When I was in college at Tisch, I, like every other student at NYU, tried to get into nightclubs on the weekend. And for some reason, the fancy door people, with their super chic outfits, always turned me away... Read More
From the show: The Producer's Perspective Podcast with Ken Davenport
About
When I was in college at Tisch, I, like every other student at NYU, tried to get into nightclubs on the weekend.
And for some reason, the fancy door people, with their super chic outfits, always turned me away. In hindsight, it might have something to do with my khaki pants from The Gap, white shirt from The Gap and blue blazer . . . from JC Penney.
I did get into one. Once. One of the ladies from my acting class at Strasberg took pity on me, and escorted me past the velvet rope on her arm. (You know who you are, and I’m still thankful.)
When I got inside, well, things got worse.
Listen to this week's episode to find out what happened AND how a nightclub inspired me to create a new place for the cool theater people.
Referenced in this episode:
- The TheaterMakers Facebook Group: www.facebook.com/groups/theatermakersstudio
- Continue the conversation: www.instagram.com/kendavenportbway
- The Producer's Perspective: www.theproducersperspetive.com
About the podcast:
After 6 years of podcasting with one style, we're shaking it up here - no guests! Just me! I'm giving you micro-episodes with my perspective on Broadway and the comeback on Broadway.
About me:
Ken Davenport is a Tony Award-winning Broadway producer and writer whose credits include Once On This Island (Tony Award), Gettin’ the Band Back Together, The Play that Goes Wrong, Groundhog Day (Tony nomination), Deaf West Theatre’s Spring Awakening (Tony nomination), It’s Only a Play, Macbeth starring Alan Cumming, Godspell, Kinky Boots (Broadway - Tony Award, National Tour, Toronto, Australia, and West End), and more, including multiple Off-Broadway productions! Ken’s shows have been produced internationally in over 25 countries around the world.
He is the founder of TheaterMakersStudio.com, a one-of-a-kind "masterclass" community that provides training and inspiration from Broadway's best to writers, directors, producers and more.
Ken also serves as the Executive Producer for North America for Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Really Useful Group. Outside of theatre, he has produced award-winning content for both film and TV. Ken’s unique production and marketing style has garnered him international attention in numerous publications, including Vanity Fair and The New York Times.
Upcoming projects include Broadway Vacation, Joy the Musical, My Life In Pink, Harmony: A New Musical written by Barry Manilow and Bruce Sussman, a musical based on the life and songs of Neil Diamond, and a musical based on the life of Harry Belafonte.
Keep up with me @KenDavenportBway on Instagram.
Check out my blog for daily content: www.theproducersperspective.com
This episode was produced by Mary Dina.
Transcript
This transcript was automatically generated and might contain errors.
[0:00] Ken Davenport: Ken Davenport here with the Producer's Perspective.
[0:02] Ken Davenport: I've got a very cool new destination for you.
[0:06] Ken Davenport: I'm gonna tell you all about it.
[0:08] Ken Davenport: If you're into theater, if you want to meet more people who are into theater, this is the place to be.
[0:13] Ken Davenport: I'm gonna reveal all in this episode of the Producer's Perspective Podcast coming up next.
[0:18] Ken Davenport: I wanna be a producer with a hit show on Broadway.
[0:25] Ken Davenport: You're listening to the Producers Perspective Podcast with your host, Tony Award winner, Ken Davenport.
[0:33] Ken Davenport: Hey everybody, it's Ken Davenport here from the Producer's Perspective Podcast.
[0:38] Ken Davenport: I'm going to tell you an awkward story about my youth.
[0:41] Ken Davenport: There are many.
[0:42] Ken Davenport: There are many, so we're just gonna focus on one.
[0:45] Ken Davenport: So when I was in college at the Tisch School of the Arts, like just about every other student at NYU, I spent my weekends trying to get into very fancy and exclusive nightclubs on the Lower East Side.
[0:56] Ken Davenport: And for some reason, all those fancy door people, this was the early 90s, by the way, so there were some amazing, amazing outfits.
[1:05] Ken Davenport: Uh, all those fancy door people, they always turned me away.
[1:08] Ken Davenport: Uh, when I think back on it, it might have had something to do with my khaki pants from the Gap, my white shirt also from the Gap, and my blue blazer from JCPenney.
[1:19] Ken Davenport: Uh now, I literally must have tried like every weekend, like several.
[1:23] Ken Davenport: I just like used to do the rounds from club to club to club.
