West Side Story School Edition
Young lovers are caught between prejudice and warring street gangs in a high school adaptation of one of the most important and powerful musicals of all time.
Show Essentials
10
Roles
+ Ensemble
PG13
Rated
2
Acts

Full Synopsis

Act One

Tensions rise in a crumbling Upper West Side neighborhood of late 1950s New York City as rival gangs, the native Jets and the Puerto Rican Sharks, jockey for control of the streets ("Prologue"). The Jets are led by Riff, who is a natural leader: he's charismatic, driven, and intelligent, with a dash of wackiness. Diesel is his lieutenant, and other members of the gang include Baby John (the youngest), A-rab (an explosive little ferret), Action (a catlike ball of fury), and Big Deal (a bespectacled, self-styled expert).

Bernardo, the Puerto Rican leader of the Sharks, is sardonic, handsome, fluid, and has
a chip on his shoulder. When the Jets show him disrespect, he shows it right back, and the challenges escalate over time until the Sharks catch A-rab alone. Bernardo marks A-Rab, forcibly piercing his ear. At the sound of a whistle from the lookout, the Jets tear onstage to rescue A-rab, and an all-out brawl ensues, only ending at the arrival of Officer Krupke, a big, goon-like cop, and lieutenant Schrank. Schrank demands to know which one of the Sharks marked A-rab, making it clear he's tired of the two gangs brawling and doesn't want the Puerto Ricans in his neighborhood, but neither side will give up the information. He has no choice but to let them all go. Bernardo and the Sharks leave, and Schrank tells Riff that he expects the Jets to get along with the Sharks or else he'll round up the lot of them - he has no intention of being demoted to a traffic cop.

Schrank and Officer Krupke leave, and the Jets immediately make fun of them: Snowboy is the first to perform an unflattering imitation. The Jets line up for roll call and commiserate about how the Sharks have affected their neighborhood. Action is demanding that the gang do something about the Sharks when Anybodys, a scrawny teenage girl, makes her way through the gang to brag about her role in the fight. She asks to be accepted into the gang, but the Jets don't take her seriously and send her on her way. Annoyed, she spits - cautiously - and makes her exit.

Riff gathers the Jets and suggests a rumble - an all-out fight between the two gangs - to decide who controls the neighborhood. Riff would prefer a fair fist fight, but he's not opposed to choosing weapons if the Sharks want it that way, and he wants Tony as his lieutenant. Though some of the Jets grumble that Tony isn't part of the gang anymore, Riff is willing to vouch for his best friend ("Jet Song"). The Jets decide to challenge Bernardo that evening at the dance at the gym.

Later, Riff goes to Doc's drugstore, where Tony works, to ask Tony about the rumble. Tony refuses at first, citing a feeling that something big and important is coming for him. Eventually, Riff convinces him, using their deep friendship and the gang's bond as collateral (and the fact that he already promised the Jets Tony would attend). With a grin, Tony agrees, and Riff exits after wondering aloud if Tony will find whatever he's waiting for at the dance. Tony ponders this idea ("Something's Coming").

Meanwhile, in a bridal shop, Bernardo's sister Maria and his girlfriend, Anita, work on Maria's dress for the upcoming dance . Maria is young, excitable, and enthusiastic, with

a stubborn streak and an inner strength. Anita, sharply intelligent and worldly, has no problem saying exactly how she feels. Maria is frustrated: she's only been in America for a month and wonders why Bernardo has brought her there if only to work in the bridal shop
and sit at home at night. Anita retorts that he brought Maria to America to wed Chino, his fellow Shark, but Maria confesses that she feels nothing for Chino.

At the dance hall, Jets, Sharks, Jet Girls, and Shark Girls dance the jitterbug ("The Dance at the Gym Blues"). Riff and Bernardo try to discuss terms for the rumble but are interrupted by Glad Hand, the event's emcee. He is accompanied by Officer Krupke.

