Ken Davenport to Headline Panel at NMI's 'BIZ of the Musical Theatre BIZ' Conference

New Musicals Inc. has announced Ken Davenport as a keynote panelist at their sixth national conference for musical theatre writers in Burbank on July 22-24.

The Biz of the Musical Theatre Biz Conference is for musical theatre writers and producers focusing on the business side of the musical theatre business. The conference features panels and networking with producers, directors, writers, entertainment attorneys, money-raisers, dramaturgs and other insider theatre professionals.

"We're thrilled to have Ken Davenport with us for an entire session," says Scott Guy, the conference's Executive Producer. "Ken's the guy who's breaking new ground with streamcasts like Daddy Long Legs, his amazing social media savvy, and producing credits which include over a dozen Broadway shows."

Davenport will be speaking about how to get producers to readings, whether writers should self-produce, and next steps writers might contemplate in their musical theatre writing careers. Then there will be a Q&A session for writers to ask him about their own particular questions.

Davenport writes, "In 2014, I was on a panel at this conference, along with some other producers, giving comments on writers' pitches. My fellow panelists were articulate, supportive and fair, and I think we helped many of the writers to create stronger pitches."

"Maybe you haven't yet heard of New Musicals Inc.," Davenport continues, "but you should know them. They run both a professional development branch, creating musicals for regional and local producers, as well as the Academy for New Musical Theatre, which has offered the fabled Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop on the West Coast since the days of Lehman Engel himself. They're also the ones who sponsor the New Voices Project for writers under the age of 26, as well as workshops, concerts, productions, and this writers' conference. I really support them and their mission."

Davenport's producing credentials include Deaf West Theatre's Spring Awakening, Allegiance, The Visit, Kinky Boots, Macbeth, Mothers and Sons, and Godspell, as well as six Off-Broadway shows, including Altar Boyz, The Awesome 80s Prom, That Bachelorette Show, and Daddy Long Legs.

"Face-to-face with Ken Davenport," says Guy, "It doesn't get any better than that!"

New Musicals Inc.'s sixth biennial Conference on the BIZ of the Musical Theatre BIZ is at the ANC conference center in Burbank, July 22-24. To register or for more information, visit nmi.org/develop/conference.

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