[1:27] Ken Davenport: I did get into one club once, just once.
[1:30] Ken Davenport: Uh, and the reason is because one of uh the women from my acting class at the Lee Strasberg Theater Institute took pity on me and escorted me past the velvet rope on her arm.
[1:42] Ken Davenport: I am still very thankful to her.
[1:44] Ken Davenport: You know who you are if you're listening.
[1:46] Ken Davenport: Thank you so much for getting me in at least once.
[1:50] Ken Davenport: Well, when I got inside that club, things actually got a little worse.
[1:54] Ken Davenport: Uh, I really didn't understand what to do there.
[1:57] Ken Davenport: All that I wanted to do was talk about theater, and apparently, college kids at nightclubs, that's not what they want to talk about or do when they're at a nightclub on the Lower East Side uh on the weekend.
[2:09] Ken Davenport: Uh so ever since I have longed for a place where I could mingle with other people who loved theater as much as I did, who wanted to produce theater, write theater, create theater, act in theater, etc.
[2:20] Ken Davenport: A place with no dress code, you could wear pajamas, or yes, you can wear a blue blazer, no cover charge, just a place where passionate theater people who wanted to be theater makers could hang out and talk about how to do just that.
[2:37] Ken Davenport: So I made one of these places.
[2:39] Ken Davenport: I made my own online club.
[2:42] Ken Davenport: Yes, it's online, duh, so you you can show up to this one uh in your PJs.
[2:47] Ken Davenport: It's also on Facebook, so I'm gonna bet based on the data out there that you're on Facebook, so you're very close to this club.
[2:55] Ken Davenport: I always heard that location, location, location was very important uh in picking a residence or a business.
[3:02] Ken Davenport: Well, we've created this online club on Facebook just for theater makers, it's the ultimate theater makers Facebook group.
[3:11] Ken Davenport: We just really pushed this out into the world, and already there are almost a thousand producers, writers, directors, actors, and more mingling right now.
[3:21] Ken Davenport: It's the theater makers Facebook group.
[3:23] Ken Davenport: So if you're looking for a place where you belong, if you want to meet other people just like you, and we're talking producers, directors, investors, playwrights, composers, lyricists, designers, everybody from all over the world.
[3:38] Ken Davenport: That's right.
[3:38] Ken Davenport: Don't just think this is New York Theater Makers.
[3:41] Ken Davenport: There are theater makers all over this world, and there are so many from all over the world in this Facebook group.
[3:47] Ken Davenport: If you want to meet them, jump into the Theater Makers Facebook group.
[3:51] Ken Davenport: Enjoy it.
[3:51] Ken Davenport: I happen to think it is the coolest place on the planet, right?
[3:56] Ken Davenport: Much cooler than those exclusive clubs that did not let me in.
[4:00] Ken Davenport: I wonder if they'd let me in now, by the way.
[4:03] Ken Davenport: Yeah.
[4:03] Ken Davenport: Probably not.
[4:04] Ken Davenport: Anyway, go to Facebook.com backslash groups, backslash theater makers studio to join our exclusive Theater Maker Studio Private Facebook group.
[4:17] Ken Davenport: That's right.
[4:18] Ken Davenport: This is private.
[4:19] Ken Davenport: We don't let anyone in.
[4:21] Ken Davenport: We only let the passionate, committed, serious theater makers, people that not only want to talk about theater, but people that want to make theater.
[4:29] Ken Davenport: If that's you, join us on the Theater Maker Studio Facebook group.
[4:32] Ken Davenport: Totally free, by the way.
[4:34] Ken Davenport: Just get in there and just promise me you'll start making some theater as a result.
[4:38] Ken Davenport: We'll include the link in the episode detail about this podcast, but it's Facebook.com backslash groups, backslash theater makers studio.
[4:48] Ken Davenport: I'm in there as well.
[4:49] Ken Davenport: I look forward to seeing you inside our fancy new club.
[5:15] Ken Davenport: Do me a favor and share this episode with another theater maker or two in your life.
[5:21] Ken Davenport: My mission is to amplify the conversation about theater because if we get more people talking about it, we'll get more people making it, we'll get more people seeing it.
[5:30] Ken Davenport: It will be great for the industry as a whole.
[5:32] Ken Davenport: If you want more of my daily perspectives on theater and Broadway, check out my blog at theproducersperspective.com or check out my social media accounts at Ken Davenport B Way on Instagram and at Ken Davenport on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
[5:47] Ken Davenport: We'll see you for the next episode.
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