Glad Hand insists the dancers arrange themselves in two circles, boys on the outside and girls on the inside, in hopes of mixing up the two gangs. The dancers move in a circle with the music, but when it stops, instead of dancing with the girl in front of him, Bernardo reaches for Anita. Likewise, Riff passes over a Shark Girl to dance with Velma, his girlfriend, and Glad Hand's experiment has failed ("Mambo"). A dance-off develops between Bernardo and Anita and Riff and Velma. Meanwhile, Tony and Maria spot each other across the dance floor and are immediately smitten. Tony realizes that meeting Maria is the unnamed entity he's felt coming for so long. They share a brief moment before Bernardo interrupts them, warning Tony away, who is shocked to discover that Maria is Bernardo's sister. Bernardo insists that Chino escort Maria home, and Tony overhears her name for the first time. Bernardo agrees to meet Riff for a war council at Doc's drugstore in a half hour. The Jets rush off to spread the word as Tony retreats into his own world, ruminating on "the most beautiful sound [he's] ever heard" ("Maria").

Finally, Tony arrives at Maria's apartment ("Balcony Scene"). She leans out a window over
a fire escape to talk with him, nervous that at any moment they might be caught but equally thrilled to steal a few moments with him. They sing of their love and devotion to each other, share a first kiss, and realize their lives have just truly begun tonight, now that they've met. Maria's father calls for her from inside, and she insists that Tony go. They agree to meet the next night after sundown at the bridal shop. Tony exits just as Bernardo and Anita return, along with Indio, Pepe, Consuelo, and Rosalia. Consuelo is a brash bottle-blonde, and Rosalia is none too bright. Anita teases Bernardo about his possessiveness when it comes to his sister, and he teases her right back. Chino tries to defend Maria - she was only dancing, after all - but Bernardo is steadfast in his disapproval of her dancing with an American. They discuss the unfairness that Tony - whose parents are Polish immigrants - is considered an "American," whereas they are not. Though their great expectations upon arriving in America may have been dashed, they still dream of returning to Puerto Rico with luxuries like air conditioning, television, king- sized beds, and even a Cadillac.

The boys leave for the war council while Anita, Rosalia, Consuelo, and the Shark Girls compare Puerto Rico to America ("America").

At Doc's, the Jets are restlessly waiting for the Sharks to arrive. Doc tries to talk them out of the rumble, but the Jets pay him no mind, claiming that he doesn't understand their situation. When the Jets start to get riled up, Riff encourages them to calm down and stay cool ("Cool").

Bernardo and the Sharks arrive, and the Jet Girls leave. Doc tries once more to talk them out of fighting, but no one listens, and he leaves.

After the Jets and Sharks argue for a while, each side hurling insults and placing blame
on the other, Bernardo and Riff decide the rumble will take place the next night, after dark, under the highway . They are about to decide on weapons when Tony enters the shop . He convinces them to make it a fair fist fight, with each gang choosing its best man to fight . Bernardo agrees, thinking he will be fighting Tony, but Riff says the Sharks will choose their own man and the Jets will choose theirs .

At a signal from the lookout, the Jets and Sharks intermix, just as Schrank enters the drugstore. He kicks the Sharks out and tries to get the Jets to tell him where the rumble will take place =. When they do not, he gets angry, taunting them, and almost baits Action =. Riff stops him from lunging at Schrank in the nick of time. Riff leaves the shop with the other Jets obediently following him. Schrank exits as well, leaving Doc and Tony alone. Doc realizes that Tony insisted on a fair fight because he is in love with a Puerto Rican girl.

The next afternoon at the bridal shop, Anita and Maria are happy the workday is over. Maria offers to lock up for Anita, but Tony arrives before Anita leaves. Anita does not approve, but she understands that Tony and Maria feel deeply for each other. She leaves, making Maria promise to be home in fifteen minutes.

