Macquarie Musical Society

Pitching Guide

Prepared for: MacMS, 2009

Prepared by: Joshy Said, Artistic Director

16 January 2009

Contact: [email protected]
 Macquarie Musical Society

This document has had the following revisions:

Version: 1.0 on the 16/01/2009
First Draft Completed

Version 1.1 on the 21/01/2009

Table of Contents added
Contact info added and verified
First and Second Show expectations added
Draft of Sample Pitch added (unformatted)

Version1.2 on the 23/01/2009

Reference list added
Sample Pitch formatted
Projections added

To be addressed in future editions:

Second and Third Show expectations

 Macquarie Musical Society

Contents
Introduction 1
The Constitution 2
About 2
The Constitution and Pitching 2
The Roles of your Production Team 2
The Producer 3
The Director 3
The Music Director 4
What does this mean for your Pitch? 4
Creative Integrity 5
What the **** is creative integrity? 5
Creativity 5
Integrity 5
Creative Integrity 5
How do you create integrity? 6
Research 6
Rehearsal 6
Reflection 6
Is it important? 6
Budget 8
Pitching with a Budget 8
Rights, Sets & Props, Costumes, Costs 8
Rights 8
Sets and Props 8

 Macquarie Musical Society

Costumes 8
Costs 8
How much can I do with a budget? 9
Fundraising 9
Quality 10
Are you pitching a quality musical or are you pitching ‘Chess’? 10
Finding the Right Musical 11
Exploring New Avenues 11
University and Musical Theatre 11
Creating your Pitch 12
Who can Pitch? 12
How to Pitch 12
Production Team 12
Themes, Issues and Dealing with them 12
Show Expectations 13
First Show 13
Small Show 13
Second Show 13
Third Show 13
Projections 14
Ticket Sales 14
Reference List 15
Places of Interest 15
Royalty Categories 15
Websites 15
Sample Pitch 16

 Macquarie Musical Society

Introduction
Dear interested pitchers,

This is the first year that MacMS has offered open pitching, throughout the year, for the members of its society. So, like a
new-born giraffe, it might take us a few tries at walking before we get it perfect. However armed with our wobbly legs, our
love for musical theatre and this here document we hope that this will be the most successful year at Macquarie Musical
Society to date. We have opened up the show-choosing/pitching to our members for a few reasons, most of them good.

Number One is that I’m scared of dictators, so even though I’m Artistic Director, I would prefer to be a negotiator. This is
different to how it has been in the past, and our constitution is written in a similar vain, but I believe that those who want to
direct/produce/choreograph/music direct will find it easier to do those things under this pitching system.

Which leads on to point Number Two, that our society isn’t just about performing, there are a lot of people who would like to
stick there noses (or other body parts) into the directors chair, and I think this is the best way of doing it.

Number Three is that I think pitching also encourages people to strive for a better level of performance. I say this after the
trial of pitching for our ‘O-week’ show, which saw three different pitches being developed, in competition, simultaneously.
When you know that your show will be performed, there is a level of complacency that sets in. “We’re in, we can calm down
now” or “it’s only second spot, so who cares if its good or not?”. At it’s most basic level the pitching process is a
competition. Who can produce the best show/pitch (for: our society, our budgets, our creative needs) and who has the most
desire and willpower to do so.

Number Four leads on from that, in that I believe the enthusiasm we gain from opening pitches is/will hopefully translate to a
greater enthusiasm through out the whole production process. The directors are enthusiastic, the cast will be enthusiastic,
the cast invites more people and there is more publicity for the show, we have more audience members, which makes the
cast feel proud and even more enthusiastic and then we all get drunk on closing night. It’s harder to gain confidence from a
cast who are angry/mad/frustrated at how uninterested the production team are about putting on a great show, which
means less enthusiasm, fewer crowds, little publicity and one shared bottle of passion-pop at closing night. *tear*

If you are considering pitching (and if you’re reading this I guess you are!) then please consider these four points, and if you
still believe that you are thinking about pitching for the right reasons for you and for the society, please continue. If not, I
hoped you like the giraffe-baby metaphor and I’ll see you around soon.

