Rent: Plan B

Hello, and happy Friday.

I was hoping not to have to write this message, but I think I can’t put it off any longer.

As you probably know, we applied for the rights to produce Rent in Spring 2019. (We are legally unable to produce any show without obtaining the rights and paying the royalties.) We applied in early October, and we learned a few weeks ago that Rent is a “restricted title,” due to the fact that the 20^th Anniversary Tour is starting in 2019. The rights holders don’t want for any local productions anywhere to compete with the tour. In other words, they did not say yes.

As soon as I got the news I wrote an appeal letter. The tour will be on the East Coast in mid-late April, and the closest that it’s going to get to San Diego is to Palm Desert (February) and Riverside (June), so we really won’t be in conflict. As of last week, even though my letter had been received and was under consideration, I was told it could be a few more weeks until a final decision is made. I was advised to come up with an alternate selection, in case we don’t get the green light.

This is obviously not the news we wanted to hear. I will continue to be persistent, and I will let you all know immediately what the final verdict is.

In the meantime, I’m asking for your input. What musicals would you like to see produced in the spring? Bear in mind that we need to have a big cast, and there needs to be good roles for men and women. I personally lean more toward contemporary-ish musicals, although I’m completely open at this time.

We audition in less than two months, and production meetings will start soon, so time is of the essence. I’m sorry, guys—I wish I had more promising news. Let’s keep our fingers crossed that they will give us the rights to Rent.

--Katie Rodda