Flip side of the coin

Published Tuesday 11 September 2007 at 10:55

I have just read with great interest your article on High School Musical, that the show should be: “By kids and for kids and if a school wants to do it, no will never be the answer.” (August 30, page 20).

Certainly, youth theatres and others will have looked at this show and seen the potential, for once, of making a reasonable financial return, which will add to their coffers for future productions. Disney executive Steve Fickinger isn’t, “worried about the amateur market cannibalising the audiences” for the professional version, but what if the boot is on the other foot?

Back in November 2005 I was informed the seeds for a new youth production were being considered. I did not waste any time on this information as I could see then the enormous potential for any youth production. So I set forth to find out as much information relating to this as I possibly could, with emails sent to America. I was informed the ethos of this production (as above) but the stage version would not be available until summer 2006 at the earliest, and was informed to get in touch with Josef Weinberger that would be holding the licence.

This I did, but at this point they had never heard of High School Musical or any stage version, so I informed them of what was to come, and my name went on the waiting list. In early November 2006 I received the licence to perform in the second week in March 2008 at the Joseph Rowntree Theatre in York - it had to be 2008 as the availability of a licence came too late to fit into our 2007 programme. Seeing the potential of this show I had already spent a long time in the planning, expense not being an issue. We decided to keep our ticket prices at our normal rate and to capitalise on full houses and extra performances, and to keep within the concept of the show of making it available to all. Then came the bombshell. We have learnt that the touring version is to be performed at the Grand Opera House in York the week before our show. As you can appreciate, morale is rock bottom, never mind the financial implications as this is going to have a major impact on our production.

Stephen Outhwaite

Director

Flying Ducks Youth Theatre

Haxby

York