Concord Theatricals Launches Nationwide FOOTLOOSE Licensing Competition for Schools in Low-Income Communities

Concord Theatricals is launching Kick Off Your Sunday Shoes: The Footloose Competition, which will award ten schools in low-income communities with a complimentary license package to perform Footloose in honor of the stage musical's upcoming 25th Broadway anniversary.

The Competition is open to all middle and high schools in America, especially Title 1 and other under-resourced schools. More information can be found at concordtheatricals.com/FootlooseCompetition.

With dynamic new songs augmenting the powerhouse hits from the movie musical's bestselling Oscar-nominated score, Footloose celebrates the exhilaration of youth, the wisdom of listening to one another and the power of forgiveness. Footloose features music by Tom Snow and lyrics by Dean Pitchford, with a stage adaptation by Pitchford and Walter Bobbie, based on the original screenplay by Pitchford, along with additional music by Eric Carmen, Sammy Hagar, Kenny Loggins and Jim Steinman.

"What better way to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Footloose on Broadway than to share the show with deserving schools," said Bill Gaden, President of Concord Theatricals. "Creating opportunities for young diverse theatre makers to thrive is one of our central values at Concord Theatricals, and we are delighted to be working with the authors of Footloose on this important initiative."

"Footloose is a story of healing and forgiveness, both between individuals and within communities," added Pitchford. "I like to think that its longevity in due in equal parts to its energetic and irresistible score as well as to its deeply moving account of how people can - unexpectedly! - enrich each other's lives and touch each other's hearts."

Footloose first burst onto the silver screen in 1984 and proved to be one of the year's most successful motion pictures. It then opened on Broadway on October 22, 1998. The next day, the show broke the box office record for the Richard Rodgers Theatre, where it continued to thrill audiences through July 2000. The show has subsequently been seen on tour in the U.K., in the West End and around the globe. In 2011, Paramount Pictures' remake of Footloose - with a screenplay by Pitchford and the film's director Craig Brewer - brought this heartwarming story and electrifying musical to a whole new generation.

To enter, schools must complete a written application, including an essay that answers the prompt: How has dance changed your school community for the better? Guidelines for an additional, optional video entry will also be provided. Ten schools will be chosen based on a variety of factors, including financial need and creativity of answer. Each recipient will be awarded a three-performance licensing package for the edition of their choosing: Footloose: Youth Edition, Footloose (90-Minute Version) or Footloose. With thanks for their participation in the endeavor, production rental materials from iTheatrics, Right On Cue Services and KeyboardTEK are also included.

Applications are open now through Friday, November 4, 2022 at 11:59pm ET. Selected schools must present their production of Footloose between January 2023 and June 2024. For more information and to apply, visit concordtheatricals.com/FootlooseCompetition.

ABOUT Concord Theatricals

Concord Theatricals is the world's most significant theatrical company, comprising the catalogs of R&H Theatricals, Samuel French, Tams-Witmark and The Andrew Lloyd Webber Collection, plus dozens of new signings each year. Our unparalleled roster includes the work of Irving Berlin, Agatha Christie, George & Ira Gershwin, Marvin Hamlisch, Lorraine Hansberry, Kander & Ebb, Ken Ludwig, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Dominique Morisseau, Cole Porter, Rodgers & Hammerstein, Thornton Wilder and August Wilson. We are the only firm providing truly comprehensive services to the creators and producers of plays and musicals, including theatrical licensing, music publishing, script publishing, cast recording and first-class production. www.concordtheatricals.com

ABOUT Dean Pitchford

Born and raised in Hawaii and graduated from Yale University, Dean Pitchford performed off- and on-Broadway (Godspell; Pippin) before turning to songwriting, screenwriting and directing. Dean was nominated for four Academy Awards (winning the 1981 Best Song Oscar for "Fame," co-written w/ Michael Gore), three Golden Globes (winning for "Fame"), eight Grammys and two Tonys; his songs - recorded by such artists as Barbra Streisand, Whitney Houston, Cher, Peter Allen, LL Cool J, Kenny Loggins, Hugh Jackman, Dolly Parton, Bette Midler and Martina McBride - have sold over 70 million records. The musical stage adaptation (with Walter Bobbie) of his original screenplay for Footloose ran for more than 700 performances on Broadway and is now seen all over the world. Dean also provided the lyrics for Carrie: The Musical, which was produced in 1988 by the Royal Shakespeare Company - first in England and then on Broadway - and was revived in 2012 by New York's MCC Theater. Dean's middle-grade novels, The Big One-Oh and Captain Nobody, are published by Putnam/Penguin; his performances of their audiobook recordings (Listening Library/Random House) were both nominated for Grammys. His third novel, Nickel Bay Nick, was published to acclaim in 2013, and Dean voiced that audiobook for Audible.com. In 2019, the musical adaptation of his first novel, The Big One-Oh!, premiered at New York's Atlantic Theatre with lyrics by Dean, music by Doug Besterman and a libretto by Timothy Allen McDonald. www.deanpitchford.com