Maria makes Tony promise to stop the rumble, and, to her surprise, he agrees, promising to come to her later that evening. Maria worries about her parents' approval, and Tony insists they will like him and that his parents will like Maria. The two play, using the dress forms to represent their respective parents and imagining their wedding day. Suddenly, the game becomes serious, and they kneel before an imaginary altar to give their wedding vows ("One Hand, One Heart").

Meanwhile, the Jets and Sharks rev up for the rumble. Anita prepares for Bernardo's return, and Tony and Maria dream of their rendezvous later that evening ("Tonight").

That night, the Jets and Sharks gather under the highway. Bernardo and Diesel will fight, with Chino and Riff as their seconds. Just as the fight is about to begin, Tony leaps over the fence to stop it. Tony is trying to keep his cool, but Riff loses his temper over Bernardo's insults and punches him. Riff and Bernardo each pull out knives. Tony tries to stop them from fighting but is held back by Diesel and Action. Tony breaks free just in time for Riff to gain the upper hand. In a panic, Tony shouts, "Riff, don't!" and Riff's moment of hesitation is enough for Bernardo to break through his defenses and plunge his knife into Riff. Riff falls, dead, and Tony picks up Bernardo's knife and, in a rage, kills Bernardo.

Before anyone can process these events, everyone hears sirens and runs. Tony remains, staring at the two bodies in disbelief. He shouts, "Maria!" in anguish.

From the shadows, Anybodys appears and helps Tony escape.

Act Two

In an apartment, Francisca, Rosalia, and Consuelo wait for the rumble to end. Maria enters dressed to go out, and the other girls assume that she's going out with Chino after the rumble. They laugh when Maria claims it is her wedding night ("I Feel Pretty"). At the end of the song, Chino enters, disheveled. Maria quickly tries to hide her dress under a bathrobe, and the other girls exit into the parlor. Chino takes her hand, trying to tell her that Bernardo has been killed in the rumble, but she interrupts him to ask about Tony. Chino removes her robe, sees that she's dressed to go out, and coldly informs her that Tony killed her brother. He searches the apartment and finds an object wrapped in a shirt, hastily exiting as Maria calls him a liar.

Moments later, Tony climbs through the fire escape window. Maria lunges at him, calling him a killer, but her anger burns out when she realizes that Riff was killed by Bernardo. Tony promises to take her someplace where no one can get to them ("Ballet Sequence").

As they sing, the apartment fades, and the two Lovers escape the violence around them through a dance sequence ("Scherzo"). At the end of the dance, the ensemble comes together and sings ("Somewhere").

Meanwhile, in a back alley, A-rab and Baby John find each other after the chaos of the rumble, and they confirm that no one has seen Tony. When Officer Krupke spots them, they lie, saying they were not at the rumble, but at the playground. When Officer Krupke demands they come down to the station, they trip him and take off running. While he runs off in pursuit, the boys reappear through the fence, and jubilant at outsmarting the cop, and are joined by the other Jets. They recount all the circumstances that made them into delinquents ("Officer Krupke").

After the song, Anybodys finds the rest of the Jets. She's infiltrated the Sharks' territory and has information about Tony: he's involved with Bernardo's sister, and Chino is out to get him. Action sends everyone out in different directions to try and warn Tony.

Later that night, Tony and Maria are asleep in her room, waking when Anita tries to enter. Maria promises to meet Tony at Doc's later that night and leaves out the fire escape. When Maria unlocks the door, Anita goes directly to the window, seeing Tony leave. She is angry with Maria ("A Boy Like That" and "I Have A Love"). Though is it painful for Anita, she understands Maria's love, and warns her that Chino has a gun.

Schrank interrupts them, insisting Maria answer some questions, and Anita agrees to go to Doc's for Maria to let Tony know she will be delayed under the guise of picking up aspirin. At the drugstore, the Jets loiter around on the top floor while Tony and Doc hide in the basement. Anita tries to pass along the message, but the Jets taunt and overwhelm her. Doc interrupts them, saving Anita, and in a fit of rage, she tells them all that Chino has killed Maria.

