The Producer's Perspective Podcast with Ken Davenport

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167 - Jack Viertel Nov 18, 2018

Show notes

Jack Viertel is the senior vice president of Jujamcyn Theaters, which owns and operates five Broadway theaters. He has been involved in dozens of productions presented by Jujamcyn since 1987. He has also helped shepherd six of August Wilson’s plays to Broadway. He is the artistic director of New York City Center’s acclaimed Encores! series. He conceived the long-running Smokey Joe’s Cafe, as well as the 2018 hit Prom,and has been a creative consultant on many shows, including Hairspray, A Christmas Story, and Dear Evan Hansen.

We talked about the terrific reviews for Prom, and his thoughts on original musicals, as well as . . .

How working as a critic made him a better Producer.
What every single musical absolutely needs in order to work . . . and his example of a show that gets away without it.
The role of the theater owner – how it has changed over the years.
What former NEA Chair and Jujamcyn Theater President Rocco Landesman said to him after a flop that he still takes with him to this day.
What made him want to give it all up years ago . . . and how he got through that.

After you listen in, make sure you pick up his book, The Secret Life of the American Musical (a great holiday gift) to read more.

This week's episode is brought to you by Copacabana Coffee, a well-known online, high quality coffee store. Check them out at: copacabanacoffee.com

Keep up with me: @KenDavenportBway

www.theproducersperspective.com

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166 - Kristen Blodgette Nov 10, 2018

Show notes

Kristen Blodgette is a musical director, musical supervisor, and conductor, known for her many works with Andrew Lloyd Webber since conducting the National Tour of Cats in 1985. Other works include The Phantom of the Opera, Sunset Boulevard, Jesus Christ Superstar, The Woman in White, Mary Poppins, LoveMusik, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, and Evita.

Kristen is the first MD we’ve had on the podcast, so I took this opportunity to learn more about the gig and her rise to the top, including . . .

Her definition of what a Musical Director does.
How she cold-called the Conductor of A Chorus Line at the theater, during the show, to try to get a meeting (and how it’s a shame that courage comes so easily when we’re young).
The craft of turning non-singers into singers.
What she thinks about the shrinking Broadway orchestras, including how Phantom has changed since it began.
Why she doesn’t write . . . and how that lack-of-desire has made her an even better MD.

Popcorn Falls is a comedy about the small town of Popcorn Falls that shows their struggle to escape bankruptcy by securing a large grant that can only be used if the town produces a play in a week. Led by the Mayor and the local handyman, the enterprising townsfolk try to rise to the challenge and prove that art can save the world. Check it out at: popcornfalls.com

Keep up with me: @KenDavenportBway

www.theproducersperspective.com

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165 - Kirsten Childs Oct 28, 2018

Show notes

Kirsten Childs is an American playwright, librettist, and former actress. She began her theatrical career in the late 1970s as a Broadway performer in Chicago. She went on to appear in productions of Dancin', Jerry's Girls, and Sweet Charity. She later turned to writing her own theatrical productions, beginning with the semi-autobiographical work The Bubbly Black Girl Sheds Her Chameleon Skin, an off-Broadway musical which received an Obie Award. Her other musicals include Miracle Brothers, Funked Up Fairy Tales, and Bella: An American Tall Tale, a winner of the Weston Playhouse New Musical Award.

When you listen to this episode you’ll hear how she went from zero to sixty in about 3.8 seconds with her playwriting career, all because of her determination, lack of fear, and that positive attitude of hers. We also talked about:

How she transitioned from a career as an actress to that of a writer.
Getting nervous while watching her own work in front of an audience.
How are we doing with diversity in the theater . . . and what can we do to improve it, on the stage and off?
The most common misstep she sees young writers make.
Where she gets her ideas, and why (a lesson for all of us).

Keep up with me: @KenDavenportBway

www.theproducersperspective.com

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164 - Michael Greif Oct 21, 2018

Show notes

Michael Greif is a American stage director. He has won three Obie Awards and received four Tony Award nominations, for Rent, Grey Gardens, Next to Normal, and Dear Evan Hansen. He was an Artistic Associate at the New York Theatre Workshop where he directed, among others, the original production of Rent, for which he received the Obie Award for direction of a musical and later directed on Broadway. Greif has directed six original Broadway musicals and been nominated for the Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical four times. In addition to Rent, his Broadway credits include If/Then, Next to Normal, Grey Gardens, Dear Evan Hansen, and War Paint. Other credits include Our Lady of Kibeho, Landscape of the Body, Beauty of the Father, and Mrs. Sharp.

Michael found a way to buck the Broadway trend and deliver smash after smash. Listen to how he does it, as well as . . .

How he started his career by self-producing his own show.
What made him decide he wasn’t ready for New York, and why he went to graduate school instead.
What changed about Dear Evan Hansen since the first reading, and why (spoiler alert: there was an ensemble)
Why a “small” musical can be more powerful than a “big” one.
They can’t all be Rent. What he does when a show doesn’t live up to what he initially hoped.

Keep up with me: @KenDavenportBway

www.theproducersperspective.com

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163 - Daniel Goldfarb Oct 14, 2018

Show notes

Daniel Goldfarb is a producer and playwright. He made his Broadway debut with Martin Short: Fame Becomes Me and his off-Broadway credits include the plays Cradle and All; Sarah, Sarah; The Retributionists; Modern Orthodox; Adam Baum and the Jew Movie; and most recently the musical Piece of my Heart. On television, Daniel is currently a writer/producer on the upcoming season two of Amazon’s Emmy and Golden Globe winning The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, and has pilots in development with Lionsgate and Zadan/Meron productions. Previous TV includes Tyrant, Rogue, Four in the Morning, and The Electric Company.

I met Daniel Goldfarb back in 1997 when I company managed a workshop of Parade. Daniel was Alfred Uhry’s (who wrote the book) assistant, and I remember people saying . . . “That kid that is booking Alfred’s travel and getting his lunch? He’s going to be a major playwright someday.” We had a great time together on this podcast, reminiscing about our days on Parade and also talking about . . .

NYU or Julliard . . . which program did he like better? 🙂
Why he writes at coffee shops.
How he was discovered and how he dealt with the first show not getting all the way to Broadway.
Critics . . . why they are important, and what he wishes for theatrical criticism in the future.
How he markets himself, and why it’s challenging.

Keep up with me: @KenDavenportBway

www.theproducersperspective.com

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162 - Michael John LaChiusa Oct 07, 2018

Show notes

Michael John LaChiusa is a musical theatre and opera composer, lyricist, and librettist. He is best known for musically esoteric shows such as Hello Again, Marie Christine, The Wild Party, and See What I Wanna See. He was nominated for four Tony Awards in 2000 for his score and book for both Marie Christine and The Wild Party and received another nomination in 1996 for his work on the libretto for Chronicle of a Death Foretold.

Not only did I learn a bunch during this podcast, but I had a blast talking to Michael John about how he became one of the most talked about musical theater artists of his generation, as well as . . .

When people say something can’t be made into a musical, that’s when he gets really interested.
A type of musical you’d be surprised that he’d want to write.
What he tells his students at NYU most often about writing musicals.
How he started his career by cold-calling industry heavyweights and dropping by theaters (everything people tell you not to do).
How he feels about being a Tony Nominator

This week's episode is brought to you by AJV Media. They're professional, easy to work with, and local to NY! If you're looking for a videographer and want more information, visit their website www.AJVMedia.com.

Keep up with me: @KenDavenportBway

www.theproducersperspective.com

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161 - Richard Maltby Sep 30, 2018

Show notes

Richard Maltby Jr. is a theatre director and producer, lyricist, and screenwriter. He conceived and directed the only two musical revues to win the Tony Award for Best Musical: Ain't Misbehavin' and Fosse. Other Broadway works include Baby (Director/Lyricist), Blood Knot (Producer), Song and Dance (Director/Co-lyricist), Miss Saigon (Lyricist), Nick & Nora (Lyricist), Ring of Fire (Creator/Director), The Pirate Queen (Writer/Lyricist). Off-Broadway works include Closer Than Ever, and The Story of My Life. He also wrote the screenplay for the film Miss Potter (2007) starring Renée Zellweger and Ewan McGregor.

We talk about all the huge hats he has worn over the years, as well as . . .

Now what? (What to do when your first show out is a big fat success)
Why the collaboration process on Miss Saigon was one of the favorites of his career.
How the revue has morphed into the jukebox musical, and what he thinks of the current lot.
An old idea for new writers to get attention that still works today.
What he thinks of the new “style” of musical theater.

