Chicago rights

[cotter]

Posted: 1/28/07 at 11:43pm

Does anyone know if the rights to chicago are currently restricted or what?

[husk_charmer]

Posted: 1/28/07 at 11:46pm

They are usually restricted only if the tour is coming through your area either a month before or after your production. That applies to most shows.

[cotter]

Posted: 1/28/07 at 11:49pm

Hey thanks on the website it said restricted but I know people had done it in the recent past so I wasn't sure.

[D2]

Posted: 1/28/07 at 11:52pm

Contact Sam French directly, not their website.

[LuPonatic]

Posted: 1/29/07 at 7:49am

Probably because it's still running in New York, certain kinds of productions are restricted. I bet if you are far from NYC or a community theatre or high school or similar, you wouldn't have a problem. I agree, don't rely on their website, I get the feeling it isn't updated all the time.

[winston89]

Posted: 1/29/07 at 1:44pm

I know that on the MTI website if a show is currently on tour it gives you the tour list and tells the person who is buying the rights to use there best judgment. There is a limit of I think 70 miles between where a professonal and amature production can happen. If a show is currently touring they show you the tour list for this particular reason. But, I do think that for Chicago Sam French is being VERY VERY strict about giving ou the rights. I belive that this is the only show that they are being very strict about. Reason is that they don't want what hapend in the bronx to happen again.

I know that there is going to be someone who is going to ask what happend in the bronx with Chicago. So, to save that particular poster time I am going to sum it up.

A while ago a high school in the Bronx did Chicago. Not only was it very illeagle considering that the Broadway producion was right there. But, the director illeagley took parts of the film script and put it in with the scrpt for the show. He never paid any rights and there was a whole leage battle. Eventually the Wesslers got involved. It ended with the whole " what about the children" approach and they said that they could go on with the show. Ever since then, Sam French has been very careful bout amature producions of Chicago. Personally, I don't think that the show should have happend. However, the director bitched and moaned about how the kids have worked so hard and they would be upset if they couldn't do the show ect ect ect.

[theaterdude87]

Posted: 1/29/07 at 1:49pm

Chicago is a very weird show rights wise. My school had tried on a number of times and they said we were to close to NYC (we are 2.5 hours away) during this time other schools that were closer did get the rights..I am not sure what they are looking for.

[purpleprince101]

Posted: 1/29/07 at 3:22pm

its probally hard to get, even though i don't plan on doing a high school production of chicago

[DRSisLove]

Posted: 1/29/07 at 4:05pm

You can do the Original version.

I saw a community theatre production of this and asked the director how she got the rights. Since the REVIVAL version is on Broadway, technically its a different show than the ORIGINAL, which is currently up for rights.

[sondhead]

Posted: 1/29/07 at 4:14pm

That's BS. First of all the version playing on Broadway is barely different than what played in the 70's, material-wise.

Even if it were radically different, it makes no difference when licensing any version of the show. It is up to everyone involved how to handle such issues and may be different show to show depending on the terms agreed upon when rights are aquired by the production's producers.

As for the bronx situation, kids schmids. You want to teach kids to be performers? Teach them also to respect the work of those who give us material to perform. Don't teach them to steal and blatantly break the law. If they were not fined for this it is a travesty. Why would any school allow this to happen.

Posted: 1/29/07 at 6:24pm

My high school just did this show in November. Like D2 said, you need to contact Samuel French directly. I hear they are very picky in choosing who gets the rights to this show. Only about 30% of applicants get to perform it.

[D2]

Posted: 1/29/07 at 7:22pm

That whole Bronx situation was appalling. First of all, Sondhead is right. What message was that teaching the kids? Secondly, what kind of theater director thinks that what he did was okay on any level? And then for the principal of the school to admit that he had no idea that rights needed to be secured and that the school had been doing this for years was asinine. And then to get the media involved and have them side with the kids was even more astounding. They were breaking the law. End of story. Anyway I'm sure this has already been discussed in many previous threads. Cotter, call Sam French and find out.

Oh, and by the way, you are welcome for the information I went to the trouble of finding out for you.

[theatreboi11]

Posted: 1/29/07 at 8:16pm

The high school I am working at just aquired the rights for the spring. We applied for the rights and were denied them. We then checked to see the tour schedule and the closest it was coming was 4 hours away. The drama teacher contacted the tour manager and asked permission. They were so taken back by the fact we were denied it that they suggested us filing a petition and that they would support it. So she wrote this super long petition and sent it in. A month later we were still denied the right stating that as of right now they were only granting rights to places in need (ie Katrina). A week later they called her and let her know they heard from the touring manager and we going to end up granting us the rights anyway.

It was a tedious process and we had to think outside the box, but in the end we are now doing Chicago for the Spring musical.

[winston89]

Posted: 1/29/07 at 8:26pm

The thing bout the whole bronx situation is that the kids had no say whatsoever bout anything going on. I can bet that there involvement with it was that the principal or director told them what was going on. I think that the director used the kids as a pawn by saying they worked so hard ect. And, it may be sad but it is ture that in a lot of public schools the person directing a show or the head of the theatre department is the one involved getting the rights. Usually in a lot of schools the only say the principal has is giving their two cents as to what show is being done. Just to make sure it's approprate sp? ect.

Keep in mind, that this is a high school and a majority of the people preforming in said production were underage so they really weren't able to have much say on the matter. They really couldn't voice there opinons.

And to say that they shouldn't be able to do it to teach the kids a lesson ect is just wrong to say. The students had no involvment with granting the rights for the show ect. It is the director and princapals fault. Don't go pointing the finger in the wrong place.

[D2]

Posted: 1/29/07 at 8:55pm

Winston, no is pointing fingers at the kids. It was the adults in the situation who were to blame. But what lesson are the kids taking from this - that the adults they are supposed to learn from are lyers and cheaters and somehow that's okay? No, I'm sorry, THAT is what is wrong.

[Candleshoe2]

Posted: 1/29/07 at 9:01pm

I was in a high school production of 'Chicago' 3 years ago, and the key that got us the rights was being the first high school to perform 'Ragtime'. What I loved about our production was that we performed it similar to the original staging and didn't try to butcher the show trying to mimic the current staging of the show. I've seen a community theatre casts that have tried to copy the current minimal concept, but it came off looking horribly!

[Piercemn]

Posted: 1/29/07 at 10:55pm

It was done recently in Willmar, MN, and we had the road company in St. Paul last week, so I suspect if you're far enough away from NYC or tour bookings, Samuel French should be able to give your theatre the rights. Good luck

[Jellylorum]

Posted: 1/29/07 at 11:09pm

My high school wanted to do Chicago two years ago, but was denied the rights, despite the fact that we are 2000 miles away from New York and no touring show ever came to our city or anywhere near it. It's a small southern city in the middle of nowhere that only gets four touring shows a year, with each show playing only three days. And this year, one of the shows is cancelled, so we really only three. Granting rights doesn't seem to have much to do with location, so I'm not exactly sure what they are looking for.

Sorry for a getting a little off-topic, I just had to rant about that a little. :)

Updated On: 1/29/07 at 11:09 PM

Posted: 1/29/07 at 11:12pm

A school about an hour out of LA got the rights. The leads are good, so I have to see it.