Thank you all for taking an active interest in your society,

Joshy Said

MacMS Pitching Guide Contact: [email protected] 1

 Macquarie Musical Society

The Constitution

About
Im sure by now we have all heard how strict our constitution is, but I don’t want that to be a huge burden on the pitching
process. I suggest that you have a flick through our constitution (available at www.macms.org) and have a look at the bits
that are important (section 15), but this chapter is aimed as being a discussion and a substitute for the constitution in
regards to Pitching. Take some time to read all that jargon now...

Keep reading...

Ok, I know you didn’t read it, but hey that’s what this chapters about. If you did look through it you may have noticed the
omission of a poignant word in this process. Thats right, our constitution says nothing about pitching. In my head, this
means it says nothing about us not having pitching, or the process it should undergo.

The Constitution and Pitching

Because our constitution has no mention of pitching, we should know the guidelines that we have to follow. My role as AD
means that I have to “solely decide the type, description, category and style of the Shows” as well as “ solely decide on the
Producer of each show.” I interpret ‘solely’ to mean that I make the final decision, but I think it’s important that everyone has
the ability to voice their opinions. At the end of the day, my role remains the same. I take one production to the Executive
committee, and they decide on the budget allocation. In regards to my choosing the Producer, I do not think its a good idea
to limit the pitches to people who want to produce. Anybody can pitch anything they like, it is only essential that you have a
production team in mind. Then, if needed, through discussions with you about the pitch we can solidify a production team at
a later date. By later date I mean after pitch submission and before pitch selection (when I take a pitch to the executive). Your
pitch should follow the guidelines of the Constitution, so under section 2(a) the society will “produce works of musical
theatre” you can’t pitch a tele-drama, an essay, or a botany collection. Unless they utilise the conventions of musical theatre,
cabaret or concerts, in which case I look forward to your pitch.

The Roles of your Production Team

The constitution sets out the roles and responsibilities of some members of the production team. In your pitch, you must use
the titles “producer”, “director” and “music director” in accordance with the constitution. These people also have to accept
the roles and responsibilities set out in the constitution (section 15 (a-c)). Obviously your pitch may include more people on
the production team (choreographer, technical director or hot guy), but the producer, director and music director are the
essentials to keeping in with the constitution. Also, even if your production team is not set in stone, please include a small
bio of each member and their contact details (if appropriate).

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The Producer
The Producer has an important role in our shows. The constitution states that a producer must:

1. decide on the Director and Music Director of their appointed Show;

2. be responsible of all administration and financial issues of their appointed Show;
3. be responsible for financial transactions and petty cash regarding their appointed show;
4. negotiate with the Director and Music Director to appoint any other person needed for the Show;
5. be the arbitrator of all conflict within their appointed Show;
6. be accountable to the Artistic Director regarding the Show;
7. be responsible for the venue key and security code of the venue;
8. be responsible for all materials hired out, production rights and the returning of all loaned documents; and
9. be a co-signatory to the show account.

The first of these points seem to clash with our new ‘open pitching’ process. I do not agree, in full, that a Producer should
chose a director or music director, it often doesn’t inspire creativity. However, the producer of your show (if you are not
pitching as producer) must agree to appoint the chosen director and music director. This means that the producer takes
responsibility for the actions of the director and the music director. Point 1 is only valid after the pitching process, in that if
your pitch is successful the show and the production team are then in the hands of the producer, who has already agreed to
the chosen director and music director. If this seems problematic or unconstitutional in your opinion please contact me, it is
my interpretation of the constitution as stated in section 13(c). It is also the executive committees interpretation as I was
appointed Artistic Director by them in the knowledge that this is how I would chose the shows and producers (section
8(h(1-2))). Although the Producers job is not intrinsically creative, we are looking for Producers who are reliable and have a
creative vision for publicity as well as creativity in the use of budget (read: producer buys go-lo rather than dolcé)

The Director
For all you budding directors out there, you’ve got a few responsibilities too:

1. be responsible for all creative decisions regarding their appointed Show;

2. be responsible for the overall vision regarding their appointed Show;
3. be responsible, with the Music Director, for the cast and casting of their appointed Show;
4. appoint or delegate to any person responsibilities of the Director, with the permission of the Producer;
5. be accountable to the Producer regarding their responsibilities;
6. be a co-signatory to the show account.

