Summer has finally arrived—and with it, some lovely interns ready to take the blogosphere by storm! Get your twitter apps and Facebook pages ready because Jessica and Kristen are prepared to post well and often! You can “like” our Theatrical Rights Worldwide Facebook page and follow our Twitter @TheatricalRight. Feel free to give us suggestions about what news or articles would be important to you! We will be working away all summer in the beautiful, air-conditioned offices of TRW, high above Times Square. We’ll share our bird’s eye view of Broadway with you, if you’ll share your theatrical experiences with us!

Theatrical Rights Worldwide is THE company that’s dedicated to scouting the theatre scene not just here in New York but all over the world to bring our customers the best new musicals out there! Here at TRW, we are always on the lookout for hot, new, cutting-edge shows to add to our expanding collection. In fact, just last week we had the privilege of attending Joshua Salzman and Ryan Cunningham’s Next Thing You Know performed at CAP21 starring Rock of Ages and Sweeney Todd’s Lauren Molina. We had an amazing time and thoroughly enjoyed this musical-in-the-round experience. In this intimate setting, we were able to observe characters Waverly, Darren, Luke, and Lisa as they struggle with what to do with the rest of their lives. This comedic, poignant musical speaks to people of all ages, as everyone know what it’s like to realize that, at some point, you have to grow up. We have high hopes for the life of this musical and hope that as many people as possible get a chance to see it before it ends it’s run on June 25^th! We’re thanking our lucky stars that we already have Salzman and Cunningham’s I Love You Because, because these two prolific writers will be the next big thing to hit Broadway—and soon!

So that’s a little taste of what’s going on in Manhattan—now we want to know what’s happening in your area! What new, original shows have you seen lately? Comment right here on the blog, chime in on our Facebook page, or Tweet at us, little birdies. Let’s talk musicals all summer long!

Joshua Salzman (L) and Ryan Cunningham

Theatrical Rights Worldwide is proud to represent Ryan Cunningham and Joshua Salzman’s I LOVE YOU BECAUSE, one of the best new musicals of the last decade. Their latest work is NEXT THING YOU KNOW, currently running at NYC’s CAP 21. NEXT THING YOU KNOW is the story of four New Yorkers waking up from their invincible twenties and confronting adulthood in the city that never sleeps. It continues this brilliant writing team’s penchant for capturing the essence of the terror and triumphs of modern love in the big city.

Theatermania.com’s review glowed, “What elevates the show are Salzman and Cunningham’s jaunty tunes, delivered with amiable panache by the ensemble… Salzman’s musical vernacular embraces the sounds of yesteryear, along with pop, country-western, and the musical theater power ballad.”

Adam Kantor (left) and Lauren Molina in Next Thing You Know. Photo by Greg Solomon.

Salzman and Cunningham first met in New York University’s graduate program in musical theater writing, where they began writing the songs that became I LOVE YOU BECAUSE. NEXT THING YOU KNOW has been previously in development with both Encore Theatre Company in the States as part of their Musicals in Development Initiative and Sell A Door Theatre Company in the UK.

NEXT THING YOU KNOW is directed by Terry Berliner with musical direction by Kurt Crowley. The cast includes Lauren Molina, Adam Kantor, Heath Calvert and Lauren Blackman. For ticket information for the current CAP 21 production, visit https://www.ovationtix.com/trs/pr/833925. The show continues through June 25th.

An Interview with Producer Cathy Hirsch

by Fred Stuart for Theatrical Rights Worldwide

Omaha, Nebraska’s Candy Project, established in the winter of 2008, is a theatre company comprised of twenty-somethings bringing cutting-edge musical theatre to the prairie. Their next project is ROOMS: A ROCK ROMANCE, (music and lyrics by Paul Scott Goodman, book by Goodman & Miriam Gordon.)

