The Producer's Perspective Podcast with Ken Davenport

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196 - Susan Blackwell Sep 30, 2019

Show notes

Susan Blackwell is an actress, writer, and singer, best known for playing characters based on herself in the original musicals [title of show] and Now. Here. This. She has appeared in other plays, musicals, films, and television shows, and even created and hosts her own talk show Side by Side by Susan Blackwell on Broadway.com.

In this episode, we talk about . . .

Finding the time to pursue your dream, while working your day job . . . like literally while your boss is standing over your desk as you work on lyrics!
What "dollar-cost-averaging" has to do with a career in the theater.
Life of a freelance artist and how she structures her day for success.
Why being a multi-hyphenate and focusing on many things is important to her, and should be to you too.
How did Title of Show happen - and what's it like now watching people play her!

Tune in and enjoy this inspiring artrepreneurial episode and when you're done, turn that dial over to Susan's new podcast (created with her wonder twin, Laura Camien), The Spark File, which is now live!

This week’s #SongwriterOfTheWeek is Jacinth Greywoode (@j.greywoode on soundcloud)! Check out "Myrtle's Lament" at the end of this episode (music by Jacinth and lyrics by Rebecca Hart). If you enjoyed the outro music in this episode, go on over to www.jacinthgreywoode.com/ for more tunes.

No matter where you are in life . . . whether you are just starting out and need a kick start, or you have already achieved a certain level of success and want more, or you’ve been slacking lately (we’ve all been there) and need to get back on track . . . you’ve decided to take your life, your dreams, and your destiny into your own hands . . . literally . . . with this journal. Start your 90-day journey today, visit: http://www.actionjournalforartists.com/

Keep up with me: @KenDavenportBway

This podcast was edited by Stanley Wiercinski.

www.theproducersperspective.com

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195 - Stephanie Lee Sep 22, 2019

Show notes

Stephanie Lee, born into the family business,has worked her way through just about every position in the company! Now, as CEO/President, Stephanie has the unique advantage of being able to offer her team and clients more than 20 years of hands-on experience and knowledge of group trips to Broadway.

This week’s #SongwriterOfTheWeek is Ryan Scott Oliver (@RyanScottOliver)! If you enjoyed the outro music in this episode, go on over to www.ryanscottoliver.com/ for more tunes.

Are you writing your own show? Looking to break into the Producer life? Check out The Producer's Perspective PRO for resources and support from an entire community of theater-makers! www.TheProducersPerspectivePro.com

Looking for more information on Stephanie's Group Sales agency? Visit https://www.broadway.com/groups/.

Keep up with me: @KenDavenportBway

This podcast was edited by Stanley Wiercinski.

www.theproducersperspective.com

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

194 - Mark Sendroff Sep 15, 2019

Show notes

Mark Sendroff started his law career at the firm of Bomser & Oppenheim in 1975 and moved to the firm of Gottlieb, Schiff, Ticktin & Sternklar in 1979, eventually becoming a partner until that firm’s dissolution in 1995, at which time he founded Sendroff & Associates, P.C. In January 2007, he and entertainment lawyer, Jason Baruch, formed the current firm of Sendroff & Baruch, LLP. He presently represents many of the talented artists whose work can be seen prominently in the areas of theatre, film, television, and music.

This week’s #SongwriterOfTheWeek is Or Matias (@OrMatias)! If you enjoyed the outro music in this episode, go on over to www.ormatiasmusic.com/ for more tunes.

This episode is sponsored by National Alliance Music Theatre (NAMT). For more information, go to namt.org/.

Follow Mark: @msendroff

Keep up with me: @KenDavenportBway

This podcast was edited by Stanley Wiercinski.

www.theproducersperspective.com

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

193 - Julie Halston Sep 09, 2019

Show notes

If you don’t know Broadway Funny Girl Julie Halston, you are in for a treat. She’s one of the fiercest comediennes we have, currently playing and flambaying a Producer (!) on Broadway in Tootsie, but has been in everything from Gypsy(where we met) to You Can’t Take It With You to Hairspray to Anything Goesand more.

But she got her start on one of the smallest stages in New York City.

And the story of her rise as a Broadway star, a writer, a producer, and more is a real inspiration and education for us all. Listen to hear all about:

How Charles Busch forced her to write her first show in two weeks . . . and how she got the courage to do it.
Where she learned how to do dramatic readings of NY Times Wedding Announcements. (And yes, listen to her do a reading from the NY Times at the end of this podcast!)
Why she says “yes” to everything she can and why you should too.
Why, despite her big Broadway success, she still performs in her one-woman show (including a performance coming up on October 3rd at Birdland! Go!)
How she creates unique characters, like the stripper in Gypsy, that are so memorable and so freakin’ funny and so beyond what’s just in the script.

