Aleks Knezevich stars as Henry Jekyll/Edward Hyde in the first Touring Theatre Associates co-production. (Photo by Touring Theatre Associates)
VenuWorks President Steve Peters is really just a theater kid at heart. He got his MFA in Arts Management at University of Iowa in the 70s and, this year, expanded facility management company VenuWorks into the theater production space with the founding of two production companies: VenuWorks Theatricals and Touring Theatre Associates (TTA).
In late September, TTA launched its co-producing touring production of the Broadway musical “Jekyll and Hyde” at the VenuWorks-managed Ames Center in Burnsville, Minn. Co-producer in the production is Troupe America, headed by Peters’ longtime friend and former schoolmate Curt Wollan, who has had success with tours of “The Odd Couple” and “Church Basement Ladies.”
Peters' hope with TTA is to create a company that has longevity, “that will be able to play the smaller markets but do it with a company name that people begin to rely on and trust.”
An eerie transformation during "Jekyll and Hyde." (Photo by Touring Theatre Associates)
THE SMALL MARKET PLAY
He said that many companies are created solely for the purpose of producing one Broadway offering and then the company ends, but that Touring Theatre Associates plans to establish its reputation and draw presenters.
“These aren’t the national companies by any means,” he said, adding that the tour is playing single and double shows in tertiary markets, which small-town audiences appreciate.
The company will answer the challenge of bringing content to middle- and small-market venues.
“Most VenuWorks-managed venues are in the Midwest in smaller towns, so TTA is going to be producing shows that work for those markets and also that could be easily done in large cities,” said Wollan, who added that the company will co-produce another show or two next year.
Creating content that can play VenuWorks-managed theaters can only net positive for Peters, who said that adding the companies to the VenuWorks portfolio “helps move us into circles and conversations that we maybe weren’t part of before.”
“When we’re bidding on a theater, event center or complex, we certainly will talk about the fact that we’re involved in creating content,” he added.
BETTING ON BROADWAY
As if opening one show in September weren’t enough, VenuWorks Theatricals is currently co-producing the Broadway revival of “You Can’t Take It With You,” which opened in late September at the Longacre Theatre in New York.
Steve Traxler of Jam Theatricals brought the new entity on board as a producer, having established a two-decade relationship with Peters and his company.
“We currently work with presenting Broadway Series in three VenuWorks buildings and the shows always go very well,” said Traxler. “Recently, they had interest in helping support the producing of shows in New York, and that has led to a great new avenue and experience.”
Rose Byrne and James Earl Jones celebrate opening night of "You Can't Take It With You" at Longacre Theatre in New York. (Photo by VenuWorks Theatricals)
“You Can’t Take It With You” is a Moss Hart and George S. Kaufman Pulitzer Prize-winning comedy, with the Jam Theatricals and VenuWorks Theatricals version currently starring James Earl Jones, Rose Byrne and others.
So far, this first VenuWorks Theatricals co-production is Broadway-specific, but “the opportunity for touring shows may exist down the road for VenuWorks Theatricals,” said Traxler, who added that Peters has communicated an interest in producing some of the classic works and plays.
“Steve [Peters] is very passionate and articulate about these old shows that are chestnuts in the world of theater — I think there are future opportunities,” Traxler added.
While creating content that would play in VenuWorks-managed facilities made logical sense, jumping into Broadway required a bit more thought.
“That was a creative endeavor and business decision all by itself,” said Peters, who added that the show’s run has already been extended to Feb. 22. “For us, it’s been a good opportunity to kind of cut our teeth and learn about producing in New York City, which is a whole different world.”
“New York is not a lot like Cedar Rapids, believe it or not,” he added.
A LOOK AHEAD
Someday he hopes to even generate original product and content at VenuWorks-managed facilities to take on tour.
“Something that develops coming out of Topeka (Kan.) Performing Arts Center or Evansville, Ind., (where VenuWorks manages Victory Theatre and The Ford Center) could be the horse we ride to Broadway,” said Peters, “but first we have to learn and take baby steps.”
In order to profit from a tour, the math has to make sense with the size of the show. Peters estimates that a small show with only about five in the cast may be able to profit from a 12-week tour, but with a large musical production like “Jekyll and Hyde” with complete sets and cast, you’re looking at a 20-week tour playing six to eight performances each week.
The TTA co-produced show, booked by Columbia Artists Management, kicked off Sept. 24 and will wrap March 29 at Haas Center in Bloomsburg, Pa., stopping at several VenuWorks-managed facilities along the way.
Though the companies are currently involved in content that is both touring and on Broadway, Peters said he won’t be making any cameos because that would spell the end of the business.
“You start out in school and everyone wants to be in the show, but I learned pretty fast that that’s not really where I belong,” Peters said. “Finally I ended up in the right place for me, which is to support the talented people that can bring a product on stage.”
“VenuWorks and our new companies will have the stages ready and the coffee hot,” he added.
Interviewed for this story: Steve Peters, (515) 232-5151; Steve Traxler, (312) 951-0080; Curt Wollan, (612) 333-3302