Val Kilmer to Kim Katz;re, Mark Twain: all the best theaters: Victory Gardens, The Goodman, Steppenwolf, Royal George

Quick question and update. We put out requests to the 4 best theatres , 
The Goodman,Victory Gardens, Royal George and Steppenwolf. While speaking
with Victory Gardens she asked the name of the production company, what do 
you want to call it?
Also, I`d like to go ahead and talk to David, my connec at Steppenwolf and just see 
what dates they have open after April  and what kind of package they'll 
offer. Is this okay with you?
 Hope you are having a great day, Thanks! Kim








Val Kilmer <val.k@ wrote:

Yes you go getter you! I will send u a pic of my latest creation if 
you promise
  not to forward it to tmz or anyone like em...





On Jan 18, 2011, at 8:20 PM, Kimberly Katz <kimkatz@> wrote:

Aww shucks , I LIKE it when you call me go getter, you,re sweet!  Send it, 
 I promise I will never forward anything you send me to TMZ unless it is a 
picture of brett favres' dick

Re:Mark Twain, 3PM, Goodman, Val Kilmer to Kim Katz; pls see if u can secure the Goodman

on January 28, 2011 valkilmer@ wrote:

 Pls see if u can secure the Goodman from the date u 

mentioned . I think a month will be 

appropriate ....

on Jan 28, 2011, at 12:08 PM, kimkatz@buzznews.net wrote:
I will do that. let me ask you if you had a choice between June, July, august or sept. which month would be better for you? I'm not sure if they are all available but sept. is a better month in general for ticket sales. On a side note it is pretty incredible and WONDERFUL that the BEST theatre of all four I approached has openings in 2011 at all, now that we are in 2011 already and the other two are fully booked for the year.

Valkilmer@ wrote:

I thought u said may was open for the goodman? I'd like to book it for the month of May!

Kim, Looking good, well done

Kim, 

Val has been keeping me abreast of the developments with the Goodman Theater and One Man show. It's looking good. Well done. 

He mentioned that you proposed handling publicity, booking, and some tour managing for the show. As you mentioned in your email to Val that is a big undertaking, but definitely doable. In order to move forward on these things it would be helpful to get a press plan from you. Chicago press is important, but we also need this show to make waves in the big cities and on a national level. Do you have an examples of publicity campaigns you have orchestrated that you could show us? 

We are also in need of a serious online campaign for both the One Man Show and Val as a actor/personality. How could you incorporate that into what you are trying to do? 

Lastly you mentioned you were able to get considerable savings off the normal rate for the Goodman. Could you provide a breakdown of those savings?

Everyone on team Val is excited about the Goodman opportunity. Let me know if you have any questions.

Thank you,

Daniel

TwainEddyFilm.com

Chronological Shmonological, Let's fast forward 10 months- Hypocrisy or Hypocrazy?

hypocrisy [hɪˈpɒkrəsɪ]

n pl -sies

1. the practice of professing standards, beliefs, etc., contrary to one's real character or actual behaviour, esp the pretence of virtue and piety

2. An act or instance of such falseness.

August 24th,  2011 Val Kilmer to Kimberly Katz

"No apologies will be sent at any time for any reason. That is my position."

       

November 6th, 2011- Val Kilmer to The Sunday Mail News

Twain was scathingly critical of Baker Eddy in his lifetime.

"In my story Mark Twain was very mean to Mrs Eddy in the press but he said privately to his daughter that he was really sorry, he really liked her and he really wanted to meet her, so in my movie - he never met her in real life - he does meet her and he apologizes, so it's a kind of a reconciliation that I think is necessary for our mortal man with the immortal man."

This kind of hypocrisy just drives me nuts.  Without telling you any details about the situation except that the apology was for something that occurred while we were both working in different functions on a movie in Ohio this summer, you can easily see the hypocrisy.   


And that line from Val to me about not apologizing was just one line from a long email in which he could have just written the words "I apologize"  about 20 times, instead of explaining at length why he absolutely will not apologize to me now or in the future.


I mean, it could have been something small like spilling hot lasagna on me at the Kraft service table or something major that actually did damage to me professionally but either way he is refusing to apologize now or ever for any of it.

The Vision, The Budget, The Schedule, a little info on Theatrical Booking 101

I actually started cutting my teeth as a booking agent 20 years ago. by booking my own band into nightclubs. It seemed straightforward at first, there was a contact name and number and process for submitting your band's music but then I found out each club had a huge stack of unopened music and it was difficult to get the manager on the phone. If the manager wasn't a friend or at least a friend of a friend who liked your band you may get the runaround for months or wind up being given an opening slot at 6:30 PM on a Tuesday night that you can't possibly get your fans to show up at, let alone make any money playing. After a few rounds of this time wasting futility, I learned that by booking other bands along with my own for a whole night of music or a festival, I could get a lot more respect from the club, and more control over the split of funds from the door and which band got the prime slot- mine.

Theatrical booking by comparison is about 100 times more selective, complex, political, and cliquish than club/musical booking.

For ease of explanation, I group theatrical bookings in three tiers, based on length of run, not size of venue. For example a Tier One booking is for one or two nights max including speaking engagements. It doesn't matter if the theater is 300 hundred seats or 3000. A Tier Two engagement is a week or longer up to two weeks max. A Tier Three is the most intensive booking logistically; it lasts for two weeks or longer and may include a run extension of several months in the same venue.