If you’re an actor or a fan, then you should listen to this podcast. If you’re a TheaterMaker of any other kind, then you MUST listen to this podcast.

And I apologize in advance for my laughter throughout the episode. You try and hold it in when talking to Julie Halston!

Enjoy and thank you for coming back to our new season!

This week’s #SongwriterOfTheWeek is Zack Zadek! If you enjoyed the outro music in this episode, go on over to www.ZackZadek.com for more tunes.

This episode is sponsored by Sunlight Studios. Use the code DAVENPORT by October 10 to save on renting studio space. Visit www.sunlightstudios.com for more information on their offerings!

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

192 - Chad Beguelin Jun 03, 2019

Show notes

Chad Beguelin wrote the lyrics and co-wrote the book for The Prom. He also wrote the book for Disney's Aladdin, as well as additional lyrics for the score. He is also known for having written the lyrics and co-written the book for the Broadway musical The Wedding Singer and the lyrics for the Broadway musical Elf the Musical. Beguelin was nominated for two Tony Awards for his work on The Wedding Singer, as well as a Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Lyrics.

Listen in to this podcast, and you'll hear about this season’s breakout original hit, The Prom, his experience with failure, writing original musicals versus adaptations, and how to have confidence as a writer as well as:

The pros and cons of writing original musicals versus adaptations of big, branded source material.
How he settles “differences of opinions” with his collaborators . . . from Alan Menken to Matt Sklar.
The importance of having confidence as a writer, even when you are just starting out, and when those around you have more experience.
What award season is like when you’re up against your friends and peers.
What he looks for in a producer and why.

We are taking a break on this podcast! Don't worry . . . we will be back on September 9th with a brand new, very exciting season!

This episode is sponsored by The Long Room, the Irish gastropub with an extensive beer menu featuring craft, domestic & international brews. Visit The Long Room today! www.thelongroomnyc.com

Follow Chad: @ChadBeg

Keep up with me during the break: @KenDavenportBway

This podcast was edited by Stanley Wiercinski.

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191 - Warren Carlyle May 27, 2019

Show notes

Warren Carlyle (Kiss Me Kate) is a British director and choreographer, nominated this season for Best Choreography. He received Drama Desk Award nominations for Outstanding Choreography and Outstanding Director of a Musical for the 2009 revival of Finian's Rainbow. Carlyle most recently directed and choreographed the Broadway musical After Midnight, Chaplin and Hugh Jackman: Back On Broadway; Choreographed On The 20th Century, The Mystery Of Edwin Drood, and the Broadway revival of Stephen Sondheim’s Follies.

Warren is a big part of the Tony race this season (and my money is on him), but he still took time out of his busy rehearsal and cocktail party schedule to sit down with me and talk about:

How he was a real-life Billy Elliotand why his Mum got him started on his journey.
What made him hang up his dance belt and turn to a life of choreography.
The process of creating a number . . . and how he knows when it is working and when it isn’t . . . .
How he got “Too Darn Hot” from an 8 to a 10!
What it’s like working with stars like Hugh Jackman and Bette Midler.

This week’s episode is brought to you by The Tony Awards

Keep up with me: @KenDavenportBway

www.theproducersperspective.com

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190 - Paul Gordon May 20, 2019

Show notes

Paul Gordon is a composer and lyricist nominated for a 2001 Tony Award for the music and lyrics to the musical Jane Eyre. He is also the recipient of the 2009 Ovation Award for his music and lyrics to Daddy Long Legs which has had productions all over the world, including Off-Broadway, where it was nominated for 2 Drama Desk Awards, an Off-Broadway Alliance Award and 3 Outer Critic Circle awards. His other shows include: Little Miss Scrooge, Death: The Musical, The Front, Juliet and Romeo, Sleepy Hollow, Pride and Prejudice, The Circle and The Sportswriter.

But Paul is much more than a brilliant Composer/Lyricist. He’s an incredible art-trepreneur who knows that having some Broadway shows doesn’t mean you can sit back and wait for the offers to come in. We talked about what he does to get his work out there and more, including:

How his super successful pop career writing songs taught him how to write great musical theater songs. (He reveals what pop songs he wrote and you won’t believe it!)
Getting the courage to tell a Tony Winner that he didn’t want to change his show, even when he had never worked in the theater before!
Why he started StreamingMusicals.com as a way to showcase his and YOUR work – and how it already landed him a licensing deal.
What he learned from his first Broadway show, Jane Eyre, and what he’d do differently next time.
Where he gets his ideas and what he does first.