The company has previously produced I LOVE YOU BECAUSE and [title of show]. The Candy Project has quickly become known for very high quality work in Omaha, which is home to a very hot local theatre scene. Their 2010 production of [title of show], the brilliant 2008 Broadway show, was called “can’t miss theatre” by the Omaha World Herald. 2009′s I LOVE YOU BECAUSE was similarly lauded by the World Herald: “(I LOVE YOU BECAUSE is)…the debut show of The Candy Project, a new troupe of 20-somethings who plan to showcase small musicals with young themes. If their next offering is as refreshing, sassy and well-sung as this one, The Candy Project is in business. I Love You Because … ranks with the best of a busy theatrical summer…” Clearly, the relatively new troupe is talented and forward-thinking.

I recently spoke with Candy producer Cathy Hirsch about their upcoming production of ROOMS: A ROCK ROMANCE.

FS: Hi Cathy. Thanks for taking a few minutes to talk to me today. I know you are busy with getting pre-production going for ROOMS. So, I’m very interested in your choice of ROOMS for Candy’s 2011 show. I saw the show in NYC at New World Stages and I fell in love with it. What drew you to the show?

CH: A couple of years ago I played a role locally in THE GREAT AMERICAN TRAILER PARK THE MUSICAL that Leslie Kritzer had originated Off-Broadway. I loved her interpretation and since then have kept an eye on her work. ROOMS was attractive because of its small cast and rocking score. Our inaugural show was I LOVE YOU BECAUSE, also from the TRW catalogue, and we had such a great response to it I was happy to see ROOMS was also being licensed by the company. When I mentioned that it was on my “short list” of shows to pick from this year to one of the co-founders of The Candy Project, she really encouraged going with ROOMS having seen and loved the show Off-Broadway.

FS: How does ROOMS fit in with your mission at the Candy Project?

CH: Omaha is a very talented city, blessed with a wealth of live theatre. However, established houses with big budgets and big audiences also have to cater their seasons to their membership base. Newer musicals then also often need to be widely recognized in order to be considered for their seasons. Basically, there were all of these great shows out there that no one would touch because they were too edgy or the names weren’t recognized. The original founders of The Candy Project wanted to bring those shows to Omaha, appealing to a younger generation who maybe wouldn’t have otherwise considered themselves fans of musical theatre.  ROOMS is new, edgy, smart and it rocks. It definitely fits our mission of captivating a young adult audience while bringing new musical theatre to Omaha.

FS: I think your comments are true for theatre communities across the country, Cathy. Kudos for doing these great new shows. So, does presenting rock ‘n roll in a theatre setting present any special challenges? Amplification issues?

CH: Certainly it does. We do not have our own space so we create theatre in non-traditional venues. While this presents additional challenges, we are also in the position to stage pieces in unique and creative ways. ROOMS is being held in an art gallery which is essentially one big, nearly empty room.

FS: Sounds very cool!

CH: Yeah, it works for this show in particular as it evokes a sort of “garage band” feel that mimics the root of early punk rock bands. The current plan (today… tomorrow things could change) is to present ROOMS in a unique format. Not quite theatre-in-the-round but where the “stage” area is down the middle of the building with the audience set up on either side of it. We’re still grappling with how to make this work with the placement of the band for the best sound to all audience members.

The Candy Projectors Considering...Candy

FS: Do you specifically seek out shows with small casts?

CH: Our first show had a cast of 6, followed by a cast of 4, and now we’re down to 2… at this rate we’ll have no cast at all for our next show! Yes, with our intimate spaces and small budget we pick shows with small, incredibly talented casts.

FS: What’s on the horizon for the Candy Project?

CH: We were invited to perform a one night only performance of Kooman + Dimond’s fantastic song cyle “Homemade Fusion” at the Omaha Playhouse as part of their 21 & Over series next May. At about that time we’ll be announcing our musical for next summer but the show hasn’t been decided on just yet. There are some fantastic shows on the list of possibilities! I’m very excited to see what we end up choosing next summer.

FS: Cathy, thanks a million for talking with me about ROOMS today. TRW is thrilled that the Candy Project is bringing ROOMS to life in Omaha!

CH: You are welcome!