These are all pretty self explanatory. This year we are looking for CREATIVE directors. I don’t want to get bored watching any
of the shows this year, I’m looking for directors who acknowledge the standards of musical theatre (spotlight on the damsel
as she sings the lost love/found love song) but are willing to push those boundaries that little bit further (e.g. they may use
pre-recorded video as a story telling device). This does not mean you pitch Annie get your gun as a sci-fi thriller set in the
year 4000AD where the whole cast is portrayed by still photos of cats. Aim to make your musical as interesting and
satisfying as you can, whilst acknowledging the limitations of the text. This also means don’t pitch something you don’t
know. You can obtain synopses off the net or call the rights holder for a preview copy.

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The Music Director

The constitution reads as follows:

1. be responsible for all musical aspects in their appointed Show;

2. be responsible for the band or orchestra in their appointed Show;
3. appoint or delegate to any person responsibilities of the Music Director, with the permission of the Producer;
4. be accountable to the Producer regarding their responsibilities.

Although the music director only has four points, its a big job. Of course I’ll be there to help out if you need band members
or anything else. Just be aware that the music director will have up to twice as many rehearsals to plan and schedule as the
Director. This is because the MD will have to rehearse with the singers, the band and ALL the tech runs. Reading sheet
music is obviously essential, but so is an understanding of the genre, understanding of the voice and all that kind of stuff.
Information about this should be included in your production team bio.

What does this mean for your Pitch?

All of the formalities aside, our constitution shouldn’t bog you down to much. Here are the key things to remember.

1. Name a Producer
2. Name a Director
3. Name a Music Director
4. Name any other members of your production team
5. Specify the type, description, category and style of your pitch
6. Does your envisaged production team agree to the roles and responsibilities listed in the constitution?

Not too much hard work right?

Good, now we can move on to the Creative aspects of your pitch.

Nb. If you intend, for example, to have two producers, you must give only one the title of ‘Producer’, and he/she alone holds
the responsibility under the constitution. The other may be named ‘assistant producer’ or ‘second producer’ as long as there
is only one ‘producer’ (or director, or music director).

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Creative Integrity

What the **** is creative integrity?

The short answer is: No-one knows. The long answer is a bit more fancy pant-sy. Let’s take it apart first.

Creativity
So we know what creativity is. The ability to create. But we know it goes deeper than that. I can bake a cake, I can bake a
cake using ingredients I find at the beach or I can bake a seven-layered-triple-choc-cheesecake. The first shows the ability to
create (a cake), the second shows creativity through not only the creation but the resourcefulness used to create as well,
whilst the last shows enhanced creativity (even if its a bit extravagant). Just about all of us could put on a musical, so we
aren’t simply looking for the ability to create, we are looking for someone who can use the resources available (the script,
score, talent of the society, preloved set pieces, contacts with other societies) to create an enhanced product. Thats my
definition of creativity (or creativities) and you don’t have to agree with it, but lets use it to understand creative integrity.

Integrity
Lets go back to the cake metaphor for integrity. To make the cake taste good and feel good in our mouths we have to use
the right amount of ingredients to create the right consistency. Integrity is the consistency of a cake (as well as the baking
process). Integrity is the consistency of actions, values, methods, measures and principles. This extends further in regards to
creativity, in that the process (rehearsing, research, etc) and the product (performances) must all have the right consistency.
Creative integrity refers (in my mind) to the show itself which must be believable, approachable and relatable (this is generic,
and some musicals directly challenge these ideas and that is OK).

