And then there was the time I was directing "Hello Dolly". There are two orchestrations, one for your classic Carol Channing type Dolly and one for your Barbara S. version...  I knew in advance that I wanted the Barbara version and requested it.  I figured there might be some up charge.  Come to find out (with the bill) that the Carol version comes with the package.  The Barbara is rented as an ADDITON to the carol with a full orchestration charge..

You can at least submit a request about rights for a show online, but apparently they only reply by snail mail.

I requested info on rights for a show the other day and got back a ream of paper in the mail. I found it interesting that the royalties would be based on the capacity of our theater with "the consideration that all of the seats will not be filled."

So, if all of our seats are filled, do we owe more? What if all of our seats are filled only on, say, Friday night? I guess I'll need to go wade through the fine print.

So, once again, how do you go about comparing ticket prices to royalties to find what works for you? Just keep submitting proposals with different ticket prices and having them send you out a new packet of paper each time?

Originally posted by jayzehr So, if all of our seats are filled, do we owe more? What if all of our seats are filled only on, say, Friday night? I guess I'll need to go wade through the fine print. That is to keep people from saying they have a theatre that seats 600, but they only sell 35 tickets, so how much do THEY have to pay. So, once again, how do you go about comparing ticket prices to royalties to find what works for you? Just keep submitting proposals with different ticket prices and having them send you out a new packet of paper each time?

Frankly, you just have to tell the truth. Musical royalties are high - much much higher than straight plays. But there IS a reason for it...you get more ticket buyers. I would imagine if you kept submitting proposals with different seat/ticket amounts, they would know you were trying to 'cheat' and not grant a license. Just grit your teeth, own up to the truth, and work with the budget you are then allowed. There is a reason that so many amateur musicals look as if they're done on a shoestring - they ARE!

The rest of the bill is probably for renting the perusal scripts - I don't think they just lend them to you - you have to pay.

I would suggest working out your total budget in other areas (sets, rentals, insurance, costumes, etc.); tab on an APPROXIMATE amount for royalties; divide by the number of seats you can expect to sell. That's your ticket price. Then if you find out each ticket has to cost 387.91, you can either adjust your budget accordingly ... or do "The Odd Couple" again LOL.

Good luck! The first one is always scary - but then once you've done it,  you're hooked!