Director Robert McCloud says he believed he did correctly apply to theater licensing company Samuel French for the rights, granted under a former company name of his.
“We knew we had to get a license, that’s just common sense,” he tells Scene. “We spent a lot of money. There was nothing to be gained to rehearse a play that we could not do. We haven’t kept anything from anybody.”
The Off-Broadway dinner theater classic, involving an over-the-top wedding and lots of audience participation, was set to be the Willowick-based theater company’s first production. But in an email obtained by Scene, a representative of Samuel French told event space co-owner Mike Tizzano that “While the initial request to perform this show was approved back in 2018, we received no payment for this license and therefore, we canceled it.”
Tizzano says that canceling the performances, which were scheduled for four weekends, has significantly hurt his business, and that McCloud still owes money for renting out the space.
“This is devastating that [McCloud] didn’t follow through with his contract,” Tizzano says. “Not just for me, but for everyone who worked so hard on the show.”
Mary Beth Synk, speaking on behalf of the cast, says her group wants what transpired to serve as a warning to the local theater community.
“It’s such a waste of time,” says Synk, who says the cast was supposed to receive a stipend for their work. “Our rehearsals were 4 to 7 hours, several times a week. This was such an enormous time suck.”
In compliance with the Samuel French cease and desist notice, Live Out Loud’s Facebook page and website, which advertised the upcoming show, have been taken down. But McCloud says he is working with the publishing company to properly gain the rights and eventually put on the show.
Synk says that after this experience — she calls rehearsals run by McCloud “mismanaged,” — she would not return to perform in the show.
“It’s insulting after everything we’ve been through. The cast and crew would have gotten fined too had the show proceeded,” Synk says. “We would have all been on the hook for that and he took advantage.”
As of now Tony n’ Tina’s Wedding is postponed until further notice, and all Eventbrite ticketholders have received full refunds.
This article appears in Feb 6-12, 2019.
Oh Im sure the lawyers are proud about how they protected the community from this piracy. Now those that ruined the event can swoop in and do the local production. Ha I doubt it though. They wont do that show either and they dont want anyone else to do it.
Spoil sports. I bet they lost $100 in royalties and denied a group of actors a chance for some limited, local exposure. How is this right?
The show must go on! Saw it performed over twenty years ago at an Italian wedding hall in the heart of Italian South Philadelphia. The food was meh but everything else was perfect. From the goons at the door asking if you wanted to buy electronics that “fell off a truck” to the wrinkled old grandma to the big hair and the drinking and weed-smoking…did we have a helluva good time? F’kin A we did! See it if you can!
Even a local high school would know how to properly pay for and execute a contract with Samuel French and the local high school likely HAS done this if they have ever staged a play. This guy got what he deserved. The collateral damage is unfortunate, though.
Lawyerssuck, the author of the play literally only gets paid when the show is licensed and performed. So you can say that it’s hungry lawyers, but it’s truly someone defending the thing that THEY OWN from people who want to MAKE MONEY without giving the author their fare share.
PS Licensing on a small community show can easily be thousands of dollars. Plays are always cheaper to license than musicals, but plays with decent names (like this one) will run anywhere from $100-300 per performance to the licensing company and author. Three weeks of shows? Thousands of dollars not paid.
yeah I mean it would be great if Samuel French didn’t have to be hardasses about the licensing, but they do for a popular musical like this. it is the ONLY source of income. Terrence is right, the producer was out of touch with reality. the theater community respects playwrights and publishers as fellow creators.
The director is solely responsible for this. He lied and defrauded his cast, venue, and the license holder. Sam French deserves their money, as do all of the actors who were promised compensation for the many MANY hours of rehearsal they put in.