Q&A about licensing
Theatrical Rights Worldwide (TRW) and CPA Theatricals have entered into a licensing agreement for the new musical:
57th National Mathlete Sum-It:
the almost all-girl math musical!
formerly titled
NUMBERS NERDS
Q&A
Why did CPA Theatricals contract Theatrical Rights Worldwide (TRW) to license the show?
It has always been the goal to have NUMBERS NERDS licensed by a major publishing company. From the beginning of the development process, I have been marketing the show myself, offering it to schools and community theatres, but that was designed to gauge interest, not to be a permanent arrangement. Licensing the show to professional marketers/licensers has always been the goal.
Why did the title NUMBERS NERDS change?
While I was in discussions with TRW, they suggested a name change. Then, as they started to do research and talked with school theatre directors, the feedback they were getting confirmed the wisdom of that suggestion. Many audience members – and especially high school and college drama teachers felt that NUMBERS NERDS was not “appealing.” The term “nerd” just has too many negative connotations in many locales.
Why this new title? There is no secret that our show is often compared to 25th ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE. TRW felt that we should accept that comparison, and use it. So, we landed at “57th NATIONAL MATHLETE SUM-IT: the almost all-girl math musical!” I suspect that, just as audiences also use “Spelling Bee” as shorthand for the other long title, many will come to call our show “SUM-IT.”
Tell me more about TRW.
Theatrical Rights Worldwide is fairly new in the industry. It was founded in 2006 by Steve Spiegel. Steve had previously worked for Disney and Music Theatre International. So he’s a leader in the industry with a great range of experience. When he set out on his own, his goal was a small, focused company, with a very selective list of shows. TRW only licenses about 50 shows, and some of their big named shows are JERSEY BOYS, THE COLOR PURPLE, THE ADDAMS FAMILY and BIG FISH. They have an excellent reputation in the business, and I have found them absolutely wonderful to work with.
Below is our official press release!
News Release – 57th National Mathlete Sum It Licensing announcement FINAL.
