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The Producer’s Perspective A Broadway Producer’s Opinion on Everything Broadway and Beyond THE TOP 100: THE MOST READ BLOGS ON THEPRODUCERSPERSPECTIVE.COM By Ken Davenport www.TheProducersPerspective.com Davenport Theatrical Enterprises 250 West 49th Street, Suite 301 New York, NY 10019 Copyright © 2014 by Davenport Theatrical Enterprises All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. ISBN 978-1-312-05431-8 DEDICATION To my readers - There is no way I could have blogged for six days, never mind six years, without each and every one of you. Even the ones that disagree with me. CONTENTS A Note From Ken............................................................................................ 2 Entries 1-10.................................................................................................... 3 Entries 11-20.................................................................................................24 Entries 21-30.................................................................................................39 Entries 31-40.................................................................................................53 Entries 41-50.................................................................................................66 Entries 51-60…..............................................................................................79 Entries 61-70.................................................................................................95 Entries 71-80...............................................................................................117 Entries 81-90...............................................................................................130 Entries 91-100.............................................................................................141 About the Author .........................................................................................155 The Producer’s Perspective: The Top 100 P a g e | 2 A Note From Ken I have to admit it. When I first joined the blogosphere, I felt like one of those crazy people on the subway who talk to themselves. I never imagined that one day I’d be typing a preface to a book of entries, especially since I’ve found myself staring at my screen at 3 AM so many times wondering, “What the &#@$ am I going to write about?” Six years later, and I’ve written 3,941 posts as of today. Since new, passionate theater people stumble onto the blog every day and don’t know where to begin, I put together this compilation of the 100 Most Read blogs over the past six years. Enjoy them and I’ll see you ‘round the blogosphere! Ken Davenport P.S. All of the text in this book is taken directly from my blog. If a word is underlined, it means that there is a hyperlink or a photo or video on the entry on the website. If you wish to check out the link or the photo/video, just visit www.TheProducersPerspective.com and search for that specific entry (you can find it by date in the archives section). www.TheProducersPerspective.com The Producer’s Perspective: The Top 100 P a g e | 3 1. October 10, 2008 Top 10 Audition Tips for Actors Sitting on the other side of the table is something that every actor should do. It’s incredibly educational and inspirational, because frankly, you realize that while there are lots and lots of people that call themselves actors, there is a much smaller group of Actors (and talent is only a small part of that definition, by the by). Since so few Actors get a chance to sit where Producers and Directors sit, here are my 10 tips on how to have a better audition experience. 1. Always bring a picture and resume. I don’t care if you have an Agent, a Manager, and a Momma Rose-style “mom- ager” who all promised to send it over. You’re the one that won’t be remembered if you don’t have one. A P&R is more than an American Express card. It’s like a pair of shoes. You wouldn’t leave home without shoes, would you? 2. Haven’t memorized the material? Don’t pretend you have. If you have sides, try to memorize them. But if you can’t, it’s ok. We’d rather hear the material as written with the papers in your hand than hear you make up stuff just to prove that you tried (and failed) to memorize the material (remind me to tell you about the time an actor added a few lines to a Tony Award winning playwright’s monologue to kill time while he tried to get back on track). 3. Don’t make excuses. I don’t want to hear that you have a cold, or that you have bed-head, or that your printer is broken. Do your best. 4. If I ask you to make a choice, make one. I commonly ask the people auditioning for me to choose between two monologues, or I ask them to give me three song choices from their book and then I say, “which would you like to do?” I want to learn what YOU are attracted to, and I also want to see you make a choice. Don’t say, “It doesn’t matter. What do you want?” Actors have to make strong clear choices when developing characters. I want to see that side of you in everything you do. 5. Make your first 15 seconds count. When you meet someone for the first time, don’t you make a lot of suppositions? We do too. 6. Be the 3 Cs. Be comfortable, charismatic and confident. Actors have to command attention. They have to be the most interesting people in a 1000 seat theater. Be someone that we want to get to know. If you can do that as yourself, I know you’ll also be able to do that in a character. 7. Don’t take the last audition times of the day. Casting is not an easy process, and at the end of the day, a creative team is grumpy, tired and wants to go home. The early actor gets the part. (Another reason to be scheduled early? You don’t have the rest of the day of actors to be www.TheProducersPerspective.com The Producer’s Perspective: The Top 100 P a g e | 4 compared to. I’m much more likely to call someone back that I see early because I have no idea what the rest of the day will bring.) 8. Let us know where to find you. Even if you have an agent, put an email address where you can be reached directly on your resume (For safety reasons, I’d suggest a separate email just for this purpose). This way, if you ever leave your agent, or if your agent doesn’t get back to the casting director right away, interested parties have a way of at least sending you an inquiry. You don’t have to respond. Pix and Resumes sit in files for years. You always want some piece of contact information to be accurate so someone can find you fast. 9. Don’t start over. Screw up? Fight through it. And it probably wasn’t as bad as you thought. You’re more sensitive to it than we are. An old voice teacher of mine used to say, “If you put a microphone on the inside of a Mercedes engine, you’d hear all sorts of sputtering and spitting, but from the outside, you’d hear nothing but purrrrrrrrr.” 10. Always audition. The best way to master auditioning is just like everything else. Do it over and over. You’ll get numb to the nerves. You’ll be able to be yourself. And you’ll get free practice! I used to go to dance calls, because learning a dance combination at an audition is a free dance class (and I needed them). Actors who get to work on sides with directors at an audition get a free coaching. Remember, we want you to be great. We’re pulling for you more than you can ever imagine. Because a great audition, means a great cast, which means we’re one step closer to a great show. 2. February 25, 2009 How to Get A Producer to Read Your Script As someone who gets a minimum of 10 script submissions a week, I can tell you first hand that I know how hard it is to get a Producer to read your script and give it even 1/10th of the time and energy that you gave when you wrote it. So what can you do to get that Producer to take that first step to producing your show and actually sit down and read your script? Here are five tips on how to get a Producer to read your script: 1. THE ASSISTANT APPROACH Surprise, surprise, most people who work in Producers’ offices love plays and musicals, and have similar tastes to their boss, or at least know what the boss likes or doesn’t like (no one in my office is bringing me absurdist operas about Dadaism and its effect on South African monkeys). www.TheProducersPerspective.com The Producer’s Perspective: The Top 100 P a g e | 5 Odds are that these people don’t get a minimum of 10 scripts a week sent to them like the guy or gal with their name on the door. So find a way to get your script to them (which will probably make them feel pretty special and they’ll be even more inclined to like it). If they do read it, and if they do like it, they’ll have 40+ hours a week to push it to the Producer. If the Producer has already hired that person, then they already trust them, so odds are high that he or she will read it. I know I’d read anything that my staff asked me to. 2. THE TREATMENT APPROACH Time is moolah, so sitting down (or standing up) and reading a script is a major investment for someone with a busy schedule. I once did NOT read a play simply because it was 187 pages. It could have been the next August: Osage County, but the thought of flipping 187 pages when I looked at my schedule made me throw up in my mouth (BTW, I did give it to an associate to read, and it was NOT August: Osage County).