ROOMS: A ROCK ROMANCE begins in late 1970′s Glasgow where Monica, an ambitious singer/songwriter meets Ian, a reclusive rocker. The two quickly become entangled creatively and romantically. Their music takes them first to London and ultimately to New York City, where they discover the vibrant new music scene and create an intimate partnership, their love deepening while their personalities drive them apart. A rock band accompanies these two characters as they search for the balance between ambition and happiness.

The Candy Project production will be held at the Bancroft Street Market, August 5-20th. Bailey Carlson and David Rubio will portray Monica and Ian respectively. The production is directed by Daena Schweiger with music direction by Zachary Peterson. The Production Stage Manager is Lisa McNeil.

AACTFest11 is a national theatre event that will bring the best community theatre productions from across the Country and the U.S. Armed Services abroad to Rochester, NY, June 20-26, 2011. Over 600 people are expected to participate in this American Association of Community Theatre Flagship event. Performances, workshops and exhibitions are open to the public.

TRW is a proud commercial elite sponsor of AACT (American Association of Community Theatre) and Jim Hoare, our Director of Licensing, will be at AACTFest11 to meet with our valued community theatre customers. If you will be at AACTFest11, see Jim and ask about a special Perusal Store discount code exclusively for AACT conference attendees. TRW salutes the AACT and the 2011 Festival in Rochester. See you there!

3-D Theatricals brilliant production of ALL SHOOK UP garnered rave reviews during the May 13-29 run of the show at Plummer Auditorium in Fullerton, California. ALL SHOOK UP continues to be one of the top performing shows in the world as high schools, youth theatres, community theatres and professional companies discover the magic of the beautiful union of Elvis songs and Joe DiPietro’s Shakespeare-infused book.

Inspired by and featuring the songs of Elvis Presley, ALL SHOOK UP is an irresistible musical romp through the Elvis catalogue set to a great story: Into a square little town in a square little state rides a guitar-playing roustabout who changes everything and everyone he meets in this hip-swiveling, lip-curling musical fantasy that’ll have you jumpin’ out of your blue suede shoes with such classics as “Heartbreak Hotel,” “Jailhouse Rock,” and “Don’t Be Cruel.”

To read the Backstage.com review of the 3-D production click here.

For information about licensing your production of ALL SHOOK UP click here.

TRW knows that theatre organizations across the country are still feeling the pinch of tough economic times. Arts companies everywhere are looking at new ways to keep presenting top-quality theatre while embracing a leaner business model. TRW is here to help! We continue to listen to our customers needs. We’ve launched innovation after innovation, and from our revolutionary ‘you keep the books’ policy to our industry-leading PerusalsNOW™ service, TRW continues to lead the way. The StageCenter Collection from TRW is the latest of our customer-friendly services.

The Stage Center Collection is a carefully chosen menu of musicals offering an affordable alternative to the traditional royalty environment. If you see the StageCenter icon on a show’s home page, it means that the show is part of collection and your organization will receive 50% off the entire licensing fee–royalty and materials! In addition, if you are an Amateur organization, you can now complete the entire process online–from application, to quote, to ordering scripts and scores, to payment… Instantly!

Your mission to present new, exciting, thought-provoking theatre to your audience is more challenging than ever. At Theatrical Rights Worldwide, we understand and moreover, we’re here to help. The shows featured in the collection are top-quality shows from Off Broadway and Regional theatres that offer your audiences a breath of fresh musical air. New stories, new songs and new adventures in the musical theatre is what the StageCenter Collection is all about, and TRW is committed to pricing these shows to make them accessible to every theatre company. Click here to get started choosing a show or a full season of brilliant shows at a brilliant price!

