The rights will released before the show’s Broadway opening night.
Andrew Lloyd Webber and R&H Theatricals, a division of Rodgers & Hammerstein, have announced plans to grant School of Rock performance rights to high schools and youth-performance groups in the USA and Canada before the show has its Broadway premiere. Applications for School of Rock will be accepted immediately. Performance and perusal materials will ship to interested performance groups shortly after opening night, in January 2016.
"This musical is entirely about empowering kids to rock out, so what better way to herald its arrival and celebrate its themes than to allow youth performances from coast to coast," said Lloyd Webber in a statement. "This will allow young fans to engage with the material in a much deeper way, and we think will only heighten enthusiasm for our Broadway premiere."
Based on the hit 2003 film, School of Rock tells the story of a down-on-his-luck wannabe rock star named Dewey Finn, who poses as a substitute teacher at a prep school and enlists his fifth-graders to form a rock group and conquer Battle of the Bands. The world premiere musical will begin performances November 9 at Broadway's Winter Garden Theatre in advance of a December 6 opening.
Directed by Laurence Connor, the musical features a score by Lloyd Webber and Glenn Slater and a book by Downton Abbey creator Julian Fellowes. The creative team also features choreography by JoAnn M. Hunter, scenic and costume design by Anna Louizos, lighting design by Natasha Katz, sound design by Mick Potter, comedy direction by Cal McCrystal, and music supervision by Ethan Popp.
Alex Brightman will lead the cast as Dewey Finn, alongside Sierra Boggess as Principal Rosalie Mullins. The supporting cast will feature Spencer Moses as Ned, Mamie Parris as Patty, Evie Dolan as Katie, Carly Gendell as Marcy, Ethan Khusidman as Mason, Bobbi MacKenzie as Tomika, Dante Melucci as Freddy, Brandon Niederauer as Zack, Luca Padovan as Billy, Jared Parker as Lawrence, and Isabella Russo as Summer.
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