Davenport does it again!

MY FIRST TIME WANTS YOU TO HAVE A SAFE HOLIDAY:
FREE CONDOMS TO ALL TICKET-HOLDERS
“Provocative, amusing and moving!” – NY Post
“A diverting evening of first-time tales that is by turns comical, erotic, sentimental, galling, heart-rendering, and even mildly political.” – Toronto Globe & Mail

“80 minutes of titillation! The theatrical equivalent of a date-movie!” – Newsday
“Funny and touching to sweet, sexy and silly!” –Village Voice

Ken Davenport (theproducersperspective.com) today announced that condoms would be distributed at all performances of his Off-Broadway hit My First Time (www.MyFirstTimeThePlay.com) in December.

Mr Davenport explains, “I recently received a comment on my blog from a young man who told me that he and his girlfriend lost their virginity to each other after seeing My First Time. Last year, a study revealed that 96% of the audience had sex immediately after seeing the show. We’ve always known that My First Time gets people in the mood, and now we just want to make sure that everyone is prepared!”

MY FIRST TIME is the new play in the style of The Vagina Monologues featuring four actors in hysterical and heartbreaking stories about first sexual experiences written by real people . . . just like you.
Even before its opening, My First Time quickly became the most talked about show in town, having been featured in TMZ.COM, the New York Times, Daily News, Associated Press, Playboy Magazine, and on television on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno” as well as news programs on CBS, CNN, BBC, and MY9, as well as in a national Apple iPhone commercial. My First Time has been performed internationally, in Spain, Korea, Italy, Mexico, Chile, New Zealand, and Malta.

In 1996, a decade before blogging began, a website was created that allowed people to anonymously share their own true stories about their ‘First Time.’ The website became an instant phenomenon as over 40,000 stories poured in from around the globe that were silly, sweet, absurd, funny, heterosexual, homosexual, awkward, shy, sexy and everything in between. And now, these stories and the unique characters in them are all brought to life in MY FIRST TIME.

Performances continue at New World Stages (340 West 50th Street, between 8th and 9th Avenues). For tickets, call Telecharge.com at 212/239-6200. Call 1-888-MY1-TIME or visit www.MyFirstTimeThePlay.com .

PRESS CONTACT:
David Gersten & Associates
240 West 44th Street / Penthouse, New York, NY 10036-3906

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I received this press release in a mass email from one of my co-workers today with the caption "Well this is certainly an interesting campaign". Just goes to show you that Ken Davenport is a Producer/Marketing genius that knows how to get people's attention and get them talking about theatre.

Memphis

I believe it was Bryan Darcy James who said it best when he said, “Revivals are for wusses” (or something close to that) on an ATW panel about performing. It’s true and Memphis is just another show that proves his theory. This show is a big splashy musical comparable to Hairspray, but in my opinion Memphis is much better. The show to me is about the passion to do what you think is best regardless of what everyone else thinks and the reality of Newton's law for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. Also there is a plot line on how fickle fame can be. Be sure to check it out if you can!

Favorite aspect: Sets – they were beautiful
Favorite number: Stand up
Favorite Song: Memphis Lives in me
Can't get out of my head: Steal your Rock n Roll
Favorite scene: Felicia catching her train or Bus
Talent to watch out for: Derrick Baskin, James Monroe Iglehart, and Hillary Elk.

One question - 30 something producers?

Recent Shows

The Understudy: My first Off-Broadway Show in about 4 years – so I was very excited! This play was pretty standard and had a strange rhythm to it. A lot of the jokes you have to be a theatre person to understand. Overall I thought it was entertaining and worth seeing.

Favorite Scene: When the two actors are arguing over how the character should hold the prop gun.
Favorite Aspect: Sets
Need to learn more about: Kafka

Billy Elliot: Billy Elliot was a show that I had no strong interest in seeing until after the Tony Awards. The show is a different type of musical, that is more focused on Music and Dance than singing. I was pleasantly surprised because I didn’t think it was going to be as good as it was. In my opinion, it will join the epic musical club alongside Les Miserables, Phantom, and Miss Saigon.

Playing Billy: Trent Kowalik - This kid is the best dancer I've ever seen on stage - especially tap.
Favorite Number: Tossup between Angry Dance and Electricity –I may like Angry Dance a little more… When you see it you’ll see why it’s so hard to choose between the two.
Favorite Song: The Stars Look Down
Favorite Aspect: Choreography
Song I can’t get out of Head: Merry Christmas Maggie Thatcher
Need to learn more about: The UK miners' strike

Superior Donuts: I enjoyed this play it was worth seeing. I’m just going to use two words to describe my take on it. ..Surprisingly Moving

Favorite Aspect: Sets
Favorite Scene: The ending
Need to learn more about: Writing

That’s all Folks…


Next up will be…Memphis, Bye Bye Birdie, Present Laughter (My favorite Noel Coward Play!), & Rock of Ages.

