Music Theatre International
Music Theatre International (MTI) is a theatrical licensing agency based in New York City.
Description
MTI was founded in 1952 by American composer and lyricist Frank Loesser and orchestrator Don Walker.[1] Along with the licensing rights to Loesser's works, the firm licenses production rights of numerous Broadway, Off-Broadway, and West End musicals, including many hit shows.[2]
Musical types
MTI holds various types of musicals one can license.
- MTI Show: These are shows from various types of theater such as Broadway. These include musicals as Ragtime, Ain't Misbehavin', Pippin and Seussical.
- Broadway Junior: These sixty-minute musicals have been adapted for middle school kids to perform. Any subject matter deemed inappropriate have been cut. It also is reduced to one act. These include junior versions of Annie, Fiddler On The Roof, The Lion King, The Little Mermaid, and The Music Man.
- Broadway Kids: These thirty-minute musicals have been specially adapted for elementary kids to perform. These musicals have been made exclusively for the Kids Collection. Such musicals include Winnie The Pooh, The Lion King and 101 Dalmatians.
- Musicals From The Disney Collection: Consists of musicals originally produced by Disney.
- School Editions: These are Broadway musicals that have been adapted for high school kids to perform. These musicals have reduced certain subject matter, orchestration, and more. Such School Editions include Rent, Sweeney Todd, Les Misérables and Avenue Q.
- Theatre For Young Audiences: These seventy-minute musicals have been adapted for adults to perform for children. The difference is that the cast requirement is small (usually 6-12).
- Concert Library: This collection has Broadway songs adapted for concerts.
Key executives
Freddie Gershon, Chairman
Drew Cohen, President
John Prignano, Senior Operations Officer
Carol Edelson, Sr. VP., Licensing
Rita Thibault, VP., Finance
Brian O'Sullivan, Director of Amateur Licensing
Larry Lees, Director of Music, Materials and Product Development
[3]
Rating system
MTI uses a rating system that determines the content in the musical and it is shown on their website. The ratings are as follows:
| Rating | Description |
|---|---|
| G | Subject matter is appropriate for most audiences. This includes the Junior versions of musicals, Fiddler on the Roof, Guys and Dolls, and Seussical. |
| PG | Contains some subject matter or language that either is considered mature or that might be deemed inappropriate for some audience members. This includes Les Misérables and Into the Woods. |
| R | Contains subject matter or language that is not suitable for children or may not be appropriate for all audiences. This includes Avenue Q and Miss Saigon |
Footnotes
- ↑ Loesser, Susan (1993). A Most Remarkable Fella: Frank Loesser and the Guys and Dolls in His Life. New York: Hal Leonard Corp. pp. 228–29.
- ↑ Cash, Justin. "Publishers & Licensing". Theatre Links. Retrieved June 22, 2015.
- ↑ "MTI Welcomes Deborah Hartnett as Director of Business and Legal Affairs" (Press release). Music Theatre International. April 16, 2010. Retrieved March 29, 2011.