Concord Theatricals has named the winners of its licensing contest for “School of Rock.” The “You’re in the Band: School of Rock — The Musical Contest” gave schools and youth groups throughout all 50 states, the District of Columbia, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico and Canada the opportunity to enter the contest, with ten winners selected to receive a free, three-performance license to “School of Rock” or its Young Actors Edition with all rental materials included. To be considered, participating schools were required to submit information about their theater programs, along with essays about the effects of music on their students and school communities.
The winning schools are A.L. Brown High School in Kannapolis, North Carolina; Deer Park Junior High in Deer Park, Texas; Dwight Morrow High School in Englewood, New Jersey; Garden Grove High School in Garden Grove, California; Greater New Bedford Regional Vocational Technical High School in New Bedford, Massachusetts; Hazelton Secondary School in Hazelton, British Columbia; Humphrey Middle School in Bolingbrook, Illinois; King High School in Tampa, Florida; Kossuth High School in Corinth, Mississippi; and Sumner-Fredericksburg School District in Fredericksburg, Iowa.
“We’re overjoyed at the opportunity to partner with these schools to bring ‘School of Rock — The Musical’ to their communities,” said Billie Davis, Concord Theatricals’ senior vice president of amateur licensing, in a statement. “These schools embody the passion and drive told in this story, and we can’t wait to see how they bring it to life.”
“What really stood out from these applications was the dedication and commitment to making theater happen for young people and the positive impact this has had on their school communities,” added Laura Burch, head of stock and amateur licensing at Lloyd Webber Entertainment. “Huge congratulations to the winning schools!”
Based on the 2003 film, “School of Rock” follows disgraced, aspiring rock star Dewey Finn. While impersonating a substitute teacher to collect a check, he encourages his students to express themselves through music, taking them all the way to their local Battle of the Bands. The musical features a book by Julian Fellowes and lyrics by Glenn Slater, with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber. After a workshop at Gramercy Theatre in the summer of 2015, “School of Rock” made its Broadway premiere that winter, opening at the Winter Garden Theatre on Dec. 6. The musical was nominated for four Tony Awards, including Best Musical. A West End run followed in 2016 (where it was nominated for three Olivier Awards).
Both the original musical and its abridged Young Actors Edition are available for licensing through Concord, which licenses plays and musicals to professional, amateur, stock and school theater companies, while also providing licensing, publishing, recording and producing services to artists.