After 25 years in the New York and Chicago theater scene, I know exactly what each theater or venue is like to see a show in from top to bottom. I know what type of experience theater goers and my productions' members will have right down to the restrooms, bar area, parking options, and disabled access. I am aware of the general age and personality of the theaters' subscriber audience as a whole and I am aware of the success or failure of each of their past productions season to season.  The artistic directors and general managers who decide which productions to run, know me from reviewing their shows every week for Buzz and are friends from college or just respect my taste in theater and talent.

Booking a theater for a production is a lot like hosting an important party. I have to find the best room with the best vibe for that style and size party, with all the right amenities, ample parking and bar/restaurant foot traffic in the right neighborhood.  Then if there is competition for that venue, and those dates, I have to really sell my production to a number of company heads based on what I project will be it's success and get the best deal financially for my clients.

Of the three aspects, the vision, the budget and the schedule, the schedule is actually the most pivotal. The vision for a show changes and evolves. The budget or lack thereof, also changes over time and alters the execution of the vision but not necessarily in a bad way.  You may have a large budget and pump a lot of money into a play with big sets, lighting design, and costumes but it doesn't mean the show will be successful in proportion to the money you have spent. Bigger isn't always better, in fact, it may gild the lily to the point where the show is ruined.  For example, actor, writer, Jeff Garlin from Curb Your Enthusiasm did a successful two-week run at Steppenwolf this past summer with no set at all. Garlin performed his piece “No Sugar Tonight” with just an old ladder, some scaffolding strewn about and a plastic pumpkin with ladle full of water and a ukulele he said he would not play but was there for visual suspense. Garlin said he thought the ladder, etc. would indicate that this was a “work in progress” and that he did not even have a name for the show until the theater pressed him for one.

When I look at the calendar as a booking agent I see years flying by, not weeks or days because in a sense, the best dates of the theatrical calendar year are already booked well before it begins.

Imagine the entire theater community on a big Monopoly board of the United States.  On the board there is a fixed number of major theaters in each of the major cities. Every agent or producer already knows which venues and which dates they need for their production’s tour schedule that year.

The in- house subscriber series are locked in a full year in advance.  Major Holidays like Christmas are always in the same place and have either a good effect on your particular show (A Christmas Carol) or a dead zone effect that you want to avoid, etc.  Booking is done as far in advance as possible to get the best slots and have ample time to promote the show and fill seats.

Foreshadowing with doo doo: Val Kilmer to Kimberly Katz "xoxox, poo"

I'm trying to remember how exactly all the "poo" talk started, including my own 

signatures; "xoxox, poo too", "snow poo" and "lei poo" but since I am about to

get poo deep in a bunch of business and technical theatrical booking talk,

let's just let the poo fly and remember the good times.

Val Kilmer <> wrote

So bawdy

See
If u wanna do right by me
U can't unleash the doo doo

Val Kilmer <> wrote:



Thats the first time I have ever THOUGHT 
or

written 
pooey
On Jan 23, 2011, at 2:58 PM, Kimberly Katz <> wrote:

I don't believe it!  No way that I just took your pooey virginity
On Mon, 24 Jan 2011 14:05:30 -0800, Val Kilmer <> wrote:

look what you make me doo doo

SGR49BMEVG8D

"There's no earthly way of knowing Which direction we are going." Willy Wonka

In February of 2010, 12 months earlier, I called his publicist in New York to
submit my offer to do a phoner and feature on www.Buzznews.net promoting his
MBE/Twain film. They told me he had moved on from that PR firm about two months
earlier, so I put in the request through his agent.

I didn't get a firm yes on that interview from him directly
until nine months later in October of 2010 when I was in Santa Fe for the
film festival. Now it's January of 2011, a full year later and I get a 
positive response about booking his show within four hours of extending it.

Now we are going back and forth about a whole bunch of different
options for booking his Mark Twain show sometimes with only four minutes 
between responses, sometimes not even waiting 
for the other to respond before sending more information about the last 
question. I'm thrilled of course and at the same time I am kind of 
dizzy trying to process and keep up with all the different 
information he is giving me. 

17.01.2011 01:03-0600, Val Kilmer <> wrote:

Lots and lots and lots and lots of press. Hard times and twain Is a pleasure

to quote and reference 

On Sun, 16 Jan 2011 23:41:27-0600, Val Kilmer <> wrote:

Can u help me do a "complete" study if ticket prices- ranging from

an evening co "hosted" by louis black where we can command top stand up

prices-and whatever else the market will bare. I now it's hard times

out  there..

On Jan 16, 2011, at 10:28 PM Kimberly Katz <> wrote

Sure, I will let you know what the range is.  are you actually having Louis
Black join you? or was that just an example? Also by co-hosting. do you
mean he will open for you and do a set of his stand up before your one act?
On Mon, 17 Jan 2011 00:31:12-0600, Val Kilmer <> wrote:

no its another idea i have to combine some of the speaking gigs I've been 
offered. The agent that reps Gorbachev and the other big guys, can get
50 to 100 if the speech is good. If the theme is good. I think Twain
is like a brilliant talk show host and can be the sun out of which 
many bright rays of curren event can flow. 
sorry I am very tired and not focused
17.01.2011 01:36  Kimberly Katz <> wrote:

I get you, i see where you're goin with this, you've already done some 
different adaptations of this,it- twains work - can be many things, a
speech, a one man show, a comedy monologue, etc, no worries get some
rest, you can fill me in more next time