Disney Theatrical to Share Profits With Original Cast of Frozen Stage Adaptation

The reverberations continue after the producers of Hamilton agreed to share some of the megahit’s profits with the original company members, which emulated a voluntary agreement reached with the original cast of A Chorus Line in the 1970s. Broadway.com has confirmed with a production spokesperson that Disney Theatrical will now follow suit with its much-anticipated upcoming stage adaptation of Frozen.

“We treasure the relationship with our actors and stage managers and are proud to have hired several hundred of them on Broadway alone,” said Thomas Schumacher, President of Disney Theatrical Productions, in a statement. “We’re thrilled that, should Frozen reach success, our Equity collaborators will share in the profit.”

This marks the first time a Broadway production not developed as a workshop has offered backend participation before the show has begun. Disney Theatrical has previously paid some sort of extra compensation for success—Aida's development actors received an annual bonus for each of its four years on Broadway.

Now, for the small print. From this month on, Equity members who participate in any of the development, pre-Broadway, or the original Broadway cast of Frozen will share in 0.5% of net profits of the first three English language productions, for the first ten years of profitability. If a member participates in development but does not go on to join the pre-Broadway or Broadway company, he or she will remain in the participation pool and also may be eligible for a buyout depending on the terms of the hire.

The cast has not yet been announced for the show, which will be directed by Michael Grandage. Based on Disney’s Oscar-winning musical, the tuner will begin performances at Broadway's St. James Theatre in spring 2018. The production is set to make its world premiere at the Buell Theatre in the Denver Center for the Performing Arts in August 2017.

The Frozen stage adaptation will feature the beloved tunes (and several new ones) by married songwriting duo Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez and a book by screenwriter Jennifer Lee.