15 replies to this topic

[liam_dude]

my schools doing blood brother and iv been cast as eddie....but i just wondered if its illeagle 2 perform a non professional verson

could sumone please send me the link 2 the rights of blood brothers website 2 just check it out ?????

ta

[Seriously]

I believe you're allowed to perform the play (if you've obtained the rites) but Kenwright has put a block on anyone performing the musical version, other than him.  He's also quite strict on checking!

[Matthew Winn]

I believe you're allowed to perform the play (if you've obtained the rites)

I have this vision of the company performing dark rituals at midnight in order to obtain permission to put on a play.

but Kenwright has put a block on anyone performing the musical version, other than him.  He's also quite strict on checking!

Note that if you are caught putting on a production without permission they will shut you down immediately. This includes making unapproved changes to a script you do have permission to use. It recently happened to a production of Side By Side By Sondheim that decided to incorporate a couple of extra songs: the unauthorised changes were noticed and the run was halted with immediate effect. Refunds for the audience, substantial losses for the show.

[Laughingmonsta]

We looked into this for the school i work at, if you perform for an invited audience and they are not paying for tickets AND it is used for an examination eg GCSE or AS/A2 then French's (rights holders) will give you permission to perfrom the Play with the use of the 1st song of Maralyn Monroe and thats it.

[armadillo]

So this school has organised a production of Blood Brothers, cast it and left it up to one of the pupils to sort out the rights?  

I remember a story line in Grange Hill way back in the glory days of Tucker Jenkins when a production of West Side Story had to be cancelled half way through rehearsals because it clashed with a WE version so one of the teachers quickly came up with a musical about mods and rockers bringing together rival school factions through the magic of theatre.

[liam_dude]

[quote name='armadillo' date='Jun 15 2007, 01:56 PM' post='12112']
So this school has organised a production of Blood Brothers, cast it and left it up to one of the pupils to sort out the rights?  

am not sorting out the rights am just worried incase the show gets shut down, they havent told me anything about the rights so thats why am asking you lot

anyway thanks far all your help

[armadillo]

Sorry - I wasn't criticising you. I think you might well be right to be worried and are doing the sensible thing. I hope the production goes ahead OK. I think it's something that could work very well for schools.

[Becca]

About 10 years ago my Drama School was given the rights to perform it, this was because of connections my Drama teacher had with Willy Russel and the original cast. We were told it was fine but after the production.. don't quite know the full story but I think Kenwright found out a threw a big fuss we and others involved got into a load of trouble. The rights are extremly hard to come by, my drama teachers been waiting for years to be able to do it again.

[Job]

Your school will be on very, very dodgy ground it it tries this. Many schools have applied and failed to get the rights legally, and the block on the musical version of Blood Brothers is absolute. You ought to point this out to your teacher - maybe print off this thread and show it to them?

The only available published score is a vocal selection for home use, so unless there's a bootleg copy of the theatrical score floating around your school somewhere it won't be the real deal anyway.

Is your teacher experienced enough to understand the copyright laws? He or she may simply not be aware that this is wrong, so by telling them what you've found out here you could be doing them a favour - and saving your school embarrassment when Bill Kenwright or Samuel French pounce (as they will if they hear of it... and, if your production turns out well, word will get around).

You might like to know that I wrote to Samuel French earlier this year and enquired as to whether there were any plans for licensing a school edition of Blood Brothers, as other publishers have done with Les Mis and We Will Rock You. They wrote me a very kind letter back saying that they wished they could go down that road, but that Willy Russell himself would not allow it. Make of that what you will.

Job

[cheekyblade]

We were hoping to do the musical version at my school but no amateur group or school is allowed to do it. You can perform the original studio script but not any of the music tha goes with it.