2,068 stories by "Ken Davenport"
There is a simple rule in the research industry: Never ask for feedback, unless you’re prepared to do something with the results. As you all know, I’m a huge fan of surveys and f…
So get this noise . . . Today is my 4,000th post. I really can’t believe it, but it’s true. Â Since I started bloggin’ back in 2008 (!), I’ve written four-freakin…
The Olivier Awards were Sunday night.  And as I tweeted, The Book of Mormon shockingly took home the big prize of Best New Musical.  (In case you can’t read ‘tone’…
It takes hundreds of people to put on one Broadway show. Â But only a max of a few dozen are ever seen on a stage. The rest of ‘em are backstage, offstage, in orchestra pits and in d…
I would never have produced The Flick. I will never produce The Flick. I can’t. You see, I’m a Broadway producer. Â Not a theater producer. Â I produce for a 10 block radius …
Part of my personal curse (and also one of my best business assets) is that I’m always looking for the best deal. Â I want the best deal on airfare, on office supplies, on everything…
I found ‘em. I found the stars that will replace in Les Miz. Â (Cameron, you can thank me later.) I just did a Fun on a Friday blog last week, so I normally wouldn’t put one up…
 As I prepped for my Producing 101 Tele-Seminar this past weekend (which started last night and was a blast – and not too late for you to sign up), I did a lot of thinking about the…
If you’ve seen a show lately, then I’d bet money that you’ve seen a Standing Ovation as well. They seem to be everywhere these days, don’t they? Â I remember seeing…
‘Twas only 6 weeks ago when I announced my first ever Producing 101 Tele-Seminar, and I couldn’t be more excited about the response. Not only have you once again proven to me how…
For years I’ve been writing about my hope that the Tony Awards would relax their strict rules about the number of nominees for Best Musical and Best Play. Â It was back in 2010Â th…
Those nasty b-movie Snakes on a Plane would have had no chance if these Lions were on that same vessel. Check out this sweet vid of the cast of the Australian production of The Lion Ki…
For the past couple of years, we’ve sponsored 10 Minute Play Contests to encourage all you playwrights out there to keep writing (this year’s announcement is coming soon), and…
I can always tell when something in the theatrical news has hit a nerve because I get a whole slew of emails from readers saying, “Have you seen this?” Â And when I get a bunch…
As many of you know, after four decades and a close call or two, I’m getting married this summer! As soon as milady said “yes,” the planning began. Â And I realized that …
Time for that monthly summary of what got your attention last month here at The Producer's Perspective: The most read AND the most commented on post of the month: The next gen of performers …
I’ve got an incredibly informed group of investors who are always sending me news about ahead-of-the-curve stuff, from technology to marketing, to nifty new products. Â Â And one o…
You think a career in the theater is tough? Â You should try stand-up comedy. It’s just you on that stage. Â Nothing else. Â No sets. Â No costumes. Â Just you. Â And an au…
You forgot it was World Theatre Day today, didn’t you? You didn’t even send Theatre a gift. Â Or a simple call. Â And you didn’t even call! Don’t worry, you’…
Ewww. Â Contracts. They are a necessary part of business life, but they’re not fun to negotiate, and they are not fun to prepare. Â We all got into theater because we love the thea…
Back in 2009 (gulp!), I wrote this blog about how Broadway’s year end gross box office figures were wrong.  The reported numbers were just under a billion dollars. But, I argued,…
Les Miserables is the Oklahoma of my generation. Or, the Show Boat for the generation before. I was 16 years old when I first saw it in Boston, MA, and had never seen anything like it …
I’ve got a love/hate relationship with the pre-show Cell Phone Announcement. Â I love that it gets everyone to shut their phones off (sort-of). Â But I hate that it slaps the audie…
Stephen Sondheim inspires me in many ways. One of the more obscure ways was when I read a very cool ego-less list of songs that he entitled, “Songs I Wish I Wrote.” Â (You can …
My inner “Magic Nerd” was resurrected last night when I paid a visit to the hallowed halls of The Magic Castle in Los Angeles. Â (Yep, it’s true, I was one of those kids …