Broadway Cares

It's Broadway Cares Holiday Donation time...so go see a show and buy some memorabilia for a lot of great causes.

For more information about Broadway Cares check out their website at http://www.broadwaycares.org/.
It's a wonderful organization that raises a ton of money each year for various charities.

Under Construction...

I am stuck at home with the flu this weekend and needed a project... : )

October 25, 2009 - Ok, I'm done.

Interesting...

Still intrigued by Mr. Ken Davenport’s Audience Study Blog Click here

As an Usher at the Hilton Theatre during the run of Young Frankenstein I learned a lot about this subject from daily interaction with the patrons. I remember this one time a woman was so upset about Rodger Bart being out that she walked up waving the notice and screamed that the paper in her hand was a problem. Then she demanded to know why he wasn't going to be on stage that night. Which we were not allowed to tell even if we did know; if they were sick sometimes I would bend that rule but it depended on how I thought the person would react.
I never realized just how much patrons cared about the subject until almost every time there was an understudy on patrons would ask me, "Is Sutton Foster's Understudy any good? I paid a lot of money for these seats.” Which for that show some groups paid about $450.00 per ticket.

For Young Frankenstein we were lucky that all of the understudies were very talented (except for one of Igor’s but Christopher Fitzgerald was hardly ever out). Rodger Bart’s understudy Jon Patrick Walker was the best!

I think that audience members are very sensitive to what they paid for. For many patrons going to the theatre is a special event with family and friends. In my opinion the problem is the psychology behind when you plan something and things don't go exactly the way you imagined, it's in our nature to get disappointed. Therefore I think the main perception that needs to be changed is at the point of sales. Personally I think in an ideal world the audiences would be built around the show concepts. People should be paying to see the show not the stars in the show.

I think it would help if audience members were more informed about policies and procedures (i.e. If the actor's name is above the Title and they are out you can get your money back), of course within reason. I found once I explained to an audience member certain things that they were much more content and willing to accept the situation. An uninformed audience is one most likely to get fed up and tell their distant cousins about it. That's why I love that telecharge.com will sometimes let you know if a big name star will be on vacation before you purchase the tickets. Also for day of information we now have www.broadwayunderstudies.com (there is also a West End version).

Something to ponder: What would be some good ways to keep an audience informed though?

Ticketmaster or Telecharge sending out a mass e-mail if there are any changes 24 hours before the show?

Making the fine print larger?

Broadway for Dummies book? (I wonder if they have one already) Broadway 101 pamphlets?

Promoting the informative sites like broadwayunderstudy.com?

Original Material on Broadway

Inspired by my good friend Ant Mennuti I decided that this update should be about my theories the lack of original material on Broadway. Some people may ask why not take a recognizable product and present it back to the audience in a different art form. They argue that taking a popular movie and making it into a show that tweaks the story makes it original material. Nope, friends the dictionary defines original as the following...

1. belonging or pertaining to the origin or beginning of something, or to a thing at its beginning: The book still has its original binding.
2. new; fresh; inventive; novel: an original way of advertising.
3. arising or proceeding independently of anything else: an original view of history.
4. capable of or given to thinking or acting in an independent, creative, or individual manner: an original thinker.
5. created, undertaken, or presented for the first time: to give the original performance of a string quartet.
6. being something from which a copy, a translation, or the like is made: The original document is in Washington.

There is no mention of remakes or reinvents to be found...I think that people are ready and want to see something original on stage. My mother always talks about getting to see the original productions of shows being revived today and they hold a special place in her memories.

Here are two of my theories…I don’t pretend to be an expert on the subject these are just my thoughts…
Theory # 1 – You already have an audience for the material.

It’s logical to think that when you take a preexisting story you will have an audience that comes with it. Which then creates word of mouth because once that audience finds out there is something new coming out using their favorite story they’ll start talking about it. Questions such as, “I wonder how [insert actor here] will do as Elizabeth Bennet?” will be asked and the ever so popular statement, “They better not ruin my favorite story.” will be heard. I have to admit to being one of these types of audience members myself. When I heard that Pride and Prejudice was becoming a Musical I asked/spoke the statements above to anyone who would listen. Pride and Prejudice is my favorite book, and the BBC Film version is my favorite movie. It could be a really great musical if it is done right. I have an idea in my head about how the show could work, but that is for another post entirely.

Theory # 2 – Producer’s are the Audience members themselves – having an attachment to the material can be deadly in this business.

I remember whenever I Stage Managed or Teched a show in college that I loved whatever show I was working on. Alas… after a performance when I had asked my friends what they thought I would get really offended and not understand why they didn’t like some of them. Now that I look back I liked some pretty crappy shows which shall remain nameless. So I agree with the point that one should never so close to the material that they become blinded by their love of it.