#77 - Ken Davenport: Producing 101

“I believe the world is a better place if there is more theatre in
it. There is only more theatre in it if there are more people
making it. So, I do everything I can to help inspire, educate
people to make more theatre. Does that mean I can produce every
show? Unfortunately not.”  What’s in this episode? Get a sneek
peak into the brand new musical The Griswold’s Family Vacation!
What exactly is producing? How do you pick a city to do an out of
town tryout?  How does the industry treat multi-hyphenates?
How are multi-hyphenates like small businesses? How does Ken commit
to being an accessible producer? How Hal Prince inspired Ken by
saying one simple thing.  What is successful producing? 
Joy the Musical! “In the business world, if you invent a product –
you are the creator of that thing. You are an artist. You just
designed the thing – you made it out of nothing. And then you have
to raise the money for it. So, you’re producing it yourself. All
those people that go on Shark Tank, they are raising the money,
they are doing the things. No one says, “Ugh, how dare you!” No,
that’s what they do. That’s what Sara Blakely had to do for Spanx,
that’s what Mark Zuckerberg had to do for Facebook – all of it.
They create something and then they raise it – but in our industry
people roll their eyes.” Ken Davenport (Producer) is a two-time
Tony Award-winning Broadway producer whose credits include A
Beautiful Noise, Once On This Island (Tony Award), The Play that
Goes Wrong, Groundhog Day (Tony nomination), Deaf West Theatre’s
Spring Awakening (Tony nomination), It’s Only a Play starring
Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick, Macbeth starring Alan Cumming,
Godspell, Kinky Boots (Tony Award), The Visit (Tony nomination) as
well the Off-Broadway productions of Altar Boyz, The Awesome 80s
Prom and many more. Davenport’s productions have been produced
internationally in over 25 countries around the world. He was the
Executive Producer for North America for Andrew Lloyd Webber’s
Really Useful Group and is the Theatrical Consultant for Primary
Wave Music Publishing. His blog has been featured in every major
publication around the world, from the New York Times to Vanity
Fair. He conceived the best-selling boardgame Be A Broadway Star
(available on Amazon) and he is an avid golfer. Ken is a
Massachusetts native, raised in Sturbridge, MA, who grew up going
to shows at the Colonial Theatre. He dedicates his career to his
late father, Dr. Kenny Dipchand Hasija, an Indian immigrant who
always dreamed about going into the theater but encouraged his son
to do so instead. Other productions in development include Harmony
by Barry Manilow and Bruce Sussman, The Griswolds’ Broadway
Vacation, Joy and The Ten. www.kendavenport.com Instagram:
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