After Anita leaves, Doc breaks the news to Tony, who goes out looking for Chino, not wanting to live without Maria. He screams for Chino, and just as he sees Maria - she's not dead after all - Chino shoots him. Maria catches him as he falls, and they share one last moment together before Tony dies ("Finale").

Maria refuses to let anyone touch him. She takes Chino's gun and points it wildly at the Jets and the Sharks, but she ultimately cannot pull the trigger. She does not let the police near Tony, instead gesturing for the Sharks and Jets to carry him together. He is carried offstage in a procession as Baby John pulls Maria's shawl over her head, indicating mourning. She is the last to follow him out as the adults stand onstage with their heads bowed.

Casting
← Back to West Side Story School Edition
Cast Size: Large (21 or more performers)
Cast Type: Ensemble Cast
Dance Requirements: Heavy

Character Breakdown

Riff

Riff is the leader of the Jets. He is full of life – he thrives as the center of attention and drives much of the action in the story. Though Riff is impulsive and brash, he is also intelligent, cares about the other Jets, and tries hard to be a good leader. Riff also has a wise-guy sense of humor, and brings levity to the dire conflicts between the two gangs. Cast an excellent actor with great comic timing who can sing, dance, and command the stage in this crucial role. 

Gender: male
Age: 15 to 18
Vocal range top: F4
Vocal range bottom: Bb2
Diesel

Diesel is Riff’s lieutenant. He is big, slow, steady, and nice. Cast an actor in this role who is a solid singer and dancer with good stage presence.

Gender: male
Age: 15 to 18
Vocal range top: C4
Vocal range bottom: A2
Baby John

Baby John is the youngest Jet. He is in awe of everything and desperately wants to impress the other Jets. It’s best if Baby John reads as younger than the other gang members onstage. 

Gender: male
Age: 12 to 18
Vocal range top: F4
Vocal range bottom: B2
A-Rab

A-Rab is smaller in stature and takes nothing seriously – until something offends him, and then his anger is explosive. He’s right in the thick of the Jets’ hijinks.

Gender: male
Age: 15 to 18
Vocal range top: F4
Vocal range bottom: Db3
Action

Action is the most violent of the Jets. A catlike ball of fury, he is always ready for a fight.

Gender: male
Age: 15 to 18
Vocal range top: F4
Vocal range bottom: G2
Big Deal

Big Deal is a bespectacled, self-styled expert on everything. 

Gender: male
Age: 15 to 18
Vocal range top: E4
Vocal range bottom: E3
Snowboy and Geetar

Snowboy and Geetar are members of the jets. 

Gender: male
Age: 15 to 18
Anybodys

Anybodys is a spunky tomboy who wants to be accepted into the Jets as a member. 

Gender: female
Age: 12 to 18
Tony

Tony is a former Jet and a romantic at heart. Though he still loves the Jets and his best friend Riff, he quit the gang and got a job, determined to have a future. Tony falls in love with Maria and dreams of their future together despite their places on opposite sides of the Jets/Sharks conflict. Tragically, instead of running away with Maria, Tony is killed. Cast a wonderful tenor and expressive actor in this heartbreaking role. 

Gender: male
Age: 15 to 18
Vocal range top: C5
Vocal range bottom: Bb2
Jet Girls

The Jet Girls are ladies who support the Jets. Cast as many performers in this ensemble as is appropriate for your production. 

Gender: female
Age: 15 to 18
Velma

Velma is Riff’s girlfriend. She is slinky, slithery, and completely caught up in the glamor of being a Jet Girl. She should be a great dancer.

Gender: female
Age: 15 to 18
Graziella

Graziella is Diesel’s girlfriend. She is very confident, a bit headstrong, and should be a great dancer.

Gender: female
Age: 15 to 18
Bernardo

Bernardo is the leader of the Sharks. He is handsome, proud, confident, and has a chip on his shoulder. Bernardo takes his position very seriously and feels responsible for helping the Sharks carve out their place in New York City. He also cares deeply for his fellow Sharks, especially his fiery girlfriend Anita and his sweet sister Maria. Cast a fantastic actor who sings well and experienced dancer in this role.