Creative Integrity
The show should act and work like a well oiled machine (too many metaphors) and the audience must trust the performers
and performance enough to believe in the action that is taking place on the stage. People dropping out of character,
laughing at someone's improv, forgetting lines, missing dance steps, not understanding the text, not understanding the
themes or ideas or language or jokes or emotions are all ways of destroying your creative integrity. This is just the
performers. Creative Integrity should be viewed as an approach rather than a guideline and it must extend to all areas of
production and performance. We have all seen shows and heard people chatting backstage and, in that moment, we lose
our sense of belief. We have all seen shows where something horrible has just happened and the chorus are all smiling and
looking around bored, and again this is the moment we lose our sense of belief. “Welcome to Paris” says a character
standing in a chicago city-scape. “it was a dark and gloomy night” says a character as the lights brighten. “Im all alone” says
a character, surrounded by chorus. It doesn’t make sense, it doesn’t convey anything and it breaks the whole performance.

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How do you create integrity?

Research, Rehearsal, Reflection. I cant tell what will happen on stage from your pitch. I cant tell if someone will drop a line or
fall on their face during a dance. I understand that these things will happen at some point in our lives, but we can do things
to prevent them.

Research
Whether your musical is set in a 1980’s french brothel or a 1540’s cave the first thing to do is: RESEARCH! Putting three
blocks on stage does not represent france and it does not represent a cave. It represents three blocks on stage. Look at
how others have performed this musical, borrow ideas from them and transform them into your own image. Research
costumes (Sequins were noticeably mentioned in 1883’s treasure island by Louis Stevenson so call girls probably didn't wear
them in the 1750’s), research props, research the era’s psyche, research the prominent themes of the time, research set
ideas, research publicity ideas. In short RESEARCH! I am expecting a certain level of research in every pitch, whether it be “I
researched the rights to this musical” or “I’ve written a thesis on the lives of commoners in the 1950’s”, the more the better.

Rehearsal
We all know why this is important, but it is also important to be constructive with your rehearsals. Plan a week-by-week
schedule before rehearsal starts (filling in the days when you know availabilities). Make a time-line or goal list of where the
production needs to be in 2 weeks, 3 weeks, show week. Allow more than enough time for learning songs, dances and
scenes. Be constructive in your approach to direction (if thats what you are pitching as). If you can submit a draft rehearsal
schedule (week-by-week) with your pitch you will get a gold star.

Reflection
It is important for the production team, and the performers, to continually ask them selves a few questions:
Does this make sense? Would this really happen? Is this believable? How do I feel about this? How is the audience
supposed to feel about this? How can we show the audience this feeling?
Again, if your setting Annie get your gun as a sci-fi thriller, explain to me how/why this is needed and how/why you want to
portray this story in that way.

Is it important?
to me: yes
to the constitution: yes
for the pitch: yes

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This Page has been

left blank intentionally
(I’ve always wanted to do that)

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Budget

Pitching with a Budget

The other portion of non-creativity in the pitching process is the budget. It is difficult to predict exactly how much you will
need to put on the show, and it is also difficult not to over spend. However, it is an important part of your pitch to have nailed
out the major expenses and needs of your show.

Rights, Sets & Props, Costumes, Costs

Rights
The biggest portion of your budget will go to the rights of the show (if your show isn’t in the public domain) so you NEED to
find out how much (roughly) it will cost for the six performances. This info is pretty easy to obtain, some of the rights
managers have prices online others are a simple phone call away. If your show is in the public domain then you have one leg
up, but you may have one leg down in terms of popularity.

Sets and Props

Another hefty cost is buying sets and set pieces. You can avoid huge costs by recycling old sets and props, borrowing from
other societies and scavenging through second hand or charity stores. Although you shouldn’t be buying your sets yet, you
should be researching prices. If your musical calls for a 1920’s style pram, find three you like and use the average in your
proposed budget. Similarly, if you will need to build your set, figure out the cost of the materials you will need. Remember to
add in the cost of paint, and double the price if your painting the floor (we need to paint it back to black).

Costumes
Whether your getting a seamstress in or buying from supré, you need to factor in the cost of costumes and maintenance.
Depending on your show, these may take up a huge portion of your budget, or they may not. Please don’t have any
musicals where the costume for the entire cast is: formal wear. I don’t like it, and everyone is mismatched in colour, style and
decade. If your musical is set in the current time, it is acceptable to ask your cast to bring in pieces of clothing to use. If your
musical is set in the 1800’s I do not want to see sparkly diamontes. Costumes should be treated as part of the story telling,
and should not be treated lightly. Colour and style are metaphors and should be chosen because of that rather than ‘I like
red.’

