Alex Brightman and the cast of ‘School of Rock’ (photo: Timmy Blupe via The Broadway Blog.)
Andrew Lloyd Webber and R&H Theatricals, a division of Rodgers & Hammerstein, an Imagem Company, announced today that high schools and youth performance groups in the USA and Canada will soon be able to perform School of Rock – The Musical. In an unprecedented move, Lloyd Webber has teamed with R&H Theatricals to grant youth performance rights before opening night on Broadway. School of Rock – The Musical will begin preview performances on Monday, November 9, 2015, with an opening set for Sunday, December 6, 2015. Applications for School of Rock – The Musical 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,” Lloyd Webber said about the announcement. “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 smash hit 2003 film of the same title, School of Rock – The Musical will feature music from the movie, as well as an original score by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyricist Glenn Slater, with a book by Julian Fellowes and direction by Laurence Connor (currently represented on Broadway by Les Miserables).
Produced by Paramount Pictures, the 2003 film was directed by Richard Linklater and starred Jack Black in a career-defining performance. The film was hailed by The New York Times as an “irresistible comic postscript to the rock revolution.” The film went on to gross more than $130 million worldwide.
School of Rock – The Musical follows Dewey Finn, a failed wannabe rock star who decides to earn a few extra bucks by posing as a substitute teacher at a prestigious prep school. Completely disinterested in academic work, Dewey decides to create his own curriculum, turning his class into a guitar-shredding, bass-slapping, mind-blowing rock band.
Tickets for School of Rock – The Musical are available by visiting the Winter Garden Theatre box office Monday– Saturdays between 10:00 am – 8:00 pm, online at Telecharge.com, or by calling 800-447-7400.
