Why We Built TND Licensing Packages Differently

By Terry Bojanowski, Managing Director, TND Musicals

When Darryl and I founded TND Musicals, we didn't start by asking, "What do other licensing companies provide?" Instead, we asked a different question:

"What would have made our lives easier during the thousands of rehearsals, performances, and productions we experienced as music and theatre educators?"

For decades, I worked as a pianist, accompanist, musical director, teacher, and producer. Long before TND Musicals existed, I spent countless hours in orchestra pits, rehearsal halls, classrooms, and theatres. Those experiences taught me something important:

Small obstacles in the rehearsal process often become big obstacles when time is limited.

As we prepared Darryl's musicals for licensing, I began looking for ways to remove those obstacles whenever possible.

The Integrated Libretto/Vocal Book

One challenge always bothered me.

Performers would be reading dialogue from the script and then suddenly need to flip to a separate section of the book to find their music. During rehearsals, this often interrupted the flow of the scene and made it more difficult for actors to follow the dramatic progression of the story.

So we created an Integrated Libretto/Vocal Book:

The script and vocal lead sheet appear together in a single document, allowing performers to move naturally from dialogue into song and back again without searching through multiple resources. That's just how it happens in the show, so why not?

It seems like a small change, but it creates a smoother rehearsal experience and helps performers focus on storytelling rather than page turning.

The Full Conductor's Score

As a musical director, I often found myself in rehearsals trying to solve orchestration questions while working from piano/vocal materials that included only limited instrumental cues. The information I needed was often somewhere else. By the time answers were found, valuable rehearsal minutes had already been lost. That experience convinced me that conductors deserve access to the same information that was used to create the orchestration in the first place.

For that reason, every TND musical includes a complete conductor's score rather than a reduced score with minimal orchestral notation.

The goal is simple: give conductors the tools they need to make informed musical decisions efficiently.

Resources Created by Theatre People

Every item in our licensing package was developed because someone on our team encountered a real need during a production.

Costume notes.

Production checklists.

Study guides.

Rehearsal resources.

Marketing materials.

Performance tracks.

Editable templates.

They were added because we remember what it felt like to produce a show while balancing limited time, limited budgets, and countless responsibilities.

Every Feature Solves an Issue

The Integrated Libretto/Vocal Book grew out of watching performers constantly flip between script pages and music pages during rehearsal.

The Full Conductor's Score came from years of musical directing and knowing how much valuable rehearsal time can be lost when conductors don't have immediate access to complete orchestration information.

Our Online Perusal Process was designed because today's directors and educators need to evaluate shows quickly. Waiting for materials to arrive through the mail no longer fits the pace of modern theatre production. At the same time, protecting copyrighted materials remains essential. By partnering with JW Pepper, we can provide secure access to scripts and song demos while giving schools and theatres a familiar platform they may already use for music purchases.

Our Digital Delivery System addresses another long-standing frustration. After a production closes, theatres shouldn't have to spend hours erasing markings, organizing materials, packing boxes, and shipping everything back to the licensing company. Access is simply managed digitally, allowing theatre staff to focus on their next production rather than paperwork.

None of these decisions were made just to be different.

They were made because we have spent our lives producing theatre and understood where the obstacles existed.

Supporting Theatre Makers

TND Musicals was founded on a belief that theatres, schools, and arts organizations deserve high-quality materials that help them create successful productions.

Our goal is not to tell directors, conductors, designers, or educators how to do their jobs.

Our goal is to give them resources that allow them to spend less time solving avoidable problems and more time creating great theatre.

Every production is unique.

Every organization is different.

But after a lifetime spent making music and theatre, we've learned that thoughtful preparation can make the creative process more enjoyable for everyone involved.

That philosophy continues to guide every licensing package we create.

And we're still looking for ways to make them even better.

We welcome your thoughts and suggestions! tnd@LicenSINGMusicals.com