Q&A: CTI Sponsor Ken Davenport

Can you tell us about your background and what led you to producing?

My parents dragged me to an audition for a local theater company when I was five years old, and I was hooked. After flirting with the idea of becoming a lawyer, I ended up at Tisch at NYU studying acting, until I got a production assistant-ship on a Broadway show, and realized that I enjoyed the other side of the business so much more.

That internship led to a career as a company manager for ten years on such shows as Ragtime, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Gypsy, and many more, until I started producing my own shows in 2004.

You are the founder and President of your own company, Davenport Theatrical Enterprises. What goes into creating and running such an organization?

I never set out to run a company. I set out to produce shows. Having a company is a by-product of that. Many people think they need to get an office and then start producing. It’s the reverse. Find a show. Produce a show. Let the office and company rise up around you. I ran my company out of my apartment for two years.

In addition to producing, you run multiple other theatrical businesses – you own a theater, organize classes, and coordinate group sales. Can you tell us a bit about these other endeavors and how you balance everything?

Everything I do supports my core mission of trying to get more theater out there in the world. I work with lots of writers and directors in trying to help them get their shows off the ground. It takes balancing but it’s something I’m passionate about, and I always believe that if you’re passionate about something you can find the time for it.

Can you talk a bit about the process of producing a new original musical?

Producing a totally original musical is a unique process because it’s like creating a brand new start-up company that no one has ever heard of before. It’s super challenging, but it’s also super fun, and I also feel like shows like this can be the most exciting and rewarding when they do take off, like a few of my early shows.

What excites you most about a potential project? Is there anything in particular that draws you to work on a specific production?

It has to hit me in the gut. It has to be something that I want to see over and over. And it has to be unique or have some quality that has never been seen on a Broadway stage before.

What do you think was the biggest mistake you’ve ever made, and what did you learn from it?

Just because you live and breathe your shows doesn’t mean everyone else does. You have to always be marketing.

Do you have any advice for aspiring producers?

If you want to be a producer, start producing something today. Anything. Doesn’t have to be a Broadway show. Produce a Shakespeare reading series in your dorm room. Find a friend who is a playwright and produce their show in the park. Create something yourself. But start. Because something good will come from it. It will lead you to bigger and brighter things.