Costs
Other costs include band payments (if needed), mic and lighting hire (if needed), publicity (flyers, posters, newspaper articles,
student news, internet advertising, ticket printing), Special effects hire (we own one smoke machine), Script and libretto
printing (if needed), Candy bar (generally $200 or so) and paint brushes/rollers. Although I don’t expect you to research the
cost of printing or paint brushes, I expect to see money left in the budget for ‘other costs’.

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How much can I do with a budget?

Looking at previous shows should give you an idea of what can be done with a small budget. My biggest fear is the
utilisation of the huge stage that we have, so if your set is ‘a block at centre stage’ with out any reasoning behind it, well, I
wont be happy. Usually cast members will offer there help in set building/painting and costumes. As stated before, the best
way to cut down costs is to recycle or borrow. But be creative with the recycling. A flat or a block doesn’t have to be a flat or
block for every show. A block may be stood up and become a flat. A flat may be a door, a diving board, a tap board,
anything. Use your imagination, but make it believable.

Fundraising
Fundraising is a great way to expand your budget. Fundraising will be considered an extra income and will not affect your
allocated budget. If you intend to fundraise, make sure you research the best and most profitable way of doing so, and
include it in your budget outline. The executive committee will be able to help if you intend to hold a sausage-sizzle on
campus, or anything of that nature.

MacMS Pitching Guide Contact: [email protected] 9

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Quality

Are you pitching a quality musical or are you pitching ‘Chess’?

In the words of ‘Title of Show’:

BOTH BLANK PAPER

An original musical. Original musical Well, if it was a jukebox musical, a revival, or a
recognizable commodity, Id say dream away,
JEFF bee-otch. But, original? On Broadway? Baby,
that is risky! Unless you got some stars in mind.
Like Kwamina

JEFF
BLANK PAPER
Well, we’d love to have Alice Ripley, she’s fierce.
And Starlight Express
Hey! Thats the first time I’ve ever said the word
fierce. Thats the second!
JEFF
My show could be a success BLANK PAPER
Player, I mean TV stars, pop stars, movie stars
BLANK PAPER like Tony Braxton and Jenna Elfman.
And not a big mess like Chess
JEFF
JEFF But, I want our show to be good!
And Ill make Broadway my eternal address
BLANK PAPER
BLANK PAPER You want your ass to make some money!
Oh! Easy, Mother-Fucker. Broadway? Lets start
with off or off-off and then you can think about JEFF
the Great White Way.
But, I believe that a good product with
talented people is the way to go! Hiring
JEFF some talent-free celebrity just lowers the
But, why cant I dream big? bar and I think audiences deserve better!

MacMS Pitching Guide Contact: [email protected] 10

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Finding the Right Musical

I’m with Jeff on this one. We shouldn’t put on musicals because they are cheap, because we have to, or because they are
‘money makers’. I know a few people who would get angry or upset at this, but its how I feel. We should be putting on
musicals because we LOVE MUSICALS! I wouldn’t care if we only did one musical this year, as long as it was the best
musical we could do. I know rights are a big issue with most of our favourite musicals. ‘Title of Show’ has only just been
released for public performance, so the rights are expensive. On the other hand the set is four chairs... It is important to find
that balance between wanting to do a musical you love and finding a musical that is appropriate for the society (cast size,
rights, budget, etc.) It’s important for our society to make money, but I believe that choosing the right show and producing
quality musical theatre is the right way to go.