E. B. White’s timeless children’s novel THE TRUMPET OF THE SWAN is now a classic new work for a symphony orchestra, a genius young trumpet player, and six inspired actors. Commissioned by the Kennedy Center, this glorious and funny piece was created in an extraordinary collaboration between Marsha Norman, Pulitzer Prize- and Tony Award-winning playwright (The Secret Garden, The Color Purple, ’night Mother), and Tony Award-winning composer/lyricist Jason Robert Brown (Parade, The Last Five Years, Songs for a New World). At its world premiere performance in November of 2008, the headline of The Washington Post said, “Sublime Symphonic Swan Answers the Call of the Beguiled,” and the paper lauded the piece as a “lushly scored work” that will “send you home with a helpless, contented smile on your face.” Conducted by Jason Robert Brown, and orchestrated by Sam Davis, the all-star studio cast includes John Lithgow (The Sweet Smell of Success, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, TV’s 3rd Rock from the Sun), Kathy Bates (Misery, TV’s Harry’s Law), Jesse Tyler Ferguson (The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, TV’s Modern Family), superstar recording artist Mandy Moore, James Naughton (City Of Angels, Chicago) and Martin Short (Martin Short: Fame Becomes Me). Children and adults alike will delight in this story of Louis, the young swan who was born without a voice, but who, with the help of his courageous father, and a loyal boy named Sam, overcomes his adversities, learns to write and play the trumpet, and finds fame, fortune and true love in the big world.

THE TRUMPET OF THE SWAN is now available for licensing from Theatrical Rights Worldwide. Click here for licensing information. To purchase the CD, visit: http://www.psclassics.com/cd_trumpetoftheswan.html

Phill Jupitis as King Arthur

MONTY PYTHON’S SPAMALOT continues its phenomenal U.K. tour as the Ambassador Theatre Group’s production clip-clops their coconuts into the New Wimbledon Theatre. As the stock and amateur release of the Tony Award-winning Best Musical approaches, TRW’s customers in Europe can check out the brilliant Ambassador Theatre Group tour, which has just added comedian Phill Jupitus to the production as King Arthur.

Click here to read all about it in the Surrey Comet.

MONTY PYTHON’S SPAMALOT is currently restricted in the USA, UK, and Canada. You will be notified in an upcoming e-club announcement as release information becomes available.

Lovingly ripped off from the classic film comedy MONTY PYTHON AND THE HOLY GRAIL, SPAMALOT retells the legend of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table, and features a bevy of beautiful show girls, not to mention cows, killer rabbits, and French people. Did we mention the bevy of beautiful show girls?

New Line Theatre is capping their 20th Anniversary Season with the St. Louis premiere of Jon Hartmere & Damon Intrabartolo’s searing pop opera, BARE. According to New Line’s press on the show, their production embraces the musical’s powerful mix of RENT and “Dead Poets Society”, and explores its use of sexuality, self expression, guilt, jealously, and religion, that overflows with the kind of urgency and intensity that comes with being 17. New Line is renowned for presenting high quality, provocative theatre. BARE is a perfect fit for New Line’s mission.

BARE follows six seniors at a Catholic boarding school. At the center are Jason and Peter, who are forced to deal with their mutual romantic attraction while trying to live up to the standards of their parents and the Catholic Church. The show explores the range of problems facing American teenagers today, from body image to teen pregnancy, from drug culture to adult expectations.

According to their website, New Line Theatre, “The Bad Boy of Musical Theatre,” was created in 1991, at the vanguard of a new wave of nonprofit musical theatre being born across the country during the early 1990s, offering an alternative to the commercial musical theatre of New York and Broadway tours. New Line was created to involve the people of the St. Louis region in the creation and exploration of provocative, alternative, politically and socially relevant works of musical theatre – daring, muscular, intelligent theatre about politics, race, violence, drugs, sexuality, religion, art, obscenity, the media, and other contemporary issues. And a lot of four-letter words. And every now and then, a little nudity. And lots of rock and roll.

New Line Theatre's BARE cast

New Line’s production of BARE is directed by Scott Miller, with costume design by Thom Crain, scenic design by Todd Schaefer, and lighting design by Kenneth Zinkl.  The show is  running now through June 25th. Director Miller has written a fascinating article about BARE which is a background and analysis of the show. Click here to read Miller’s wonderful article: http://www.newlinetheatre.com/barechapter.html

For information about licensing your production of BARE visit the show’s homepage on our website: http://www.theatricalrights.com/bare