This week’s episode is brought to you by theaterextras.com, seat-filling audience development organization that arranges COMPLIMENTARY tickets for its members when a performance or event is in previews, under publicized, expecting the attendance of reviewers or celebrities, or would like the benefits of a full house.

Keep up with me: @KenDavenportBway

www.theproducersperspective.com

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160 - Joe Iconis Sep 23, 2018

Show notes

Joseph Iconis is a composer, lyricist, and playwright. He is best known for writing the music and lyrics to the Broadway musical Be More Chill. He has won awards such as the 2006 Jonathan Larson Award and the 2007 Ed Kleban Award. Other works include The Black Suits; The Plant That Ate Dirty Socks; ReWrite, a mini-musical triple feature; Things To Ruin; and Bloodsong of Love: The Rock'N'Roll Spaghetti Western.

Listen in to hear us chat about . . .

Just how that Be More Chill album went viral (and what you can do to make yours do the same . . . you may not like the answer).
Why he works with the same “crew” of performers on so many of his shows.
What doing “concerts” had to do with his success.
How he dealt with the disappointment of his first show not going all the way when he thought it might.
The fear of disappointing fans when your show is a social media success.

This week’s episode is brought to you by The Broadway Crew, a staffing and promotional agency for Broadway, Off-Broadway, and New York City theatre. Check them out at: broadwaycrew.com.

Keep up with me: @KenDavenportBway

www.theproducersperspective.com

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159 - David Auburn Sep 16, 2018

Show notes

David Auburn is a playwright, screenwriter, and theatre director. He is best known for his 2000 play Proof, which won the 2001 Tony Award for Best Play and Pulitzer Prize for Drama, and was later adapted into a film in 2005. Other films he has worked on include The Lake House, and his directorial debut with The Girl in the Park. He wrote several short plays, collectively grouped as Fifth Planet and Other Plays. His first full-length play, Skyscraper, ran Off Broadway in 1997. He has worked on other plays such as The Columnist, Lost Lake, Sick, and Side Effects. He has been awarded the Helen Merrill Playwriting Award and a Guggenheim Fellowship.

David and I chatted about the origins of Proof and how he solved it as well as . . .

How he “warmed up” to writing plays by writing sketches and one-acts first (and a business reason why this is a great place for emerging playwrights to start)
The most important reason why he thinks Proof was so successful and why it’s done everywhere.
Why he enjoys directing other people’s work, but doesn’t want to do his own.
The difference between writing screenplays and stage plays.
Where he gets his ideas . . . and what he does first when he gets one.

This week's episode is brought to you by ProductionPro, an entertainment technology company focused on improving creative collaboration in Film, TV, and Theatre production. Check them out here: production.pro.

Keep up with me: @KenDavenportBway

www.theproducersperspective.com

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158 - John Weidman Sep 09, 2018

Show notes

John Weidman is a librettist and television writer for Sesame Street, for which he and the writing team have won more than a dozen Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing For A Children's Series. He collaborated on three stage musicals with Stephen Sondheim: Pacific Overtures, Assassins, and Road Show. He has worked with choreographer/director Susan Stroman three times: Big: The Musical, Contact, and Happiness. From 1999 to 2009 he was president of the Dramatists Guild of America. He has been nominated for the Tony Award for Best Book for a Musical three times.

John and I talked about the creation of his first play, Pacific Overtures, as well as . . .

How law school helped him become a better playwright.
Can all ideas be made into musicals?
Collaborating with Sondheim . . . and how to stand up for yourself when you’re working with a legend (before he became one himself!)
The most common problem he sees in modern musicals.
How to do deal with the ones that don’t work out the way you want them to.

One of the biggest tips I give to writers out there trying to get their shows produced is to submit their plays to festivals and contests and all sorts of different theatres all over the country. Get your play out into the world to as many places as possible: you never know who’s gonna read it. One of the great tools that can help you do this is a website called playsubmissionshelper.com. It gives you a list of all the different places that you can submit your play, deadlines, information on how to submit, etc. It’s the one place on the web that has this information listed in one area.

Keep up with me: @KenDavenportBway

www.theproducersperspective.com

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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