Gender: male
Age: 15 to 18
Chino

Chino is shy, gentle, and sweet-faced – and the person Bernardo wants to marry his sister. Though Chino begins the story with a measure of naiveté, he is quickly caught up in the anger and hatred of the conflict between the rival gangs. Cast a good singer and actor in this role.

Gender: male
Age: 15 to 18
Pepe

Pepe is Bernardo’s lieutenant. He is proud, strong, and ready to fight. Cast an actor in this role who is a good dancer with a good stage presence.

Gender: male
Age: 15 to 18
Indio

Indio is a member of the Sharks.

Gender: male
Age: 15 to 18
Shark Girls

The Shark Girls are ladies who support the Sharks. Cast as many performers in this ensemble as is appropriate for your production.

Gender: female
Age: 15 to 18
Anita

ANITA is Maria’s friend and Bernardo’s girlfriend. She is strong and world-wise, with a sharp tongue and a flashy style. She deeply loves Bernardo and Maria, and tries to shield Maria from the harsh truths of the world. Cast a confident actress and fantastic singer and dancer in this iconic role.

Gender: female
Age: 15 to 18
Vocal range top: F5
Vocal range bottom: F3
Maria

Maria is young, innocent, and optimistic about her life in America, but has an inner strength that shines painfully through by the end of the show. Maria falls instantly, completely in love with Tony – but as Bernardo’s younger sister, Tony is one of the worst people for whom she could have developed feelings. Maria’s journey is one of the most significant in the show. Cast a brilliant actress and dancer with a beautiful soprano singing voice who can embody Maria’s vulnerability and strength.

Gender: female
Age: 15 to 18
Vocal range top: C6
Vocal range bottom: Bb3
Consuela

Consuela is tough, young, bleached blonde, and brash. She is Pepe's girfriend. 

Gender: female
Age: 15 to 18
Vocal range top: F5
Vocal range bottom: C4
Rosalia

Rosalia is younger and more demure than Consuela. She is Indio’s girlfriend. 

Gender: female
Age: 15 to 18
Vocal range top: F#5
Vocal range bottom: A3
Fransisca

Fransisca is one of the Shark Girls. She is young and quirky.

Gender: female
Vocal range top: F#5
Vocal range bottom: D4
Schrank

Schrank is a plainclothes police officer. He is strong and very comfortable in command. Schrank has a pleasant, charming manner that is at odds with his hatred and bigotry.

Gender: male
Officer Krupke

Officer Krupke is a goon-like beat cop. He is not very bright and often the butt of the joke.

Gender: male
Doc

Doc is the owner of the store where Tony works and the Jets often meet. Doc is old-fashioned, wise, and tired out, but he tries to guide the Jets through their troubles.

Gender: male
Glad Hand

Glad Hand is a “square:” a smiling, overly cheerful, and utterly out of touch youth director at a gym.

Gender: male
Full Song List
West Side Story School Edition: Prologue
West Side Story School Edition: Jet Song
West Side Story School Edition: Something's Coming
West Side Story School Edition: The Dance at the Gym (Blues)
West Side Story School Edition: Mambo
West Side Story School Edition: Maria
West Side Story School Edition: Balcony Scene
West Side Story School Edition: America
West Side Story School Edition: Cool
West Side Story School Edition: One Hand, One Heart
West Side Story School Edition: Tonight
West Side Story School Edition: I Feel Pretty
West Side Story School Edition: Scherzo
West Side Story School Edition: Somewhere
West Side Story School Edition: Gee, Officer Krupke
West Side Story School Edition: A Boy Like That/I Have A Love
West Side Story School Edition: Finale

Show History

Inspiration

In 1947, Jerome Robbins approached Leonard Bernstein and Arthur Laurents about collaborating on a contemporary musical adaptation of Romeo and Juliet. He proposed that the plot focus on the conflict between an Irish Catholic family and a Jewish family, each living on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, during the Easter/Passover season. They would call it East Side Story. Only after Laurents completed a first draft did the group realize that it was little more than a musicalization of themes that had already been covered in plays like Abie's Irish Rose.

