Broadway Producer Ken Davenport Joins Speakers at the 2012 Entertainment Innovation Conference

Famed Broadway producer, Ken Davenport of Davenport Theatrical Enterprises, New York, will share insights on innovations in producing for the theatre during the 2012 Entertainment Innovation Conference in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Davenport's presentation is scheduled for 9:00am on Saturday, September 8, at the DeMille Theatre at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts (UNCSA).

The conference, from September 6-8, is presented by UNCSA with sponsorship by the United States Institute for Theatre Technology (USITT) and features more than 30 workshops by Cirque du Soleil, their technical partners, and some of the most respected professionals in the entertainment industry.

Davenport is a multi-talented Broadway producer whose credits include Godspell, Chinglish, Oleanna starring Bill Pullman and Julia Stiles, Speed-the-Plow, Will Ferrell's You're Welcome America, Blithe Spirit starring Angela Lansbury, and 13, as well as Altar Boyz, My First Time, The Awesome 80s Prom, and Miss Abigail's Guide to Dating, Mating, & Marriage Off-Broadway. His company is the general manager for the smash hit, Avenue Q and COCK. Projects under development include bringing the first-ever revival of A Few Good Men to Broadway; creating a new show called Garage Band; and adapting the novel and film, Somewhere in Time,into a Broadway musical. Combined, Davenport's productions have grossed more than $100 million worldwide and are produced internationally in more than 25 countries including Germany, Mexico, France, and Korea.

At the Entertainment Innovation Conference, Davenport will sit down for a lively conversation about "Getting the Show off the Ground: Innovative Producing for Broadway."

The Entertainment Innovation Conference is open to college students, professors, and entertainment professionals and focuses on exploring the merger of arts and innovation. It is a first-of-its-kind collaboration between an educational institution and the foremost industry leaders in entertainment innovation and technology to create a hands-on learning experience that lets students and professionals "test drive" the newest technologies that create entertainment magic. "Other conferences merely 'show' what can be accomplished with technology," said Joe Tilford, dean of the UNCSA School of Design & Production and one of the founders of the conference. "At this conference, participants literally get to experiment with the latest techniques and equipment and discover how to merge their artistic visions with innovations that can create mesmerizing experiences."

USITT members receive at 10 percent discount on Conference registration fees.

More than 30 workshops, presentations, and interactive sessions will be taught by the most respected professionals using the latest innovations and technologies in production, lighting, sound, automation, projections, wig and makeup, costuming, puppetry, and more, including:

• Cirque du Soleil staff and technical partners. This company is recognized for high-quality, artistic entertainment and the most challenging, technical productions
• Members of Tectonic Theatre Project, the award-winning theater company (The Laramie Project; I Am My Own Wife) that develops innovative theatrical events in creative collaboration with writers, designers, and actors to create work that focus on all theatrical elements
• Meyer Sound, the world's leading manufacturer of products and systems for high-fidelity sound reinforcement, and Tony Meola, award-winning Broadway sound designer (Wicked, The Lion King)
• Michael J. Kelley, Emmy Award-winning designer and senior producer in themed entertainment; expert in set design, properties development, art direction for television and large-scale production management, including Disney California Adventure, Marvel Theme Park, HBO Television, Children's Television Workshop, Universal Studios
• PRG, one of the world's leading suppliers of entertainment and event technology
• ZFX Flying Effects, one of the top performer flying effects company in the world
• Stage Technologies, manufacturer of entertainment automation
• Trevor O'Donnell, arts marketing guru and author of Marketing the Arts to Death: How Lazy Language is Killing Culture. O'Donnell will address issues encountered in arts marketing and offer fresh perspectives on effective marketing content to engage tomorrow's arts audiences. O'Donnell's presentation is at the Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art.

The University of North Carolina School of the Arts is the first state-supported, residential school of its kind in the nation. UNCSA is the state's only public arts conservatory, dedicated entirely to the professional training of talented students in the performing, visual, and moving image arts.

The United States Institute for Theatre Technology, Inc. (USITT) connects performing arts design and technology communities to ensure a vibrant dialog among practitioners, educators, and students.

The Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art (SECCA) in Winston-Salem is an affiliate of the North Carolina Museum of Art, a division of the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources.