Illegal Wicked productions- Page 2

[Norbert Leo's Butt]

Posted: 5/26/05 at 5:17am

guys, you must put pictures of these productions on the net. they must be hillarious

[One Song Glory]

Posted: 5/26/05 at 6:42am

My school Girls' Ensamble is doing 'Popular' for our Spring Concert in a week or two and were adding new choreography. I don't think it's illegal but it's wearing mr down.

[KelRel]

Posted: 5/26/05 at 7:46am

Thenardier you crack me up...defying legality WOW

[mikewood]

Posted: 5/26/05 at 9:07am

It's awful, simply awful that people would do that.

Especially at a summer camp or elementary school, exposing all those poor helpless children to great musical numbers that they would never get a chance to see or hear otherwise. The idea that some 8 year old might become a lifelong fan to something that he or she might not have any exposure to otherwise... now, that should certainly not be allowed.

Updated On: 5/26/05 at 09:07 AM

[trpguyy]

Posted: 5/26/05 at 9:27am

Actually, if there is a showtune arranged for a choir, and the choir performs it with costumes and/or choreography, it is copyright violation. Permission must be granted from the copyright holder. Some "show choirs" (the really good ones) actually get permission, but most don't.

[Adam Chris]

Posted: 5/26/05 at 10:10am

I always hear on this board about illegal productions...but nobody has said where and when they are playing.
It's always, "there is this high school..." or "there was this camp...."

Are they mini productions or revue of a few songs?
I have a hard time believing some of these posts because of the lack of information. Sometimes it seems exaggerated.
I'm not calling anyone a liar...just saying some of the posts are ambiguous.

Does anyone know of specific upcoming productions???

Updated On: 5/26/05 at 10:10 AM

[mikewood]

Posted: 5/26/05 at 10:28am

The way people jump on you here, would you tell anyone of an upcoming pirated production?

[Adam Chris]

Posted: 5/26/05 at 10:31am

I'm a friendly guy. I'm not attacking anyone. But I don't care if people "jump" on me. What are they going to do? It's just a message board/forum. People will either see your point of view or they won't. ..and that's ok.

So my question still stands....

Does anyone know of specific upcoming productions???
Updated On: 5/26/05 at 10:31 AM

[MagicToDo82]

Posted: 5/26/05 at 10:44am

Forget the whole "Especially at a summer camp or elementary school, exposing all those poor helpless children to great musical numbers that they would never get a chance to see or hear otherwise. The idea that some 8 year old might become a lifelong fan to something that he or she might not have any exposure to otherwise... now, that should certainly not be allowed" thing.....

Doing illegal productions is against the law.

Doing one or two songs, especially if allowed by Mr. Schwartz, is fine...but doing a full production is ILLEGAL.

This fact seems to have escaped some people, who think "Oh, but I really want to do the show and its not available which is totally unfair so I'll just do it anyway."

ILLEGAL, people.

[BoxFive]

Posted: 5/26/05 at 10:51am

I saw a smashing "illegal" production of WICKED at a cookout in Freehold NJ last weekend, better than than Broadway!

And such good ribs!

[mikewood]

Posted: 5/26/05 at 10:51am

You are totally right, Magic. I totally agree with you. Thank goodness that you are hear to show everyone the light.

Thank you, thank you, thank you.

[gavrochegirl]

Posted: 5/26/05 at 10:52am

Yeah...I saw something for a summer camp that is bound to shut down....their season:

Wicked
Mamma Mia!
Songs in the Key of Springfield

[broadwayalto01]

Posted: 5/26/05 at 10:53am

Shame on people who perfrom without copyrights...

[MagicToDo82]

Posted: 5/26/05 at 10:55am

mikewood, I'm all for exposing young people to the arts and turning them on to musical theatre. However, there are SO many ways to do that which don't involve breaking laws and robbing the creators of a show such as Wicked of control of the piece they have slaved to create. Doing LEGAL productions, for one. So people have to wait a few years to do Wicked? The world WILL keep turning:)

[mikewood]

Posted: 5/26/05 at 11:01am

You are certainly 100 percent, absolutely correct.

Shame on anyone who thinks differently.

[Adam Chris]

Posted: 5/26/05 at 11:14am

So no one will answer the question?

Except for Box Five, who verifed a location.

