WHO WE ARE

The TheaterMakers Studio was founded by Tony Award-Winning Broadway Producer, Ken Davenport to help aspiring and established theater-makers get their shows from the page to the stage. Our training courses walk you through various aspects essential to making theater, including the process of turning your idea into a polished script ready for submission, getting a reading up of your show, all the way to complete production. The resources available on this site will aid you on your path to production every step of the way.

– A Message from Ken Davenport, Founder of The TheaterMakers Studio

KEN DAVENPORT

TONY AWARD -WINNING BROADWAY PRODUCER
FOUNDER OF THE THEATERMAKERS STUDIO

Ken is a Tony Award-winning producer of Broadway and Off-Broadway shows, including most recently A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical, Once on This Island (2018 Tony Award Best Musical Revival), Gettin’ the Band Back Together, Groundhog Day: The Musical, Deaf West’s Spring Awakening, and The Play That Goes Wrong. Davenport has revolutionized the Broadway market with his diverse approaches at engaging audiences through his shows, as well as supported the Broadway ecosystem through a number of his own subsidiary businesses. He is an internationally recognized and award-winning writer of several Broadway and Off-Broadway shows as well as several books about producing, Broadway investing, and how to raise money for shows. Additionally, he is the Executive Producer for North America for Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Really Useful Group.

MONICA HAMMOND

CEO OF THE THEATERMAKERS STUDIO

Monica is a Serial Entrepreneur and Theatrical Marketing Professional. She is the Founder of Big Leap Brands, a Marketing and Consulting Agency designed to help fellow Entertainment Entrepreneurs grow and scale their businesses. She is also the Founder and CEO of Broadway Murder Mysteries and Curious Custom. She is the former Artistic Associate of The Attic Theater Company, which produced dozens of shows in New York City for it's decade-long span.

Before becoming CEO of The TheaterMakers Studio, Monica held the role of Director of Marketing for Tony Award-Winning Broadway Producer, Ken Davenport for nearly a decade, working on various Broadway and Off-Broadway shows, including but not limited to, the Tony Award-Winning revival of Once On This Island, A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical, Deaf West’s Spring Awakening, It’s Only A Play, Gettin’ The Band Back Together, as well as the National Tour of A Night With Janis Joplin. Off Broadway: André & Dorine, Tammany Hall, That Bachelorette Show, The Awesome 80s Prom, and Daddy Long Legs.

SUMMER GROH

CLIENT RELATIONS & SALES MANAGER

Summer has been involved professionally in the theatre and television industry having worked in Production, Marketing, and Management for The Rachael Ray Show, The New Victory Theater and Florida Repertory Theatre. Summer currently resides in Orlando, Florida where she proudly manages client relations and sales for The TheaterMakers Studio. Her freelance photography and promotional video work has been featured in American Theatre Magazine, The News-Press, Florida Weekly, Happenings Magazine, Broadwayworld, and several theatrical show sites and blogs including nationally acclaimed Wall Street Journal drama critic, Terry Teachout’s About Last Night.

JONATHAN HOGUE

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER / TMS PRODUCING FACULTY

Jonathan (he/him) is a producer, writer, and director with a specialty in new work development and creative branding. He carries 4+ years of experience in Executive, Administrative, Marketing, and Production Assistant positions on Broadway as well as with Williamstown Theatre Festival, the Joffrey Ballet School, Bartle Bogle Hegarty, and Production Glue, and is currently completing his MFA in Theatre Management & Producing at Columbia University. He is also the writer (book/score) and lead producer of Stranger Sings! The Parody Musical (Winner - 2021 BroadwayWorld Off-Broadway Award for Best New Musical) now playing a hit extended run off-Broadway, with international productions running concurrently in the UK and Australia. Other projects in development include Camp Nightmare, a jukebox parody musical riffing on 1980's slasher films; and The Nations, a drama loosely based on his experiences as an aid worker across three continents, which received its virtual world-premiere in Spring 2021. He has also produced the NY Premiere of Jay Stull's The Singularity Play (Columbia University New Play Festival 2022) as well as a series of virtual one-acts for Theatrical Resources Unlimited’s 2021 TRUSpeak Benefit (featuring Ann Harada, Brenda Braxton, and Robert Cuccioli), and has served as a reader for the TRU Voices and Williamstown Theatre Festival Weissberger New Play awards. As a multihyphenate theatre artist, Jonathan is passionate about guiding the development process of new works with creativity and efficiency, and loves supporting writers and producers in the process of bringing their artistic vision to full life.

ERIC C. WEBB

DIRECTOR OF CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT / TMS WRITING FACULTY

Eric is a NYC based writer and dramaturg whose plays and musicals have been produced in NYC and Tokyo. As a dramaturg, Eric has worked with The TheaterMakers Studio and Ken Davenport since 2013 as Director of Creative Development, aiding hundreds of writers and composers in achieving their goals of moving from the page to the stage. Eric also previously served as Artistic Director for March Forth Productions, Literary and Marketing Manager for La Vie Productions, and Dramaturg for Young Playwrights, Inc. Writing projects in development include Rise (with composer Scott Wilkinson), Breakup - The Musical (with composer Stephanie Bianchi), and Thompson/Gifford. Previous writing credits include #JustBeYou (Random Farms Kids’ Theater, JOY Kids’ Theater), A White Man’s Guide to Rikers Island (Players Theater, Gene Frankel Theater), “Orion” (short film), The Angels of Mons (March Forth Productions/Horsetrade at Theater Under St. Marks).

JAY MICHAELS

PRODUCER / TMS PUBLIC RELATIONS FACULTY

Jay began his career during the original off-off Broadway and underground movements in New York City and has become one of indie theatre and films’ most visible personalities. Beginning as a special events assistant at the New York Daily News and PBS, he moved on to positions including promotional staff for The Joyce Theater’s Drama Desk Award-winning American Theater series; national tour manager for Cats, Edwin Drood, and Les Miserables; a television media buying associate; senior event marketing executive for international galas and fundraisers including speechwriting for the Weisslers, the Nederlander and Shubert organizations, James Earl Jones, Jon Stewart, Vera Wang, Mayors Lindsay and Dinkins; and Hillary Clinton to name a few. Michaels also managed promotional events for Broadway shows, Guys & Dolls (1992), Damn Yankees (1994), Vagina Monologues (2005) and Beginnings (2018) as well as Audra McDonald at Broadway’s Town Hall (2019). His boutique PR firm, Jay Michaels Global Communications, services a vast array of independent international talent and their projects. JMGC is in partnership with three television stations – ACW-TV, IFT Network, Inc. and now, PACO Global Entertainment. Michaels served as on-air film and classic TV commentator for Sun Studios’ Terror TV; Octane Media’s Trek Talk; and currently with Fantastic Television for the Boston Sci-Fi Channel; “the face” of FearCon TV; and star of ACW-TV’s Jay Watch. He is also host of Under the Influence and In the PassionPit podcasts and the Classic Cinema Challenge. Jay Michaels is a professor of communications at several universities and a published author.