Exploring New Avenues

Last year we used the “lighthouse theatre” at a pretty basic level. The stage was a stage, the scaff was the audience, the
foyer was a foyer, backstage was backstage. The stage area is huge and whether your pitching an intimate musical or not,
it’s essential to make your audience feel involved. We are pretty lucky this year as we have/will have a person trained for the
scaffolding. We have moveable scaffolding, which means we have a flexible theatre. This means we could have a musical set
on an Arena style stage or we could change the audience/stage space completely. I know its hard work moving the
scaffolding and it takes some preparation, but we should always be pushing new ideas and new ways of doing things. Some
of these things will not work, like using midi instead of a band during the 90’s, but we wont know unless we try. I think its
worth the risk, if we are putting on musicals that challenge the preconceived stale notions of what musical theatre is. Even if
you are pitching Annie Get Your Gun set in 4000AD, if you can back it up with a creative reasoning to your choice of
expression I would accept it. Grandparents like safe. Grandparents like safety because its what they are used to. I want you
to approach any musical with a fresh and new interpretation of the text. It’s 2009, not 1953, so why are we putting on 1953
musicals with the same approach as they did in 1953? Things have changed, the social climate is different, and we need to
reflect that through our expression of the text. I don’t mean change the text or context or subtext of the musical, I mean
appropriate it to suite the current audience and climate. Most of us know the untouchable classics, and we have seen them
performed in the same way 20 times. This is university, why should we put on the same show the same way as everyone
else?

University and Musical Theatre

I know this is cliche, but we are uni students. We are the ‘future’ of musical theatre. It’s time to change and challenge,
explore and question. Our audience is uni students too. Why would they want to see a standard musical at a standard level.
We need to fit our visions of our musical to suit our audience. We are at that point in our lives that we challenge, change,
explore and question everything else. Why wouldn’t we do the same for theatre? Call it experimentalism if you like, but I think
its important to be daring in our approach to musical theatre. This paragraph is a bit philosophical, but in the end, the
musicals that will get through this year will be those that extend our notions of musical theatre, that challenge, change,
explore and question every aspect of the genre.

I’m not saying we should only do experimental theatre. Hair, Spring Awakening and Starlight Express are all challenging, but I
don’t know that they are the best thing for the society. I am talking about interpretation and examination on all levels of the
production. We wont get anywhere by playing it safe, and we wont get anywhere without asking questions.

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Creating your Pitch

Who can Pitch?

Anybody can pitch. Members and non-members alike. If your show is chosen you must become a member (at the hefty
price of $2) and all cast members must become members for insurance reasons. Non-university students may also pitch.

How to Pitch
Simply email your pitch as a pdf, word or pages document to:

First Show: [email protected]

Small Show: [email protected]

Second Show: [email protected]

Third Show: [email protected]

Pitch enquiries: [email protected]

Production Team
Whether you have a small set team or a huge team in mind, make sure to get a production team bio into your pitch. The
production team can, again, be members, non-members, students or non-students. However, all must be members by
show week for insurance purposes. If you have a set designer, get them to submit draft sketches of their set design. Get the
music director to write a rationale of their musical intentions in the show. Work with your producer to get a draft rehearsal
schedule ready.

Themes, Issues and Dealing with them

If your musical deals with ‘heavy’ themes or issues I would like to know how you will deal with them. If you have nudity or
violence, how will this affect the musicals reception? How will you help the cast deal with these issues? I don’t believe in
censorship, but if you do: will you be using MA15+ or R18+ signs for the show?

If your musical deals with difficult themes such as rape or abuse how will you be revealing this to the audience? Will the
audience feel for the characters or just see angsty teenagers running around singing?

It’s important to me that we avoid angst at all costs. I would like to see how your artistic vision lends itself to the themes and
issues within the text.

Our constitution also states that we cant break any laws, just incase you were thinking about it....

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Show Expectations

First Show
The first show should have a large cast. There more parts, the more first years we get in. I am aiming for a light-hearted,
well-produced comedy, but I am open to other suggestions. This is the most important show of the year, in terms of
expressing ourselves to new members. O-week is about showcasing our talents, whilst the first show is about involving
those who are interested. Auditions will be scheduled soon after O-week, so please have all rights info sorted out before the
pitch, so we can smoothly put on auditions after selection. Set design, costumes and your over-all vision must be at a
polished and well-planned out level as this show tends to set the bar for the rest of the year.