Yes, it's illegal. It's wrong. I understand that. I just do not think this happens as often as it seems to be portrayed on this board....and that was my only point.
Updated On: 5/26/05 at 11:14 AM

[MagicToDo82]

Posted: 5/26/05 at 11:16am

Oh, Adam Chris, I totally agree with that. There DO seem to be a lot of posts about this, and no one ever backs it up with photos or proof....probably because they know its wrong:)

[Adam Chris]

Posted: 5/26/05 at 11:21am

Thanks Magic.
:)

[mikewood]

Posted: 5/26/05 at 11:26am

Adam...I don't know of any production and I am certainly not planning any.

You want to google "illicit and wicked Wicked production staged directly against copyright infringements laws".

came up with this:
Frequently Requested Information about WICKED
12/03/04 01:41 PM (216.164.228.5 Edit Reply



FREQUENTLY REQUESTED INFORMATION

We very much appreciate your interest and enthusiasm for WICKED and we hope the information below is helpful.

WICKED INFORMATION

One of the best sources for lots of information about WICKED is Carol de Giere’s fan based website MusicalSchwartz.com . Carol updates her site very frequently, so you should be able to read the very latest news there. Here is a link to her WICKED page:

MusicalSchwartz.com WICKED FAQ

WICKED TICKETS

If you are having difficulty finding available tickets to WICKED, you can try one of the websites that sells premium tickets. We don’t have access to discount tickets and if the show is sold out, unfortunately, there’s nothing we can do to help. Carol de Giere includes links to several of these websites at MusicalSchwartz.com WICKED TX

MECHANICAL LICENSE

In order to record one of the songs from WICKED, you will need to obtain a mechanical license. In the case of WICKED only (and not Stephen’s other music), a mechanical license can be obtained by emailing Mr. Schwartz's assistant, Michael, at [e-mail]. This is only temporary. As soon as a deal has been made with a publisher, we will post the updated contact information.

MOVIE VERSION OF WICKED?

SS: “I do think that WICKED could work very well as a movie, and I hope a movie will be made of it in some years time. But I hope you will have a chance to see it on stage before that, either on Broadway or if the touring company comes to a theatre closer to where you are. Sincerely, Stephen Schwartz”

COMPLETE SCORE TO WICKED

At this point, we are unaware of any plans to make the complete WICKED score available. If that should change, we will post an announcement on this site.

INDIVIDUAL SONGS IN ORIGINAL FORMAT

We are only allowed to send out a few songs for special circumstances. (We have received a lot of requests from people asking for every song in the show). Stephen Schwartz states this very clearly in his “note from the composer” in the front of the songbook: ("In special circumstances, when someone needs a song in the original show format, that can be obtained by emailing me at...") So if you have a special need and would like PDF files of a song in its original format, please email Michael Cole, at [e-mail] with an explanation of your circumstances and list the song title you are requesting in the subject line.

****IMPORTANT**** Please make sure to send an email address that will accept large PDF files. Very often these files bounce back as undeliverable – so make sure there’s enough room in your inbox or provide an email address that will accept these files.

CONCERT OF WICKED (Only 3 songs allowed)

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.

WICKED LICENSING/RIGHTS

“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”

CASTING/FOREIGN PRODUCTION ANNOUNCEMENTS

We’ve been asked often about replacements, casting of the tour, etc., as well as possible foreign productions. We are not permitted to announce anything on this site before it becomes public information.

CONTACTING THE ACTORS

If you are interested in contacting one of the actors from WICKED, you may do so by writing to them at:

Actor’s name c/o
The Gershwin Theatre:
222 W. 51st Street
New York, NY 10019

AUDITIONING/APPLYING FOR POSITIONS

Unfortunately, we can’t provide special access for this kind of request. If you are interested in being seen for WICKED or being considered in other capacities, you must follow the usual channels. (Agent submissions, Open calls, etc.) We have to be strict in this policy – if we make an exception for one, we’d have to do the same for everyone, and for obvious reasons, we can’t do that. Bernard Telsey Casting and 321 Theatrical Management are both located in New York City.

MENTORSHIP

Mr. Schwartz has gotten a lot of requests from writers interested in having him as a mentor. While he finds this extremely flattering, he simply doesn’t have the time at present, given the projects to which he is currently committed and the mentoring he already does through the ASCAP Workshops he directs.

