Can schools/colleges perform Wicked the Musical?????

Question

I'm just wondering whether schools are allowed to do Wicked or not because I've seen clips on Youtube of people performing it.

If schools can do it can you tell me where/who I can talk to about doing it.

Many thanks

Answer 1

As long as you get permission (and likely pay for the use)

Answer 2

No, Wicked is protected by copyright.

From musicalschwartz.com:

WICKED LICENSING/COPYRIGHT

"We are in the process of negotiating the deal for stock-and-amateur licensing rights to WICKED. Needless to say, I don't expect them to become available for some time, since they are generally not made available until after the Broadway production has closed. If all continues to go well with the Broadway production, that is probably several years away. Sincerely, Stephen Schwartz"

And again from the FAQ

CONCERT OF WICKED

The producers of the show have asked Stephen Schwartz to permit no more than THREE (3) songs from WICKED to be performed in any single event, therefore, a concert version of all the music from WICKED cannot be allowed at this time.

In order to obtain the rights for to perform a musical you have to contact the company that holds them (whether it's DramaSource, Music Theatre Internation, Theatrical Rights Worldwide or whatever) and pay a royalty fee.

Answer 3

If a performance is still running in New York, producers will not release the rights.  This is the case with Wicked... there are no plans currently to release the rights any time soon.

However, once the rights have been released, you can perform any musical, so long as you get permission and pay for usage of rights.

Most musicals are pretty pricey, charging for both script and score, and depending on the popularity of the musical, it can cost TONS of money that schools just don't have.  That's why most high schools get stuck with "Hello, Dolly" and such.

Here's a website you can check periodically to see if the rights are available yet, and when it becomes available, it tells you which production company to contact...

http://www.musicals101.com/alphinde.htm#...

Hope this helped... and sorry Wicked is still being held hostage!  :)

Answer 4

To be honest, it's unlikely the producers of wicked would find out about it. As long as you don't broadcast it everywhere you could get away with it probably. Really, a few kids doing their own rendition is not going to destroy the work done so far in producing a profit from the musical, it could encourage more people to buy the CD from the real one.

Answer 5

Lady Prism is right, the rights will probably not be released until Wicked goes off Broadway. Of course, this doesn't stop you from learning the roles in preparation for that day (or for a Broadway audition somewhere down the road if that's feasible), using the songs in auditions, etc. If your school or community theater has a scenes workshop, you could pick your favorite sequence from the show and learn/perform it there, or, as someone else mentioned, you could find a bunch of people who love Wicked as much as you do and throw together your own, not-for-profit production.

Answer 6

Hello there!:)

Great Question, I hope you like my answer...<33

I love what I have seen on Youtube on Wicked, especially the song: "Popular" It's amazing and I wish I could see the musical! Anywhoo, If you are using the musical for small purposes then you can use it. However, you CANNOT charge money for the musical or it is illegal. If you are asking for money from it then you need to ask the playwright  if you can use the play.

If you really badly want to use this play I have a solution for you!

*Just do the play and don't ask for money

          ---OR---

*Do the play and if you HAVE to make money off the event have silent auctions where people donate the prizes.

I hope I helped! GOOD LUCKK<33

-TQA(The Queen of Acting)