Small Show
Small show is being chosen at the same time as the first show and auditions will be held simultaneously. This is to avoid
double casting and drop-outs of one show for another. The small show should have a small cast (probably more than one
would be good though) and a small band. The small musical style has only taken shape over the last decade, so rights may
be an issue. There will be fewer shows than the standard six, but this is to be confirmed later. The projected budget is about
$1000 and to make money back we cant go too much higher. Most smaller musicals have minimal set pieces, use current
fashion and have fewer musicians (last five years has two cast members and three band, Title of Show has one piano player
and four cast members). This show is aimed at incorporating a different approach to musical theatre in a society that can not
usually utilise it. This show is aimed as being the antithesis of the first show.

Second Show
To be determined at a later date.

Third Show
To be determined at a later date.

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Projections

Ticket Sales
When considering budget, you should take into account MacMS’s previous shows takings, costs, ticket sales, and profits.

The current average for ticket sales (per season) is this:

Members: 60
Students: 130
Adults: 99
(if your production is aimed at a different audience to the past, you should also take this into account)

The average audience per night is: 48

At a price of 10,15,20 for tickets, the average nights takings is calculated by 15*48 (as a base average) this becomes: $720

5000
3750
2500
1250
0
-1250
-2500
O-Week First Show Second Show Third Show Total p/yr
Profits per show position 2006
2007
2008
20000
15000
10000
5000
0
O-Week First Show Second Show Third Show Total p/yr
Takings per show position

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Reference List

Places of Interest

Royalty Categories
You will notice that every show listed in the following pages of our catalogue has a letter next to the title. This
letter indicates the royalty rate listed below. Many of our shows have special offers available from time to time.
Contact us to ask about special royalty offers, hire discounts plus more.
• Category A:…… 16% (plus GST) of your total box office takings (excluding GST component of your ticket sales) with a
minimum advance fee of A$270.00 (plus GST) per performance.
• Category B:…… 14% (plus GST) of your total box office takings (excluding GST component of your ticket sales) with a
minimum advance fee of A$210.00 (plus GST) per performance
• Category C:…… 12% (plus GST) of your total box office takings (excluding GST component of your ticket sales) with a
minimum advance fee of A$160.00 (plus GST) per performance
• Category D:…… 10% of your total box office takings (excluding GST component of your ticket sales) with a minimum
advance fee of A$130.00 (plus GST) per performance
• Category E:…… 8% (plus GST) of your total box office takings (excluding GST component of your ticket sales) with a
minimum advance fee of A$110.00 (plus GST) per performance
• Category + …… Royalty rate and hire fees available upon application

This comes from the Hal Leonard Non-professional fee schedule document.
Available at http://www.halleonard.com.au/licensinginformation

Websites
• http://www.nodanw.com/list_of_shows_index/titlepage.htm
A great resource for all the info you might need. It has an index of shows, synopses and rights info (US & UK, the rights
holders may differ in Australia)

• http://www.halleonard.com.au/catalogue/index.php
An index of Hal Leonard musicals.

This is just a few pointers in helping you find your way through the maze of pitching.

Good Luck!

I look forward to reading your pitch.

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 Macquarie Musical Society

Sample Pitch
Here’s a sample of things you could include in your pitch.

Title:_________
Artistic vision/statement/rationale:(give brief
Written by: interpretation, show evidence of research,
how you will deal with the themes and
Rights from:
issues)

Set ideas: (diagrams and pretty pictures)

Production Team:
Costume Ideas: (description and/or pictures)
Producer:
Lighting ideas: (description and/or pictures)
Director:

Music Director:
Rights cost:
Others:
Budget: (incl. basic break down of major
costs, and how much you will need total)
(graphs are nice)
Synopsis: (include the type, description,
category and style of the Show)

Other things you find important.

Characters: (list mains, number male &
female)

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 Macquarie Musical Society

l
ica
us
M
e
Th
Musical, The Musical
Written by: Mr. Pitchy Pitch

Rights: MYT international

Production team:
The production team for Musical, The Musical have extensive experience and are very good looking.

Producer: Prod-y Producer.

Prod-y has produced 30 plays and musicals before. She has a degree in coolness and is excellent at keeping books.
She has cleared her schedule in preparation for this show and has some excellent new ideas about fundraising and set
purchasing. She is a great asset to this production team.