REVIEWING MATERIALS

Mr. Schwartz has had to make a policy not to review any materials outside the ASCAP Musical Theatre Workshop and the grant panels he sits on. He feels if he says yes to one, he would have to say yes to all. If you are interested in submitting your materials for the ASCAP Workshop, please contact Michael Kerker at 212-621-6234. Thank you for understanding Mr. Schwartz’s need to be strict with this policy.

SCHOOL PROJECTS

We have gotten a lot of requests for help on school projects about WICKED. Due to Mr. Schwartz's current schedule, it's difficult for him to find time to respond to multiple questions that require in-depth responses. If you decide to do a school project on WICKED, we would appreciate it if you would do a thorough search of the Stephen Schwartz forum - Stephen has been answering questions posed by fans for many years and you can likely find answers to the questions you have. If you still have questions after you've searched through the forum, please post them for him in the "Ask Stephen" section of the Stephen Schwartz Forum. Additionally, a thorough search through www.musicalschwartz.com could find answers for you too.

Thank you again for your interest and enthusiasm for WICKED. We hope this information has been helpful to our friends and fans of the show.

[TheColorOfFlame]

Posted: 5/26/05 at 11:51am

I'm genuinely curious as to why performing something without obtaining the rights elicits such utter rage in so many of you.

Okay, I understand the reasoning of "It's ILLEGAL. ILLEGAL," as many of you NEVER tire of saying. But honestly, so is underage drinking, so is jaywalking. I mean, if a few young kids are putting on a few numbers from the show at summer camp or at their elementary school, for a few of their family members and friends, and aren't charging any money . . . what is the reasoning behind getting so incredibly ANGRY about it? Why all the anger?

Do you really think Stephen Schwartz would flip out if he learned that a couple of eleven-year-olds were paraphrasing some dialogue from the fallen house scene?

I'm not really arguing, I just really don't understand all the steam-out-of-ears, poop-in-the-pants, off-the-wall-FURY about it and would like to. As in, I'd like an explanation other than the "IT'S ILLEGAL!" and "THEY'RE NOT GETTING COMPENSATION!" bits. Because honestly, I don't buy those. Even if it's just jealousy that is driving all these malicious feelings, I'd like to try and understand them! Thanks guys.

Yes, I said poop-in-the-pants.

[mikewood]

Posted: 5/26/05 at 12:03pm

poop-in-the-pants?

Who told you?


Maaaaaa!

[TheColorOfFlame]

Posted: 5/26/05 at 12:07pm

Maaaaa, indeed.

[Ourtime992]

Posted: 5/26/05 at 12:23pm

The legal restrictions probably have something to do with the compensation the creators receive as well as competition with the Broadway production, but the larger issue here is of artistic integrity. To stage an unauthorized production of the show, with materials obtained illegally, undermines the artistic intentions of the creators. They put together a specific show exactly as they wanted it. Eventually, when they license it they give up some of that control, while sometimes maintaining bits of it (like a contract stating how credit must be given, in what size font, even, or restricting the interpolation of other songs, as is sometimes the case in productions of The Sound of Music or Grease). It's their baby for now, legally as well as ethically, and putting on crappy productions that apparently represent what that work is undermines their efforts to create something of quality and lasting value.

[MagicToDo82]

Posted: 5/26/05 at 12:55pm

OurTime, I raise my glass to you.

and we're not talking about - "I mean, if a few young kids are putting on a few numbers from the show at summer camp or at their elementary school, for a few of their family members and friends, and aren't charging any money . . . what is the reasoning behind getting so incredibly ANGRY about it?"

Recitals and stuff like that are fine. If Schwartz or whoever says you can do some songs, fine.

We're talking full-fledged productions, which several posts on this board have been about....but have suspiciously not backed up with proof.

[Adam Chris]

Posted: 5/26/05 at 12:57pm

I agree with Colorofflame, these sorts of posts are completely exaggerated. No need to flip out if a couple of 8 - 10 yr olds perform their favorite scene or songs. Let kids be kids.
I highly doubt 8 - 13 kids at camp can do a full production of Wicked anyways. Let them sing their little songs without making them feel bad.
Keep it real. It should be considered as flattery to the artists, actors, directors and composers of the show. A wink to the show.
Updated On: 5/26/05 at 12:57 PM