Tams and witmark.....

[Gmerchant123]

anyone kn ow there e-mail adress, and how much is the rights to do cabaret????

[xxdrewboy85xx]

The rights for musicals vary for each production. The number of seats the theater holds, the cost of tickets, union or non- union, etc. There is not a set performance royalty fee for musicals like there are for plays which usually runs 70-100 bucks a performance.

So the answer isn't that simple. It won't be cheap. I would assume you would need to apply for performance rights and they send you a bill of how much you owe if the rights are available in your area.. Tams is personally my least favorite company to work with.

[CATSNYrevival]

They actually don't have an e-mail address. They're still very much behind the rest of the musical licensing companies. You can, however, call, fax, mail or fill out an on-line form, but there's no actual e-mail address.

[Gmerchant123]

i'm mad already! and i have not even orderded or put in a show request, if only MTI licesend Cabaret the world would be a happier place....

[Dollypop]

BEWARE!!!!!!!!!!!

Tams Witmark is notoriously evil when it comes to charging extra for missing sides and scores.


One year I photocopied and bound the entire script for KISS ME KATE and gave that to the cast. I carefully stored away all the sides and scripts that Tams provided. At the close of our production I returned the scores and sides but Tams charged me for 6 sides they claimed were missing. The fact is, we never even took them out of the box the were shipped in.

Be careful with this outfit!

[xxdrewboy85xx]

^ Same thing happened to me Dolly with Hair!

I didn't plan on photocopying scripts, but the scripts arrived 2 weeks after rehearsals began and we ordered the rights a good 8 months earlier!!! Then we kept all the scripts in the boxes they arrived in and the cast just continued using the photocopies .

We got charged like 250.00 for missing items which was bullS*#T.

[skyhook]

Tams is miserable to deal with. It's too bad they hold the rights to many of the older great shows. However, most producers today award the lic. to others like MTI, SF, etc. and avcoid TAMS.. I have always tried to avoid doing shows TAMS handles for this very reason.

[Thparkaly]

I'm currently finishing up a production of Oliver as Fagin. With only five full scripts and a handful of tiny packets for each character, we had quite a struggle. My libretto was brand new, and every page was stuck together. Apparently, they hadn't cut apart the pages. I'm not sure how this happened, but it was terribly aggravating. They need to update their entire system. Even though MTI definitely has a monopoly over other companies, Tams should at least make an effort.

[Jay Lerner-Z]

It makes me sad that people took this OP seriously enough to answer his question. Very sad indeed.

[GavestonPS]

^^^^^ Not I. I had no idea Tams was so corrupt (sounds like somebody is running his own business on the side) and I am interested to hear the reports.

[Jay Lerner-Z]

I guess phony trolls will occasionally stir up some good.

[dramamama611]

I find it hard the OP didn't just do a google search. I just ordered a few perusals from them through their website -- easy peasy. The same way you request quotes. (It took about 2 minutes.)

Why would anyone need a direct email address?

[GavestonPS]

Do you have problems with being billed for materials you actually returned, DMama?

Now I wondering whether someone is stealing them at Tams or whether the company decided it was easier to just bill for a handful of items than to actually count what they received?

[dramamama611]

I have only used TW once in the last 5 or more years for Bye Bye Birdie, we WERE missing a few books and got billed accordingly for them. I don't remember there being any issues earlier, though. I don't enjoy using them, however, their sides are just so antiquated.

[trentsketch]

I had problems with Tams Witmark when I music directed City of Angels. I took the inventory of the scripts, score, orchestra books, and chorus books and made sure every book was returned and erased from cover to cover. The rehearsal materials were already covered in pencil marks when we received them straight out of the box. Pages were falling out of the orchestra books. They charged us for five missing books that were shipped back and admonished us for pencil marks in the rehearsal materials.

[GavestonPS]

What a mess! Thanks for the response, DM.

Back when Tams was pretty much the only game in town, my high school did a production of ROAR OF THE GREASEPAINT. In additional to other principals, there are two leading roles with 10+ songs and over 300 lines each.

TW sent a grand total of two scripts, leaving nothing for the director to use.

Fortunately, I memorized lines much more quickly as a teenager, since I never got to hold a script.

[allofmylife]

I used to deal with Tams and I made a point of photographing the returned item ON A COPY OF THAT DAY'S NEWSPAPER which clearly showed the date and headline in the photo as I was packing the items up.

I really, really likes R&H and MTI because they were more, earthy and New Yorkish, than Tams which seemed very corprorate and cold.

On the other hand, they do have one impressive library and some great, great shows to lease.

I guess the thing to do is watch your butt. And take photos.

[g.d.e.l.g.i.]

I'm just waiting for the day Tams dries up and their holdings get dispensed to other houses. I mean, it's got to happen, right?