Director: Di Rector

Di is a first time director, but he has has a very interesting and fresh interpretation for Musical, the Musical. Di has been
a part of MacMS and other societies as a performer and backstage hand for a long time, and cant wait to try out the directors
chair.

Music Director: Muso Music

Muso is new to the society, he has moved from the states to macquarie for a year as an exchange student. He has
previously played in a couple of bands and worked as music director for a local musical society in the states. He has been
trained in vocal studies, as well as worked with choirs at his local college.

Synopsis:

Musical, The Musical is set backstage of the wizard of oz. It’s a contemporary musical comedy that exams the lives of the
performer. Through out the musical we learn of the parallels between life and musical theatre, and the audience is brought to
understand the complexities of modern life. Joanne (who plays dorothy on the other side of the backstage) hates dogs, and
palms toto off to anyone she can when shes off stage. Most of the comedy comes from this sort of ironic interplay between
character and self.

Characters:

Joanne (dorothy): a soprano with a temper.

Max (scarecrow): a flamboyant queen.
Oliver (tinman): a sleaze ball.
Holly (lion): a gender confused tom-boy

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 Macquarie Musical Society

The characters are stereotypes of life, as are there alternate parts. They are all missing something in their lives and none of them
are content with their current stance. Max has a dependency issue, Joanne has anger issues, Oliver has intimacy issues and Holly
has little self-confidence. Other characters include the beautiful fern and the ugly april, both who fight over the only backstage
mirror. The chorus is made up of around 15 smaller characters which can be either male or female.

Artistic intent:

We intend to use the curtain as the partition between back stage and stage, and have the now ‘stage area’ set out as the back
stage. We would like the audience to enter the now back stage, walk through a ‘wizard of oz’ set before moving backstage to
seating on the scaff. We would like to see the scaff brought forward a few meters to make the experience more intimate. The set
would be fairly minimal. A dressing table, one mirror, lockers, and a piano. The only instrument in the musical is the piano, and the
piano player would also need to be an actor/actress.

Set ideas:

Our set is very simple. I have attached a diagram below, and as you can see we will only need yellow paint for the yellow brick
road. The Scaffolding will need to come forward a few meters, but the rest of the set and the props are all available from our old
props. We may use flats near the yellow brick road and paint them to represent the set of the Wizard of OZ, but these will be
simplistic and cheap.

Yellow Brick Road

(audience walk this to

get to the stage)

Lockers Mir
ror
T
sing able w
le m ith
irro
r
Prop table, Cast
Change room
‘chill out’ area

Scaffold/audience

Costume Ideas:
The costumes range from typical Wizard of Oz outfits to current casual fashions. We have set a budget of $50 dollars aside for
this, as we will be using the casts casual clothing.

Joanne before show Joanne ready to perform

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 Macquarie Musical Society

Lighting Ideas:

Lighting will be pretty basic. Lamps will be used around the mirror table and these will be linked to the lighting board. Floods or
Cans will be used back stage left and right, shining in from the wings. This represents the performance on the other side of the
stage. We will also be using to different wash styles. The first (before in-show performance) will be a warm white to yellow,
representing the calmness before the wizard of oz begins. The second will be a cold white with spills of blue to represent the
backstage, it also represents the anxiety going on backstage.

Rights

MYT international has supplied a rough estimate on rights. It’s ranked as a C-class production, so the total rights estimate is
around $600 including the hire of scripts and score.

Budget

Item Cost
Costume $50
Projected Takings
Set $70 Using past averages

Props $100 Item Takings

Paint $110 Budget -$3443 43%
44%
Publicity * $200 Members $10 $600
Rights $2000 Students $15 $1950 13%
Mic Hire $200 Adults $20 $1980
Lighting Hire $200
Members
Total (profit) $1087
Students
Band (if $200 (The budget and projected takings Adults
needed) here are totally fictional)
Contigency $313

Total $3443
Audience needed to make budget is 230 people
* (incl. tickets, posters, publications) or 38 per night. Past average is 48 per night.

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