REFUND INFORMATION
Theater of the Stars reiterated the following instructions for single-ticket holders and subscribers:
- Customers who purchased single tickets for "Little Mermaid" (Sept. 7-15) and "Cats" (Jan. 14-19) at the Fox or at a Fox-affiliated outlet should contact the Fox ticket office (404-881-2017 or boxoffice@foxtheatre.org) to obtain a full refund.
- Subscribers may "return" subscriptions to Theater of the Stars as a donation to the nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization, eligible for applicable tax deductions.
- Ticketholders may return them with a refund request to TOTS, P.O. Box 11748, Atlanta, GA 30355.
In what has seemed an inevitability since it cancelled what was to have been its 61st season a little over a month ago, Theater of the Stars is going out of business.
Atlanta’s longest-running theater was primed to drop its final curtain in early August, but held out a faint hope that a deep-pocketed angel would emerge with a life-saving donation. None did.
A statement from the theater blamed the recession for “under-performing seasons” that made the financial obstacles “too difficult to overcome.” It said steps are underway to liquidate assets, to pay off debts “as quickly and efficiently as (we) are able,” and to close down the organization.
Numerous subscribers have complained in recent weeks that TOTS has not responded to their refund requests.
Brian D. Frey, the theater’s vice president and general manager, acknowledged that no refunds have been tendered and that the theater, down to three employees, has been creating spreadsheets to log who is requesting refunds and who is returning tickets as donations to the nonprofit theater.
“We understand their concerns,” Frey told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “The ultimate decision to close the company and the process in doing so has been incredibly difficult for the staff that remains and the board. We are working diligently to compile, sort and cross-reference all of the information that we have in our files in order to make informed and responsible decisions.”
Frey declined to clarify how many subscribers have contacted TOTS or if the company plans to pursue bankruptcy.
Single-ticket refunds have been processed by the Fox Theatre, TOTS’ longtime performance home.
Operating with a debt topping $650,000, the 61-year-old troupe in late June appealed to Atlantans for $1 million by Aug. 30 to launch its five-play subscription season plus a special presentation of “Stomp.”
But fundraising proceeded slowly, with the theater raising only $100,000 as it cancelled shows one by one. Finally, in early August, it pulled the plug on the drive and its remaining two subscription shows, “Disney’s The Little Mermaid” and “Cats, ” as well as “Stomp.”
The Fox picked up “Stomp” and will present it Sept. 26-29, honoring seats sold by TOTS.
The closing brings to an end the TOTS run of Christopher Manos, who produced his first season for what was then Theater Under the Stars (presenting at Chastain Park Amphitheatre) in 1960. For years Manos favored a formula of proven Broadway hits driven by stars of a now-bygone generation, including Mitzi Gaynor, Yul Brynner and Paul Lynde.
Manos will continue his producer’s role in a for-profit venture with his son Nicholas, Theseus Productions LLC, established in 2010 to acquire, manage and nurture touring musical theater titles.
Frey previously acknowledged that TOTS didn’t change fast enough in recent years as competition for Atlanta’s musical-loving audiences intensified from Broadway in Atlanta, a member of the 28-market network of the national presenter and producer Broadway Across America.
While TOTS has brought crowd-pleasers such as “Mary Poppins” and “The Producers, ” Broadway in Atlanta, which also stages at the Fox, has secured the hotter national tours for many seasons. In fact, TOTS is bowing out just as Broadway in Atlanta is preparing for single tickets to go on sale on Sept. 22 for one of the hottest touring shows in years, “The Book of Mormon.”