Have you played the Be A Broadway Star board game? Be A Broadway Star the popular Broadway board game that puts YOU in the spotlight! Pick up yours at: www.beabroadwaystar.com.

Keep up with me: @KenDavenportBway

www.theproducersperspective.com

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189 - Robert Horn May 13, 2019

Show notes

Robert Horn is a playwright, screenwriter and producer, best known as the Tony-nominated book writer for Broadway musicals Tootsie and 13. Other works include the books for Dame Edna, Back with a Vengeance; Moonshine: That Hee Haw Musical; Lone Star Love; and Dandy. Mr. Horn has also made contributions to numerous large-scale live events, such as Bette Midler's 2016 Divine Intervention world tour. He has written, created, or produced such television series as Designing Women, High Society, The Jenny Rivera Show, and the Kelsey Grammer/Martin Lawrence series Partners, to name just a few. Mr. Horn's film and teleplay credits also include Teen Beach Movie (and its sequel), Sharpay's Fabulous Adventure, Wild Life, and Good Advice.

Through his experience writing for both TV and on Broadway, he has learned what makes something funny and exactly how to find it.

We talked about Tootsie, as well as 13, and . . .

What makes something funny — and how he finds it.
How he got his start writing by selling monologues to actors for $20 (you art-trepreneur, you!).
How his success in TV helped him crack the code on Broadway — which is what he has wanted all along.
Could a writer’s room work on Broadway (you’ll be surprised to hear this response)?
When to cut something and when NOT to.

Have you played the Be A Broadway Star board game? Be A Broadway Star the popular Broadway board game that puts YOU in the spotlight! Pick up yours at: www.beabroadwaystar.com.

Keep up with me: @KenDavenportBway

www.theproducersperspective.com

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

188 - Josh Bergasse May 06, 2019

Show notes

Josh Bergasse is an Emmy Award winning choreographer for his work on NBC’s musical drama SMASH. He also choreographed multiple segments on So You Think You Can Danceand PBS's Sinatra: A Voice for a Century. On Broadway, Josh choreographed the revival of On The Town, which opened to rave reviews. He received an Astaire Award and wasnominated for TONY, Drama Desk, and Outer Critics Awards for his work on On The Town. He also choreographed the revival of Gigi, and most recently choreographed the Broadway debut ofCharlie and the Chocolate Factory. Other credits include Sweet Charity and Cagney.

Josh and I talked about creating your own luck and that to become a success you have to “never stop dancing,” as well as:

Why the lack of pressure on himself landed him his first gig and so many more.
How that pressure increases when you’ve achieved more and how you deal with it to keep moving ahead.
Why choreographers should be engaged early on in musicals (this one changed my thinking about hiring altogether).
The process of making a “dance” and what the most important elements are.
His experience on the TV show Smash and why it isn’t still running today.

This episode of The Producer’s Perspective podcast is sponsored by Sunlight Studios – the newest studio space in the theater district. Use code DAVENPORT to get 5% off all bookings for the next four weeks! www.SunlightStudios.com

Keep up with me: @KenDavenportBway

www.theproducersperspective.com

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

187 - Michael Mayer Apr 29, 2019

Show notes

Michael Mayer is an American theatre director, filmmaker, and playwright who won the Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical in 2007 for directing Spring Awakening, which also won the award for Best Musical. He was nominated for the 2002 Tony for his direction of Thoroughly Modern Millie, which he then directed on London's West End. Mayer also won the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Director of a Musical for both Spring Awakening and Thoroughly Modern Millie. Other Broadway credits include The Lion in Winter, the 1999 revival of You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown, Side Man, the book for the musical American Idiot. He directed the first Broadway production of Hedwig and the Angry Inch, which opened in 2014. His off-Broadway directing credits include Stupid Kids, Baby Anger, View of the Dome, and the New York premiere of Antigone in New York.

Michael has put a few more Tony-Award winning shows on his resume, including Spring Awakening, and we talked about all the show(s) he has captained, as well as:

The GOOD review that made him stop reading reviews altogether.
Why he convinced everyone to wait for Neil Patrick Harris to be available for Hedwig and how we got that performance out of him.
How he can still feel like a fraud, even with a Tony Award on his shelf, and how he gets through that when he starts a new show.
Plays versus musicals and the skills you need for both.
The day he knew to hang it up as a performer because there were bigger things that he could do.

And if you like the podcast, feel free to give it a great rating and review on iTunes!

Keep up with me: @KenDavenportBway

www.theproducersperspective.com

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

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