FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE May 12, 2026
From Columbus Musical Theatre to National Licensing:
TND Musicals Revives the Legacy of A Premiere Playhouse
CLEVELAND, OH — Longtime Columbus theatre patrons may remember the slogan: “All Musicals, All Year”
For five years in the 1990s, Family Theatre and its professional dinner theatre division, A Premiere Playhouse, presented year-round original musicals in Columbus, Ohio, attracting nearly 20,000 theatregoers annually and building a devoted following for its family-friendly productions and Young Actors Intern Program.
Now, nearly three decades later, those musicals are finding new life on stages beyond Columbus.
TND Musicals, founded by retired Ohio music and theatre educators Terry and Darryl Bojanowski, is now licensing the original musicals first developed and produced at the Playhouse. Thirteen titles have already been published and are available to professional, educational, and community theatres nationwide, with additional works currently in development for release. Many shows have been expanded and all include full orchestrations.
The renewed interest comes as Cleveland’s Theatre in the Circle prepares to present a newly expanded production of Darryl Bojanowski’s Frankly Ben Franklin, A Musical Memoir June 4-7 at Judson Manor Ballroom in Cleveland.
Originally created during the Playhouse years, the musical has been substantially revised and expanded for its 2026 production. The show explores the life, wit, inventions, diplomacy, and enduring ideals of Benjamin Franklin through a memory-driven theatrical structure designed for both traditional theatres and educational touring.
“This production feels like a full-circle moment for us,” said Terry Bojanowski, co-founder of TND Musicals. “Many Columbus audiences first experienced these shows at A Premiere Playhouse, and now theatres in other cities are beginning to discover them.”
During its operation, A Premiere Playhouse became known for producing entirely original musical theatre — unusual at a time when most regional theatres relied heavily on established Broadway titles. The company developed and presented 39 original musicals with book, music & lyrics by Darryl Bojanowski, many inspired by classic literature and historical subjects as well as Off-Broadway musicals: Dames At Sea, Song of Singapore (which originated at the Ohio Theatre in Cleveland), Jerry's Girls, By Strauss, and Ruthless: The Musical.
The theatre also developed a respected Young Actors Intern Program that gave students opportunities to perform alongside professional adult actors in fully staged productions. Many productions received coverage and reviews from Columbus theatre critics and newspapers during the company’s run.
Today, TND Musicals continues that legacy with a modern licensing model that includes digital delivery of production materials, integrated libretto/vocal books, FULL conductor's score, rehearsal resources, performance tracks, and marketing support for theatres producing the works.
Among the currently available musicals are:
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Sherlock Holmes: The Case of the Counterfeit Napoleon and Mister Sherlock Holmes
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The Nutcracker Prequel: A Hard Nut To Crack
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Tom Sawyer
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The Perils of Penelope and Gadzooks! A Musical Melodrama
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The Canterville Ghost based on the Oscar Wilde story
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The Lost Art of Perfection inspired by Hans Christian Andersen’s The Princess on the Pea
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Puss in Boots
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The Reluctant Dragon
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Frankly Ben Franklin, A Musical Memoir
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Original theatrical works such as Just A Play, the role reversal crisis of a theatre critic and a playwright
and Wilbur The Wishing Elf
The upcoming Cleveland, Ohio, production of Frankly Ben Franklin, A Musical Memoir will run June 4–7 at Theatre in the Circle in downtown Cleveland's Judson Manor Ballroom.
For many former Playhouse patrons, however, the larger story may be that the musicals they once saw in Columbus are once again stepping into the spotlight.
More information about TND Musicals and available titles can be found at LicenSINGMusicals.com
MEDIA CONTACT:
Terry Bojanowski, Managing Director
tnd@LicenSINGMusicals.com
(440) 299-7822