Off-Broadway Space, Davenport Theatre, Closes Its Doors for Good
BroadwayWorld has learned that the Davenport Theatre (354 W 45th St.) has closed to doors for good. Davenport Theatrical Enterprises acquired the Davenport Theatre in 2014, converting a firehouse to a 127-seat main stage theatre and 99-seat loft space. Ken Davenport writes in a recent blog post:
As of February 1st, The Davenport Theater, which I opened five years ago and named after my great-grandfather, Delbert Essex Davenport (see here), will close its doors.
It's been a helluva run, and I accomplished the most important thing I try to accomplish with every endeavor of mine . . . I learned a ton.
So why's it closing? Well, there's no real drama here. I never owned the building (if only!), and my lease is up. And we're not re-upping for the #1 reason why most leases aren't renewed. We couldn't make a deal. (And I think the landlord has some other plans for the space.)
As much as I'd still love to have that gem of a place, I can't let that emotion get in the way of what the spreadsheet shows . . . So there are no hard feelings, and I'm super thankful to our landlord for letting us give it a go for the last five years. And honestly, the timing couldn't be more ideal, really, as I've been re-focusing my efforts on what I really want to do.
Davenport Theatrical Enterprises was founded in 2004 by Tony Award-winning Broadway and Off-Broadway Producer Ken Davenport. The company's first production was the Off-Broadway interactive show The Awesome 80s Prom, which ran for 10 years. It was followed by the Off-Broadway shows Altar Boyz (Outer Critics Circle Award, Best Musical) and My First Time, which has been seen in over 20 countries worldwide.
Since then, Broadway productions have included the Tony Award-Winning Once On This Island, Gettin' The Band Back Together, Deaf West's Spring Awakening, It's Only a Play, Macbeth with Alan Cumming, Kinky Boots (Tony Award), and Godspell, among many others. Off-Broadway productions have included That Bachelorette Show and Daddy Long Legs.
Videos
