DEALing With Musicals

When people think of musicals they usually think of happy tunes and cheerful chorus lines. Well, that’s true, unless your doing Spring Awakening or Sweeny Todd...then you won’t see a lot of cheer. Even when they think of the production of a musical they don’t realize that it brings together so many people from so many different fields that the negotiations that take place on a musical challenge those of Wall Street.

From the rights and scripts, to the artist and technicians, negotiations are being made until that final curtain closes…and Miguel Rosa knows this too well.

Miguel Rosa is a renowned theater producer in Puerto Rico, who has put on stage productions like: Rent, Spring Awakening, Nine, and Aida, among others. Rosa started on the entertainment business in 2002 where he did his first production, which he choreographed, directed, designed and even participated. It was a small musical revue honoring the best of Broadway. From there on, he decided this was what he wanted to pursue as a professional, doing scenic design for the vast majority of plays in the island, and producing as well as directing musical theatre in it. But there’s a key element when producing musical theatre. No, not the theatre part…the music!

Rightfully so, the music (or rather musicians) are the toughest deals a producer has to negotiate, as Rosa points out. “They are an essential element to musicals and their work is often costly but can't be substituted. So you have to come to a good deal with your music director and musicians.” And he goes by the “mutual benefit” belief, stating that you have to try and find what's best for both parts. He goes on to explain how you can't put a price on anyone's work but you can always find ways to come to come to an agreement that's beneficial for both parties. That’s because when you’re producing musical you are at the disadvantage, because you need their services, but they don’t necessarily need your production. Nevertheless, Rosa has found a way to best conduct his negotiations and that by never setting the numbers himself, he always let others throw the numbers first and from then on, begin negotiating without losing track of the budget.

Often times, working in the entertainment industry you tend to develop personal relationships with the people you work with and so, negotiations can be affected. For Rosa, it’s about emotions; something he believes should not be mixed up with business, even if it’s for one’s benefit. “It's always very important to leave emotions outside of business. They turn business into something personal. For me it's sometimes hard to do since most of the people I work with are not only my colleagues but also my friends. When we sit in the negotiation table we look for the best interests of the production knowing that whether we like a decision or not it has nothing to do with us.”

However, good negotiation skills can’t guarantee a putting on stage a production. You may have the best deals made, but you need to have the funds to back those deals up. A good musical requires the best choreographer, director, vocal coach, music director, cast, and crew. And they all require a good payment. Miguel Rosa advises by saying that, “If you don't have the budget secure it means you still need more time. Never jump on the adventure without securing your finances. BIG ONE!”

All the negotiation doesn’t end on the pre-production meeting, far from it. Once that curtain goes up, and the performances begin, all the troubleshooting starts as well. Technical things like microphones busting out and dealing with the technicians, negotiating with the box office every performance, among other situations, let’s you know that the negotiations in musical theatre (and for that matter, the entertainment industry) never end.

There is, however, something very rewarding in doing this type of work. Not everyone has the guts to pursue a career in this industry and Miguel Rosa, gives us one last piece of advice, “Never give up. This is the industry in which the quote "work your ass of" is an understatement. You GOT to sacrifice, commit and produce, the road isn’t easy but the satisfaction after you achieve what was set forth is worth every moment.”