Toronto High School's 'Tribute' to Hamilton

OK....the effort is pretty foolish, but the videos themselves are pretty darn good and filmed VERY nicely.



I'll agree with the commenter, that I'm surprised an arts school would produce an "unauthorized" version.

oncemorewithfeeling2 said: "Okay, so they're an EXTREMELY talented group of kids. But I don't think we'll be seeing Hamilton Jr. presented any time soon.



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They light actually do just that. Release a Hamilton Jr, maybe not the full show, but a JR. Version would sell nicely. The lion king released a Jr. version not that long ago.

Once again Jorge proves he doesn't use his brain before posting. There are no discussions of licensing, neither professional nor educational nor amateur, HAMILTON at this point in time. Period. Full stop. I haven't watched the videos but if they framed the musical numbers as unauthorized dramatic presentations (also known as "dramatico work" and then published recordings of said performances for mass consumption, the full force of HAMILTON's legal team should be applied to this school and its administration. Completely unacceptable. Period. Full stop.

It is so disappointed to read the teacher's comments in the article. I direct musicals at my high school as well, and the ONLY shows my students EVER want to talk about producing are Wicked or Lion King and now Hamilton. They have no idea about licensing and copyright and I have to teach it to them and then the understand. But every year, new kids join and the Wicked/Lion King/Hamilton discussion is had again.

This teacher apparently did the exact opposite and said oh you want to do a show? The hell with artistic ownership; if you want a piece of art, just take it! So sad.

I don't know, you guys - remember a few years ago that school in the Bronx that was staging an illegal production of Chicago (if I remember correctly their drama teacher had decided to "just copy the movie" and said he didn't know you had to get permission from anyone in order to stage a show) and Samuel French tried to shut it down, but then it hit the press as boo hoo, poor kids having their show shut down by big bad Broadway, and city council members said they were going to protest in front of Chicago's theatre because how dare the producers try and enforce their ownership, and so because of public backlash Sam French had to let the high school's illegal production go on?

Maybe that's the way of securing rights to shows these days - make your poor children just want to do a show case in the media, and make people who own the rights let you do your illegal show.

You don't think a sit-down production would happen in Toronto because the show is "a piece of Americana and a bestseller"? That doesn't make any sense. The article already says that the Chicago and London productions will happen first, so it is not the order of productions that is in question here, but whether a professional sit-down production will happen at all. It seems like an inevitability that there will be a Toronto sit-down of Hamilton. Kinky Boots had an 8-month sit-down production there, and that show was not nearly as outlandishly popular as Hamilton. War Horse, Billy Elliott, and others have also sustained sit-downs of close to one year in Toronto. Hamilton can easily run there for longer than a year.

I watched the Yorktown video a few hours ago and saw a comment saying that it was illegal (from someone on this board, maybe?). That comment is gone now. I guess only comments praising the videos are allowed. SMH.

Not the first and won't be the last case though. This video of Satisfied from an Indonesian high school has over 143,000 views -- those kids clearly saw a bootleg and copied the staging. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8zTXJCQv_cg

Updated On: 6/15/16 at 09:15 PM

Anakela said: "I don't know, you guys - remember a few years ago that school in the Bronx that was staging an illegal production of Chicago (if I remember correctly their drama teacher had decided to "just copy the movie" and said he didn't know you had to get permission from anyone in order to stage a show) and Samuel French tried to shut it down, but then it hit the press as boo hoo, poor kids having their show shut down by big bad Broadway, and city council members said they were going to protest in front of Chicago's theatre because how dare the producers try and enforce their ownership, and so because of public backlash Sam French had to let the high school's illegal production go on?

Maybe that's the way of securing rights to shows these days - make your poor children just want to do a show case in the media, and make people who own the rights let you do your illegal show.



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I was not familiar with that story but that makes me so mad to read it. Performance rights are a hardship financially for many schools even for the classics. It drives me crazy that some schools skirt the rules. What is that teaching students? And any director who "doesn't know" you have to pay for rights to a musical is too idiotic to be directing a musical

The frustrating thing is that Hamilton JR. is likely going to be fast-tracked to schools because of how passionate Miranda is about getting this show in the hands of the kids...I fully expect to see an educational version licensed within two years or so. That's really soon for a Broadway show that is probably going to be running professionally for a long, long time. Kids who are starting high-school now will probably still be in high school when the rights are released. All you need to do is WAIT for it.

But sure, if you're really impatient, go ahead and rip off art. It's insulting to all the people who are waiting patiently to see the PROFESSIONAL version, and to all the high school kids who are desperately wanting to do this show but are waiting for licensing.

And also not to be rude, but Canada? C'mon.

VintageSnarker said: "I'll give them credit for at least not doing this. Well, at least... not entirely. Really? Schuyler sisters?"

I think that video is supposed to be like a parody.

Gymfan15 said: "The frustrating thing is that Hamilton JR. is likely going to be fast-tracked to schools because of how passionate Miranda is about getting this show in the hands of the kids...I fully expect to see an educational version licensed within two years or so. That's really soon for a Broadway show that is probably going to be running professionally for a long, long time. Kids who are starting high-school now will probably still be in high school when the rights are released. All you need to do is WAIT for it.

But sure, if you're really impatient, go ahead and rip off art. It's insulting to all the people who are waiting patiently to see the PROFESSIONAL version, and to all the high school kids who are desperately wanting to do this show but are waiting for licensing.

And also not to be rude, but Canada? C'mon.



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No. Not even close. Maybe try doubling or tripling that number.

Ok, I realize this Chicago issue is some ten years old....but, how does a DRAMA TEACHER not know you have to pay rights and royalties for a show? The principal stated that he doesn't know of them EVER paying for permission to produce a show? OY.

The article is wrong too in stating that to put on any BROADWAY show permission needs to be granted along with fees. It has nothing to do with Broadway. There are only two reasons you don't need permission: public domain and original work. Even someone else's published adaptation of something in public domain needs permission!



(Although, I'm sure most of us here know this.)