HEATHERS Now Available for Licensing in New High School Edition

Welcome to the candy store, high schoolers! Samuel French has just announced that a high school edition of HEATHERS THE MUSICAL is now available as part of their 101 School Editions Collection.

The show, adapted from the 80s cult film, premiered off-Broadway in 2014 with an R-rating, but has now been cut down and adapted for high school performers and audiences.

HEATHERS tells the story of Veronica Sawyer, a brainy, beautiful teenage misfit who hustles her way into the most powerful and ruthless clique at Westerberg High: the Heathers. But before she can get comfortable atop the high school food chain, Veronica falls in love with the dangerously handsome new kid J.D. When Heather Chandler, the Almighty, kicks her out of the group, Veronica decides to bite the bullet and kiss Heather's aerobicized butt... but J.D. has another plan for that bullet.

Premiered by JJ Pearce High School (Richardson, TX) last fall, Heathers The Musical (High School Edition) has been met with huge enthusiasm from teachers and students alike. Pearce's production has been selected to recreate its sold-out performances with a coveted spot at the Educational Theatre Association's (EdTA) International Thespian Festival in June 2017. The musical, a comedy, tackles issues of teen suicide, bullying, homophobia and gun violence, while also providing schools with an opportunity to discuss these topics with their community. Head Theater Director at Pearce, Heather Biddle, explains "Each night we partnered with various community organizations that deal with intervention and prevention services and teen support groups. Moved by the message of Heathers and our community partners, our students used their learning to support their fellow students."

Heathers The Musical (High School Edition) is a full-length adaptation of the Off-Broadway Musical for high schools. Through a series of workshops with iTheatrics, and development alongside Pearce, this musical - along with all 101 School Editions - are tailor-made for high school and middle school performers. Marty Johnson, Director of Education and Resident Director at iTheatrics, worked closely with O'Keefe and Murphy, as well as Pearce, throughout the adaptation process.

"Working on this adaptation has given me the chance to see first-hand how the characters, songs and this story resonate so deeply with young people across the country," Johnson explains. "iTheatrics is proud of our collaboration with Samuel French and the show's authors, and are excited to know that high schools everywhere now have age-appropriate materials to thoughtfully and sensitively produce Heathers The Musical (High School Edition). This artistically rich show will start conversations that need to happen. That must happen."

Heathers The Musical (High School Edition) joins Rock of Ages (High School Edition), Rock of Ages (Middle School Edition), and resources for producing musicals from Musicals 101. For more information on how to perform Heathers The Musical (High School Edition) and other 101 School Edition titles, visit www.samuelfrench.com.