To the High School Director Planning an Illegal Production of 'Hamilton', Please Don't

by Chris Peterson, OnStage Blog Founder

I was recently alerted that a high school in VA is planning on performing ‘Hamilton’ later this spring. They have announced the cast and even school district leaders are supporting the production. The performances are set for early May.

This is alarming for many reasons but the first is that the licensing for the Lin-Manuel Miranda show, is not available. That means, moving forward on the show not only violates copyright law but also raises ethical concerns.

So while I will not be naming the director or school in this piece, just yet, my message to them is to please stop. Don’t do this. Pick another show.

I get it, ‘Hamilton’ took the world by storm, captivating audiences with its revolutionary storytelling and diverse cast. And I know schools and local theatres are foaming at the mouths to be able to perform this show.

But there is a way to go about it and then there is the wrong way. We’ve seen plenty of examples of the wrong ways, both in the United States and abroad.

As I mentioned above, performing any show without licensing permission constitutes a breach of copyright law. Just like any other creative work, "Hamilton" is protected by copyright, granting its creators exclusive rights to control its use and distribution. By performing the musical without authorization, schools are essentially disregarding the rights of the creators and infringing upon their intellectual property.

Doing this also teaches all the wrong lessons to students. By not taking the proper steps to legally perform license materials, it promotes that cutting corners and breaking certain laws to get what you want is okay, absolutely the wrong lessons to be teaching.

What this moment could teach are the purposes of copyright, the rights of creators. It's a chance to engage in meaningful discussions about ethics, fairness, and the value of creative work in society.

And I completely understand the excitement and desire to perform such a popular show. I also understand that doing such material would attract a lot of students to get involved in theater. So if that's the case I would highly encourage this school and any school to pick different material that achieves the same goals.

I also understand that affordability of the licensing rights might cause issue, but there are plenty of resources that can make obtaining licensing materials much more cost affordable. There are certainly cheaper shows, grants, and other programs that can help offload the cost of purchasing licensing.

But please, do not circumvent policies that would make your production the copyright infringement. The last thing I want is for a high school to make headlines for doing something that's so could easily have been avoided.

I have reached out to both the school and the high school theater director to warn them not to proceed with his production but I have not heard a response yet. My message to them is clear - stop what you're doing right now and pick another show while there is still time to be able to do it. The last thing anyone wants, is for a high school to get a cease and desist letter a week before opening night. That would absolutely shatter the hearts of the students who played no role in any wrongdoing.

I get the excitement around doing a show like ‘Hamilton’ and I promise that once the rights become available there will be ample opportunities for schools to perform the show. But until that day happens, please don't cut corners and try to perform it illegally.

High schools should prioritize ethical and legal considerations when selecting and staging theatrical productions, ensuring that they respect the rights of artists and creators while fostering a culture of integrity and respect for the arts.