(CelebrityAccess News Service) — Miller Auditorium in Kalamazoo, MI has inked a three-year contract with Clear Channel Entertainment for touring Broadway shows. According to the deal, at least four Broadway shows must be booked through Clear Channel each of the next four years.
Seven shows for the venue’s 2003-04 season through CCE "Broadway in West Michigan" program included: "Grease" (which ran Sept. 26-28), "Late Nite Catechism" (which ran Oct. 21-26), "Stomp!" (which ran Nov. 7-9), "Mamma Mia!" (Jan. 13-18), "Saturday Night Fever" (March 12-14), "The Sound of Music" (April 2-4) and "Riverdance" (May 4-9).
According to the deal, Clear Channel will walk away with 60 percent of the profits after production and rental costs and will also take a 60 percent of the risk involved with the bookings, reports the Kalamazoo Gazette. The paper also reports that both Clear Channel and Miller Auditorium have agreed not to book or promote any other Broadway-style production within 50 miles of Miller Auditorium. This allows Clear Channel to book shows at competitor venues like De Vos Hall in Grand Rapids.
Bill Biddle, director of Miller Auditorium, had a preliminary agreement in place with Clear Channel during the venue’s 2002-03 season, which earned the auditorium $300,000. This represented just over 7 percent of its $4.2 million in overall revenue. –Jane Cohen and Bob Grossweiner