Bernstein suggested that they rework East Side Story and set it in Los Angeles, but Laurents felt that he was more familiar with Puerto Ricans and Harlem than he was with Mexican Americans and Olvera Street. The New York newspapers were filled with articles about gang warfare, keeping the show's plot timely. The title was changed to West Side Story to represent the new subject matter's neighborhood and, when Bernstein decided that he needed to focus solely on the score, Stephen Sondheim, a relative newcomer, was brought in to write lyrics. Thus, the team – and eventually the musical, West Side Story, as we know it – was born.

Productions

After tryouts in Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia beginning in August 1957, the original Broadway production of West Side Story, a musical adaptation of William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, opened at the Winter Garden Theatre on September 26, 1957, to positive reviews. Directed and choreographed by Jerome Robbins, with a book by Arthur Laurents, music by Leonard Bernstein and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, the new musical starred Larry Kert as Tony, Carol Lawrence as Maria and Chita Rivera as Anita. The production ran for 732 performances at the Winter Garden Theatre before closing on June 27, 1959, touring the U.S. for ten weeks and then returning to the Winter Garden Theatre from April 27, 1960, through December 10, 1960, for another 253 performances.

It had its European premiere at the Manchester Opera House in November of 1957 before transferring a month later to London, where it opened at Her Majesty's Theatre in the West End on December 12, 1957, and ran until June 1961 with a total of 1,039 performances. Robbins directed and choreographed, with co-choreography by Peter Gennaro. In February 1962, the West End production launched a five-month Scandinavian tour, opening in Copenhagen, continuing to Oslo, Goteborg, Stockholm and Helsinki.

A Broadway revival opened at the Minskoff Theatre on February 14, 1980, and closed on November 30, 1980, after 333 performances. It was again directed and choreographed by Robbins, with the assistance of Tom Abbott and Lee Becker Theodore. It starred Ken Marshall as Tony, Josie de Guzman as Maria and Debbie Allen as Anita.

A new production, slightly retooled by Laurents for modern relevancy, with some of the lyrics translated into Spanish, ran at the National Theatre in Washington, D.C., from December 15, 2008, through January 17, 2009, as an out-of-town tryout for a Broadway bound revival.

Laurents' new West Side Story then began Broadway previews on February 23, 2009, and opened at the Palace Theatre on March 19, 2009. The cast featured Matt Cavenaugh as Tony, Josefina Scaglione as Maria and Karen Olivo as Anita. The production closed on January 2, 2011, after 748 performances and 27 previews, and was again succeeded by a successful national tour.

In addition to those national tours directly following these high-profile productions, national tours of West Side Story were also produced in 1987, 1998 and 2002.

Cultural Influence

  • In addition to inspiring and providing the basis for the wildly popular, ten-time Academy Award-winning, 1961 movie-musical of the same name, West Side Story has been revived twice on Broadway.
  • There have been five West Side Story cast albums released, including: the 1957 Original Broadway Cast, the 1961 Movie Cast, the 1985 Studio Cast, the 1997 Studio Cast and the 2009 New Broadway Cast.
  • Countless artists have sung, played and been inspired by West Side Story's music, and references to it in popular TV shows, movie and books are too great to measure.

