absolute cliche last week, and celebrated my bachelor party in Sin City itself, Las Vegas, Nevada. And before you ask, this was not a Hangover-like experience at all.  Some golf,…

The one thing we can all learn from movie studios. by Ken Davenport

I see maybe three movies a year in the theater.  I’m one of the reasons that movie theater attendance is declining (and faster than Broadway attendance, so there’s one thing w…

What does the Best Business Blogger on the web think about Broadway? by Ken Davenport

There’s nothing that sets my heart a flutter more than when someone from the traditional business world takes an interest in what we’re doing on Broadway. So imagine how excit…

The secrets of how I raise money for my shows. Just for you. by Ken Davenport

By far, and I’m talking by super far, 100 to 1 type stuff, the question I get asked the most from readers is “How do I raise money for my show?” Sometimes the askers are lo…

The Sunday Giveaway: Two tickets to Once on Broadway! by Ken Davenport

What I love about Once is that it’s a great reminder that there is no formula for success on Broadway. You’d think that the key elements in creating a Best Musical Tony Award …

Who won the Silver Passes to this year's NYMF? by Ken Davenport

As many of you know, I often say that people aren't price resistant, they are value resistant. We're not going to be able to ever drop our prices. Just impossible. So we're going to have …

Fun on a Friday: The Book of Mormon visits South Park by Ken Davenport

When we were doing research for the 2014 Broadway Marketing Awards, we stumbled across the video below and thought, “Genius!  Whatever agency did this is certainly getting a nod.…

Five Shows that Stand Out at the NYMF: 2014 by Ken Davenport

Summer lovin’, had me a . . . festival! The New York Musical Theater Festival, the first of the summer show fests, starts in just 3 days!  Got your tickets yet? If you haven̵…

The Book of Mormon Comes to South Park: A Fan-Made Video by Ken Davenport