This year, Marshall Theatre chose to perform Chicago, an award-winning musical. The show has been approved, but contract issues and disagreements with state officials made approval difficult.
In particular, there was an issue with the indemnity clause of the contract, leading to a delay in its signing, junior Bobby McCoy said.
?For years, Samuel French didn?t have a problem with Fairfax County,? Musical Director Jake Null said.
Samuel French (Sam French), is a company in charge of publishing scripts and licensing plays.
?The Fairfax County Risk Management Office would[?]cross [the indemnity clause] out and then they would sign the contract and send it back and they would be fine with it, but Samuel French changed their licensing procedures this summer and didn?t allow the contract to be amended at all.?
By definition, an indemnity clause is the clause in the contract which allows those who sign it to seek reparations for any damages.
Samuel French?s contract stated that the licensee indemnified Samuel French and the copyright-owner?s property against any claim from a breach of their representations, warranties, obligations, terms and/or conditions under the contract and/ or the licensee?s production of the property.
Fairfax County Risk Management, which acts as an insurance company to handle any risks and losses that may occur, sent lawyers to try to settle the issue.
The final revision agreed upon by Fairfax County?s and Samuel French?s lawyers read that the licensee would agree to be responsible and respectful of the copyright. ]
?If they hadn?t gotten that changed, any public school in the state of Virginia would not have been able to do any of Sam French?s shows[?]so once they changed the language and we got everything resolved, we were ready to go,? Mc- Coy added.
Chicago is a musical that takes place in the 1920s and the story revolves around two women named Roxie Hart and Velma Kelly.
Both women are stage performers who wish to take their fame to the next level, but both end up murdering their lovers and getting arrested.
Hart and Kelly?s first meeting takes place at Cook County Jail, and the plot begins to roll when they begin to fight for the attention of the public in order to free themselves and gain popularity when they return to show business.
According to McCoy, the original plan was to perform Chicago instead of Peter Pan for last year?s spring musical.
?We were very excited because not many high schools get to do that show since it?s a very adult show,? said Director Trena Weiss-Null. According to Weiss- Null, the overall process was nerveracking and caused doubt when the case continued months longer than she had anticipated.
Fairfax County Risk Management ?had to have this massive fight back and forth and it went all the way up to the entire state of Virginia fighting with Samuel French to get them to change the wording inside the contract, and it could?ve happened to anybody, it just happened that we were the first school to deal with it,? Null added.
Although the contract was amended, ?because of how long it took, we were highly delayed in getting our materials,? Null said. ?It?s now settled and I think they?ve got something worked out[?] we?re okay for now and I think they?ve finished changing the [contract?s] wording so Virginia and Fairfax County can use [Samuel French] again.?
?With the set almost finished they should be able to block the show sooner which means that [there will] be better run-throughs so we can get the show perfect for when it starts on December 3rd,? Teague added.