Trivia

  • Aside from the awards that it has won over the years, West Side Story has been nominated for an additional ten Tony Awards, including Best Musical or Best Revival of a Musical three times, two Drama Desk Awards and two Olivier Awards.
  • While writing the score, composer, Leonard Bernstein, was concurrently writing Candide. Several songs that had been intended for one show were reworked and ended up in the other, such as "One Hand, One Heart."
  • West Side Story also marked the Broadway debut of Stephen Sondheim, who, at only 27 year of age, penned its now-classic lyrics and went on to change musical theatre.
  • Arthur Laurents originally wanted James Dean to play Tony, but Dean was killed suddenly in a 1955 car crash, before West Side Story was completed.
  • In 2007, Arthur Laurents expressed disappointment in the 1980 revival, stating, "The musical theatre and cultural conventions of 1957 made it next to impossible for the characters to have authenticity. Every member of both gangs was always a potential killer, even then. Now they actually will be. Only Tony and Maria try to live in a different world." He envisioned a more authentic production that would weave Spanish lyrics and dialogue into the English libretto. Translations were done by Lin-Manuel Miranda. After mixed reviews from critics and audiences alike, the Spanish lyrics for "A Boy Like That" ("Un Hombre Asi") and "I Feel Pretty" ("Me Siento Hermosa") were returned to their English versions.

Critical Reaction

"Furiously, fabulously, sensationally, it gave the Opera House, Manchester a premiere it will never forget. And it will be a long time before, I, too can shake off the spell of this titanic show."
– Daily Mirror

"It snaps, it crackles, it pops! It surges with a roar, its energy and sheer life undiminished by the years. I'm talking about Leonard Bernstein's music, mind you. If there were a Mount Rushmore for Broadway scores, West Side Story would be carved front and center. When the 'Prologue' blasts out of the pit, it sends an immediate thrill down the audience's collective spine."
– New York Post

"...Leonard Bernstein's score, a spine-tingling olio of jazz, Latin and classical textures and rapturous melodies that reveal as much about Tony and Maria's feelings as the wonder-struck lyrics provided by a very young Stephen Sondheim."
– USA Today

"West Side Story, with its matchless ability to weave a solemn narrative through music and dance, still dazzles after more than 50 years. ...Both a brilliant evocation of its period and a timeless tragedy of disharmony and hate."
– Variety

"Bernstein's score... [is] a ravishment of modernist dissonance and smashing schmaltz, as irresistible as Puccini."
– The New York Times

Connect

Curriculum Connection

  • Shakespeare
  • History of dance in musical theater
  • Bullying
  • Facing bigotry

Billing

Based on Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet

Requirements

You must give the authors/creators billing credits, as specified in the Production Contract, in a conspicuous manner on the first page of credits in all programs and on houseboards, displays and in all other advertising announcements of any kind.
Percentages listed indicate required type size in relation to title size.
WEST SIDE STORY
SCHOOL EDITION
Based on a Conception of JEROME ROBBINS
 
 
Book by
ARTHUR LAURENTS 
Music by
LEONARD BERNSTEIN 
Lyrics by
STEPHEN SONDHEIM
 
Entire Original Production Directed and Choreographed by
JEROME ROBBINS
 
Originally Produced on Broadway by Robert E. Griffith and Harold S. Prince
By Arrangement with Roger L. Stevens
 
 
In relation to the title "WEST SIDE STORY" which should be the largest in size, type & bold print, the names of the creators ARTHUR LAURENTS, LEONARD BERNSTEIN, STEPHEN SONDHEIM and JEROME ROBBINS shall be 75% of the title in size, type and bold print. The phrase "Based on a conception of Jerome Robbins" shall be 25% of the title in size, type and bold print. The creator's name JEROME ROBBINS in the box shall also be 75% of the title in size, type and bold print. No name of any Author in any capacity shall be larger than any other Author's name.

Licensee represents that it has read the Performance License carefully and, in particular, is fully aware, understands and agrees that under Federal copyright law:
  1. No new music, dialogue, lyrics or anything else may be added to the text included with the rented material;
  2. No material, in whole or in part, in the existing Play may be deleted;
  3. No changes of any kind, including but not limited to changes of music, lyrics or dialogue or change in the period, characters or characterizations in the presently existing Play may be made.
  4. You agree and understand that this license does not give you permission to perform the movie version of the play, in whole or in part. More specifically you may NOT add the male Sharks to the song 'America' or switch the order of the songs 'Cool' and 'Gee, Officer Krupke!'

