It’s been a busy month for me having spent most of it on the road — a site inspection in London and then a Global Leadership Meeting in Bangalore.

London continues to be one of my favorite cities and spending time looking at all the incredible venue possibilities for events was great fun.  On my first day, I previewed a dozen venues in advance of my clients, so that I could show them the best of the best the following day, making good use of their precious time on the ground.  I like to move quickly during a site.

One of the advantages of having long term clients is that you really are able to get into their heads and show them things that you know are going to be solid options for them.  Therefore, I can pretty much tell in the first 5 minutes of a visit if a venue is going to work.  The next day, with clients in tow, we moved at a fast pace seeing the options I had screened, taking photos, notes, etc. and discussing the possibilities.

The site went well and as we said our goodbyes, we knew that we had several options for a successful program in London.

I had one more night in London prior to heading on to India, so I got a chance to go to dinner and theatre with one of my colleagues.

I had heard the buzz around the latest offering from the Menier Chocolate Factory — the little theatre near London Bridge that has been pumping out quality work — (most notably the scaled back version of “La Cage aux Folles,” that found its way to Broadway).

Currently on the bill is their new take on the Stephen Schwartz, musical, “Pippin”.  (He’s the composer best known for “Godspell” and “Wicked”.)  I still remember the original cast album of “Pippin,” which had its Broadway debut in 1972.  My brother and I played that record constantly and sitting in the Menier Theatre, I pretty much knew every lyric to every song.

Even as often as I’ve gone to the theatre this season, not many things have left a lasting impression on me.  Yet, I vividly remember the original 1970′s production of “Pippin” that featured brilliant Bob Fosse staging and performances by luminaries Ben Vereen, John Rubinstein, and Jill Clayburgh.

Coming to the theatre with that much baggage isn’t always a good thing. But, my guest wasn’t familiar with “Pippin” — so I limited sharing too much of my love for the original production until we got to compare notes after the show.

This production of “Pippin” updates the show by setting it inside the world of a video game.  It’s a bold concept and one that is fully embraced by the creative team and cast.  It doesn’t always land, but it is definitely a great example of a strong vision at work.  At times, the concept overwhelms the material and I felt unmoved.  And, while there’s plenty of Fosse choreography, it’s not executed with the precision of Fosse trained dancers and the cold video character styled costumes don’t help.  Yet, there is something compelling about seeing the show re-interpreted.  The use of projection, lighting and again, that commitment to the vision of the director, definitely kept me intrigued.

When you love an original cast so much, it’s hard to stop comparing performances while you’re watching the show.  And filling the shoes of the likes of Ben Vereen… not easy.

The standouts for me in this cast were Caroline Quentin as Berthe (at intermission my friend remarked — “I just love the grandmother!”…I did too) and Carly Bawden as Catherine… watching her flip from video game character on stage to video game player on screen was great.  And it was fun to see Frances Ruffelle (the original Eponine from “Les Miserables”) tackle the role of Fastrada.

I’m curious to see what happens with this production of “Pippin”.  There’s buzz that it will come to Broadway and I think with more development — it could work.  The score is one delight after the next and while it’s remarkable to see the technical achievements in the tiny Chocolate Factory theatre, I can only imagine the innovation that a Broadway production could bring to the concept.

Harry Hepple (Pippin) and Carly Bawden (Catherine) (c)Tristam Kenton

And, regardless of what’s on tap, I’ll return to the Menier Chocolate Factory during my next trip to London.  There are several great restaurants in walking distance – (we had a fantastic dinner at Roast and the theatre itself houses a funky restaurant in the building).  And, after two days of visiting venues and imagining how they can be transformed for events — it was inspiring to see how the creative team of “Pippin” transformed the Menier.

We have just come off of the busiest month in BKA history. This October, we had events going on in three different continents and over a dozen different cities. I traveled to three of the events for a couple of our long-standing clients. The first was a customer meeting in Scottsdale, AZ, then a Sales Leadership Meeting in Venice, Italy (complete with a scavenger hunt throughout the city, not an easy feat) and the finale was a full on theatrical production of FAME the Musical in Macau, China at the Macau International Music Festival. Being that I was over on the other side of the globe, Oskar and I decided to continue the adventure and head to Cambodia for vacation, a place I’ve long wanted to visit and explore.

