Ken Davenport Announces Associate Producer Scholarship Initiative in Conjunction with Broadway's MACBETH

Davenport Theatrical Enterprises has launched a new Broadway industry initiative geared toward fostering the next generation of Broadway producers.

Applications are now being accepted for the Davenport Theatrical Associate Producer Scholarship, a new program introduced in conjunction with the forthcoming Broadway revival of Macbeth starring Tony and Olivier Award winner Alan Cumming.

"On my birthday last August, I wrote a blog about my concern for the lack of Broadway Producers under the age of 40," said Ken Davenport in today's blog entry. "Our research indicated that only 8% of the Producers in the Broadway League were 39 or younger.

"At 8%, that's a problem! Producers only get better by producing. So it's important that 20-somethings and 30-somethings get opportunities to produce shows now, so by the time they are in the crux of their career, they've got the experience necessary to contribute to the theater in the way they want to, and they way that we need them to.

"Of course, the problem in our biz is that the admission price for producers is usually a few hundred grand or more, right? It's the ultimate entertainment catch-22. Sure, we need more producers in their 20s and 30s, but how many of those folks have access to the capital required to earn them that credit? And without that credit, or the on-site experience that comes with it, how do they convince investors to give them money for their own shows in the future?

"I got a lot of feedback from the future Producers of America when I posted that blog last August expressing that kind of concern. So for the last six months I've been trying to come up with some way that I could help. It's part of my mission to get more producers producing . . . or should I say to get more smart producers producing."

Now through Wednesday, March 6, Davenport Theatrical Enterprises is accepting applications for the Davenport Theatrical Associate Producer Scholarship.

Ten finalists will be notified on March 12, and will take part in a group interview at the Davenport Theatrical Enterprises offices in NYC on March 19.

One person, between the ages of 18-30, will be awarded an Associate Producer position on Macbeth, and will not only receive billing on the title page and a bio in the Playbill, but will be fully embedded into the day-to-day process of producing Macbeth, learning all aspects of what it means to produce on Broadway - from general management to investor relations to guerrilla marketing, press, advertising and much more.

The Davenport Theatrical Associate Producer Scholarship recipient will be announced on March 20.

For complete details and to download an application, visit http://davenporttheatrical.com/associate-producer-scholarship.html.

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