[Kat]

Hey everyone! I'm Kathleen, new here, I ran across this place while searching for information about performance rights via google (oddly enough, the internet is not as helpful as I had once believed) I have a serious question and I need some quick help!

The basic run down is this, at my high school (I'm in grade 12) we have a very active drama program. Now one of the perks is that the lucky students get to be part of the Directing and Scripting class. I decided not to take it, however for Peak (the final projects for the year) my friend is using a play I've written, but we'd like to turn it into a musical.

Anywho, I can write music a bit but certainly not what she wants in the time frame I have to do it, nothing fantastic at least, so we agreed it would be best to use music from other musicals, at least that way people know them and it'll be easier on the actors. However, we want to do this properly and we're having issues finding out information on released rights.

Now according to the drama teacher, as long as the play has been released for amateur production, the songs themselves can be up for grabs (assuming of course we give credit where it is due, which we would) Does anyone know anything else about this? The more technical mumbo-jumbo that the internet isn't telling me? Does anyone know a site with a list of the released musicals, or could someone name a few to give me something to work from (Aida is all I have so far!)

Much appreciation!
-Kat

[Sweeney Hyde]

What you are talking about sounds way more complicated than just puting a normal musical...HOWEVER, if you guys are set on doing this you need to use music that fits the play. Is it a dark melodrama? A comedy? A political piece? You wouldn't want to use music from "Anything Goes" for a show like "Sweeney Todd" or music from "Sweeney Todd" in "Anything Goes." Sooooo...First you should let us know what the show is about so we can recomend what to look at...as far as all the technical stuff with royaltys per song...I don't know...but we can certainly give you some songs to look into.

[Kat]

I guess it would help to know what it's about. The basic run down is this:

It takes place in NYC just before the start of world war II in a bar that is, well, suffering from the lack of regulars. It's basically a love story about the bar singer and man already engaged, he ends up going off to war, the whole shebang. As far as songs go, we're looking for a real variety of them, slow mournful, full happy chorus ones. Its really supposed to be a play about the survival of the heart through troubled times, pretty typical but we're not out to create anything memorable.

[Sweeney Hyde]

I would look at some of Rodgers and Hammerstein's stuff...particularly South Pacific since it has the WWII theme with it...I would REALLY recomend that you guys find a musical that already has music...I'm not saying that your show couldn't be good or work but you guys are in for a lot of work if you have to fill out permision form for every song you want to use...whcih you may not even get. Seriously, look at doing something already established if you had way more time to prepare it may not be so difficult but...I would recomend looking at something else.

However, if you want something that is not produced very often i know of a bumpercrop of musicals that i can recomend that are easy and very good. Just post again what you need help with and I'll try to help.

[luckystar_30]

From what I know, I believe you still have to pay rights. But you pay for the use of individual songs. I believe it's called Cabaret rights or something like that. Google it I guess!