We were welcomed into this beautiful country by wonderful, warm people. Especially Reaksmay, our guide. As we spent more time with Reaksmay we couldn’t get past his incredible optimism and perennial smile. He is passionate about his life in Phnom Penh. Incredibly hospitable, warm, funny and genuine with vast knowledge of history, architecture, culture and customs, it was a joy to spend time with him learning about his country.

Through his story we learned about Cambodia, its history and how the people who have been through so much still manage to have a spirit that is indisputable. After all, Reaksmay, his mother and sister all survived the war — a war that wiped out 20% of the Cambodian population.

Reaksmay led us on our tour of S21 and the Killing Fields, two areas where the Khmer Rouge performed acts of torture and ultimately the genocide of its own people during the war.

These visits were made more vivid for us as we learned Reaksmay’s personal story. He was just 1 month old when his country was invaded. His parents fled. His mother taking Reaksmay and his 2 year old sister, his father realizing that his family was more in danger if he stayed with them ventured into the jungle area to hide.

30 days on foot, 19 without food, his mother found refuge. His father reunited with his family briefly, only to die from an illness borne during his time in hiding. Reaksmay never knew his father, who during better times held a government position. His mother, realizing that any evidence of her connection to a government employee was dangerous, burned any evidence of her husband’s existence. Clothes, papers and sadly, all photographs — all connections to Reaksmay’s father were gone.

After leaving S21 and the killing fields with a sinking feeling, I finally had to ask him how he functions on a day-to-day basis. How was it possible for him to tour such sad sites and relive stories of devastation?

“Forgiveness,” Reaksmay told us. “As a child I wanted revenge, but as an adult, I learned that forgiveness allowed me to be free of the burden of pain.” I was stunned by his answer. I felt it was almost superhuman that he could even set out to forgive those who caused such pain for him let alone sincerely living that way.

I thought of the things that I’ve been unable to forgive over the years. And, although I can’t say I’m at the point where Reaskmay is, I am incredibly humbled and honored to have met him and learned from him. Reaksmay’s name translates to “Sunshine” in English. Not only was his mother a survivor, but she also had a knack for naming her son.

At the Royal Palace in Phnom Penh

FAME — I’m gonna live forever! I’m gonna’ learn how to fly…HIGH! I feel it coming together, people will see me and cry….FAME!”

Do you remember the movie musical FAME? Irene Cara standing on top of a taxi as young hopefuls from the High School of the Performing Arts danced down the streets of Manhattan?

Well, FAME is back…and BKA is producing a large-scale production of the show for this fall’s Macao International Music Festival.

We have rehearsals here in NYC and then move the cast, creative team and musicians to Macao where we join our local crew and members of the Macao Symphony Orchestra to present a lavish production of this worldwide theatrical sensation.

The show will be presented in English with subtitles in Mandarin, Cantonese and Portuguese (though just an hour ferry ride from Hong Kong, Macao was originally a Portuguese colony and still has a small Portuguese population).

We auditioned hundred of actors, singers and dancers for this production and I couldn’t be more excited about the cast and the creative team we have assembled for the show.

First, the FAME creative team:

BKA’s Keith Marrapodi is our lead producer on this job. It’s always fun for me to work with Keith — but particularly fun to be together on this job. Keith has traveled the world and started his career as a dancer and then was a choreographer before moving into event production. He can relate to the characters of FAME — both the students and the teachers.

Richard (Ricky) Hinds and I are sharing directing duties on FAME and Ricky will also choreograph the show. We got to work together for the first time on this year’s Drama Desk Awards. He’s a fantastic collaborator and a dazzling choreographer. FAME gives him a chance to show off his talents in ballet, jazz, street, Latin, hip hop….virtually all styles of dance are represented in the show.

He’s partnered with Andrew Turteltaub, a talented choreographer in his own right. Andrew has a long association with FAME having performed in the show on tour and during the NY run of FAME back in 2003. Andrew’s got a wicked sense of humor and moves at the speed at light. I’m glad we have him on the show.

