Chicago in the Bronx

[ceebeegee]

I've been reading some more about this production of Chicago in the Bronx--a high school was about to put it on without the rights, and Sam French (they manage the rights) and the Weisslers (producers of the current incarnation on Broadway) found out about the HS production and sent a cease-and-desist letter, shutting it down. This story first broke on Monday or Tuesday--the show was due to go up this week. There was some media coverage, and eventually Sam French said they could go ahead. I figured it was a fairly innocent case of kids not knowing any better. Apparently not--the drama teacher transcribed the dialogue? From the movie? What drama teacher doesn't know you have to secure the rights? And when confronted with the inconvenient reality that yes, you have to pay to perform this material, both the teacher and the principal tried to spin it as though Sam French and the Weisslers were being unreasonable. Again--drama teacher? And you're that ignorant? Then you shouldn't be teaching drama. I have nothing but contempt for a so-called educator who is ignorant of that BASIC reality in play production.

I certainly hope the "teacher" and the principal explained to the kids how they were solely at fault, and how gracious Sam French and the Weisslers were to let the production go on anyway.

Comments

[camussaysthecow.livejournal.com]

You know, originally, I was willing to keep an open mind, because I was very cognisant of the lack of opportunities of most high school students in the Bronx to get to do these kinds of things (or much of anything due to underfunded public schools). Not that I know the specific demographics of the school in question, but I was willing to keep an open mind. The idea of a big corporate entity swooping down and telling these kids, oh, you can't do that seemed to be just more of the same, more of The Man shutting possibly disadvantaged New York City public school students in such a way that might lead them to gang activity or drugs or something The Man might view as more suited to their demographic. This is what it appeared to be to me, at the outset. And I'm saying this as a playwright, aware of copyright laws, etc.

But now I guess it just sounds stupid. I still think, though, that this ends up screwing the students in ways that keep them down. Can we fire the drama teacher and get the kids who were in the show to maybe come down and see some real theater on The Man's tab (and not Mamma Mia either, something that could legitimately change their lives)? Then my sense of social justice might be appeased.