Video Warning

In accordance with the Performance License, you MUST include the following warning in all programs and in a pre-show announcement:
ANY VIDEO AND/OR AUDIO RECORDING OF THIS PRODUCTION IS STRICTLY PROHIBITED.

If you purchase a video license to allow non-commercial video recording of this production, then you MUST include the following warning in all programs and in a pre-show announcement:
ANY VIDEO RECORDING MADE OF THIS PERFORMANCE IS AUTHORIZED FOR PERSONAL, AT-HOME, NON-COMMERCIAL USE ONLY. THE SALE OR DISTRIBUTION OF SUCH RECORDING IS STRICTLY PROHIBITED UNDER FEDERAL COPYRIGHT LAW.

Included Materials

ItemQuantity Included
CHOREOGRAPHY & DIRECTION MANUAL1
COMPLIMENTARY GUIDE VOCAL1
DIRECTOR'S SCRIPT1
ENHANCED STUDY GUIDE1
LIBRETTO/VOCAL BOOK24
PIANO CONDUCTOR'S SCORE2

Production Resources

Resource
CUSTOMIZABLE SHOW POSTER
HOW DOES THE SHOW GO ON-10/CS
HOW DOES THE SHOW GO ON?
KEYBOARD PATCH SOLUTIONS
LOGO PACK DIGITAL
LOGO TEES SIX-PACK ADULT LARGE
LOGO TEES SIX-PACK ADULT MEDIUM
LOGO TEES SIX-PACK ADULT SMALL
LOGO TEES SIX-PACK ADULT X-LARGE
LOGO TEES SIX-PACK ADULT XX-LARGE
LOGO TEES SIX-PACK CHILD LARGE
LOGO TEES SIX-PACK CHILD MEDIUM
LOGO TEES SIX-PACK CHILD SMALL
ORCHEXTRA
PERFORMANCE ACCOMPANIMENT RECORDING
PRODUCTIONPRO-DIGITAL SCRIPT/SCORE
REHEARSAL ACCOMPANIMENT RECORDING
REHEARSCORE APP
SCENIC PROJECTIONS
SCENIC PROJECTIONS PRO
SCENIC PROJECTIONS-ANIMATED
SCENIC PROJECTIONS-STILL
STAGE WRITE APPLICATION
SUBPLOT CUSTOMIZED SHOW POSTER
VIDEO LICENSE

STANDARD ORCHESTRATION

InstrumentationDoubling
BASS
CELLO
CELLO 2
DRUMS
GUITARCLASSICAL GUITAR , ELECTRIC GUITAR
HORN
KEYBOARD 1CELESTE , PIANO
PERCUSSIONBONGO , CASTANETS , CHIMES , CLAVES , CONGA , COWBELL , FINGER CYMBAL , GLOCKENSPIEL , GOURD , GUIRO , MARACAS , PITCHED DRUMS , POLICE WHISTLE , RATCHET , SLIDE WHISTLE , SMALL MARACAS , SNARE DRUM , SUSPENDED CYMBAL , TAM-TAM , TAMBOURINE , TEMPLE BLOCKS , TIMBALES , TRIANGLE , VIBRAPHONE , WOODBLOCK , XYLOPHONE
REED 2Bb CLARINET , BASS CLARINET , Eb CLARINET
REED 3Bb CLARINET , BARITONE SAXOPHONE , BASS CLARINET , ENGLISH HORN , FLUTE , OBOE , PICCOLO , TENOR SAXOPHONE
REED 4BASS CLARINET , BASS SAXOPHONE , CLARINET , FLUTE , PICCOLO , SOPRANO SAXOPHONE
REED 5BASSOON
TROMBONE
TROMBONE 2
TRUMPET
TRUMPET 2
TRUMPET 3
VIOLIN
VIOLIN 2
VIOLIN 3
VIOLIN 4