BKA’s VP of Design and Multimedia, Michael Reese has created beautiful scenic designs for FAME and he’ll design the lighting for the show as well. We’ll be incorporating video projection into the overall production design of the show, allowing for added dimension to the visuals. In addition to the scenes set in the school — Michael has designed a stunning finale look for the show where the iconic taxi is positioned in the center of Times Square. FAME represents the 4th show Michael and I have done together in Macao. It’s always great to go back to Macao with Michael – he seems to quickly find the coolest places to go after the show and watching him lead the large tech crew in Macao is a blast.

Mark Fifer is our musical director — it’s a rare chance we get to work with Mark as he is always so busy! He’s a musical theatre expert with a real speciality in Rock and Roll and contemporary musical scores. He’s assembled a core of dynamic young musicians to take the journey with us to Macao and play alongside the incredible musicians in Macao. Mark has great ideas for infusing a more current musical sensibility into the show. Once we get to Macao, members of the Macao Symphony Orchestra will join us. Mark is going to be thrilled with the addition of their fantastic string section in particular.

Scott Westervelt has dozens of Broadway shows under his belt and has been with BKA for many years. Having him design the costumes for FAME means we’ll have our great looking cast in great looking clothes. Scotty is also one of the most positive people I’ve ever met. The travel to Macao is long and Scotty’s big smile and boundless energy goes a long way in getting everyone over their jet lag.

We got to work with Bess Fifer as our casting director on FAME and the cast we’ve assembled is extraordinary. We have a mix of Broadway veterans and fresh new talent in the show.

Meet the teachers:

Regina LaVert played strict English teacher Esther Sherman on the national tour of FAME, a role she will return to in our production. I literally got chills listening to her sing and I’m thrilled that she will be in our show.

Joan Hess plays dance instructor Greta Bell. We’ve worked with Joan frequently over the last several years and she’s one of my favorite performers. She and Regina have a big duet in FAME that is sure to dazzle.

Bruce Winant plays Mr. Sheinkopf in FAME. I just saw Bruce in the La Cage Aux Folles revival and I’m so happy he is joining us as the beloved music teacher. He’s a class act and an incredibly skilled actor.

Peter Reardon plays acting teacher Mr. Meyers, a role he created when FAME played in NYC. Peter and I go all the way back to college at Syracuse University. I was a fan back then and still a fan of this talented actor. Peter returns to Macao having played Sky Masterson when BKA presented “Guys and Dolls” at the festival a few years back.

Meet the students:

Lexi Lawson plays fiery Carmen Diaz and sings the title song. She’s absolutely dynamite. A true triple threat, she’s got the perfect combination of star quality and vulnerability so needed in this role.

Benjamin Mapp is the tormented dancer Tyrone Jackson in our show. He’s definitely got the wow factor. So glad we get to work with him!

Kelly Felthous plays Serena Katz. We knew we wanted Kelly after her first audition. She’s instantly likeable, a great actress, singer and dancer.

K.J. Hippensteel will be breaking hearts in Macao. He plays Nick Piazza in our show — he’s charming with mega-watt charisma.

Laura Volpacchio plays Iris Kelly. Watching this young woman dance, took my breath away. I’m eager to see her and Benjamin perform Ricky’s choreography on the great stage in Macao.

Joel Perez made us laugh so much during auditions — we knew right away we found our class clown, Joe Vegas.

Violin and piano virtuoso Robert Farruggia plays violin and piano virtuoso Schlomo Metzenbaum. They say that directing is 90% casting. Robert is the perfect fit for FAME.

Alissa Laderer plays Grace “Lambchops” our rock and roll student. Alyssa is a knockout — great talent AND she plays the drums.

We were charmed right off the bat by Richard Cerato who plays Goody in our show — he also plays the saxophone and has a great sense of humor.

Annie Funke plays larger than life dancer Mabel Washington. Annie played Tracy Turnblad in Hairspray on Broadway and she is a riot.

The competition for the 6 ensemble slots was fierce. We are thrilled to have Frankie Paparone, Naimah Saleem, Adam Rogers, Matthew Cullen, Jamie Markovich and April Berry as members of the FAME Company.

Check out the link to see the cast of FAME.  http://www.bka.net/whatsnewatbka.php

“Shouldn’t we put the word ‘event’ in there somewhere?” I asked.

“What about meetings, incentives or entertainment?” Lynnette asked, “or should we just keep it simple?”

“How about your last name, my last name and another word for anyone else we’ll get to work with. And…your last name sounds better before my last name….so let’s go with that.” I suggested, “Barkley Kalpak Associates.”

“I think we sound like a law firm but maybe it will just sound professional and it will allow us to be flexible. We can always explain what we do,” Lynnette added.

“What ARE we doing anyway??” we both wondered.

Good question.

20 years ago, my friend Lynnette Barkley and I marched ourselves down to the Hall of Records and registered the name Barkley Kalpak Associates. Next, we went to the bank and with a $5 bill, opened a checking account. That was the beginning. We were theatre people — creative types who thought we could bring something new and different to the meetings, incentives and event industry. BKA was going to be a side job, an endeavor to support us in between our directing careers.

Our first job lead to the next….and the next. Some great press (thank you Successful Meetings Magazine!), word of mouth and referrals kept bringing us more business. Before we knew it, we were BKA-ing more and more. The opportunities presented themselves and we seized them eagerly and appreciatively. The part-time side job was transitioning into a fulltime business.

Back then, it was just the two of us doing everything ourselves. We worked out of Lynnette’s living room, then my bedroom and then sometime later, a real office. We were writing, directing, casting, costuming, booking travel, carrying props, climbing on ladders, calling the shows…whatever it took to get the job done right.

Today BKA has evolved into a full team of the most fantastic people I could ever imagine working with. We have an impressive list of clients. And people actually know that we aren’t a law firm.

We turned 20 this year. And without much fanfare we’ve found ourselves in an industry that has changed faster than you can say experiential marketing.  We’ve grown up in this industry. We’re proud of being a part of it. Thrilled that we were so welcomed by it 20 years ago and honored that clients still want to have the BKA experience today.

You never really know where your life is going to take you. I had no idea that the $5 investment we made back in 1990 would bring us this successful company.

Life is a series of events and if you stay flexible, you may just end up producing a lot of them…

Our Very First Event

This Sunday I’ll be directing the 55th Annual Drama Desk awards show –celebrating achievement for all New York theatre — Broadway, Off Broadway and Off Off Broadway.

It will be my 15th year directing the show and I’m honored that they keep asking me back.

We have had incredible artists participating in the show over the years. From the hosts — Tony Randall, Bebe Neuwirth, Bernadette Peters, Lily Tomlin, Harvey Fierstein (who has hosted many times), the cast of [title of show], Kristin Chenoweth, Rue McClanahan, Chita Rivera and this year’s Patti LuPone — to the hundreds of presenters, to the terrific musical talent that has performed.

Me and Patti LuPone at a past Drama Desk Awards. Photo by Scott Wynn.

The show has changed a lot in the last 15 years and the production team is always keeping an ear to what the audience wants and what the nominees want. Our show is open to the public and can be watched live on theatremania.com. So while we always strive to create a show that keeps the nominees as top priority — after all this is THEIR night! — we work to ensure an equally fun experience is had by the audience, both in the theater and online.

Through the years of working on this event it is interesting to see how the desires of the talented stars from the theatre, so perfectly parallel the needs and wants of the corporate clients I work with at BKA. And this isn’t just applicable to the talent or client. The same rings true for the audiences we entertain, whether it’s the theatrical community or the corporate awards show spectators we entertain at BKA:

1. Keep it moving.

2. Make the attendees feel special.

3. Prepare the presenters so they know exactly what they are doing on and off stage (including how to pronounce the names of all the nominees!).

4. Make sure the entertainment is relevant (and short!).

5. Eliminate fake “award show banter.”

6. Don’t put pairs of presenters on stage together unless they have a connection to each other.

7. Humor goes a long way. Warmth and authenticity go even further.

8. Keep the elements of surprise and suspense.

9. Walk up music matters — it keeps the pace of your show.

10. Rehearse. Then rehearse some more.

Congratulations to this year’s nominees. I hope we bring you a show that gives you the recognition you deserve….and that we bring it in under 2 hours!