Rock of Ages: Teen Edition

A CONCORD THEATRICALS TITLE

Rock of Ages: Teen Edition

Full-Length Musical, Comedy  /  11w, 9m, 10any gender (adult) plus ensemble

Book by Chris D’Arienzo
Arrangements and Orchestrations by Ethan Popp

Rock of Ages: Teen Edition has been adapted by the author and iTheatrics to create a version ready for high schools. The unforgettable rock anthems have been adjusted for teen voices and some subject matter has been adjusted for appropriateness. Introduce your kids (and re-introduce the parents) to the face-melting guitar anthems of the 1980's in this hit Broadway musical.

Rock of Ages: Teen Edition

  • Cast Size
    Cast Size
    11w, 9m, 10any gender (adult) plus ensemble
  • Duration
    Duration
    120 minutes (2 hours)
  • Audience
    Target Audience
    Teen (Age 14-18)
Accolades
Accolades
  • (For the Original Version)
    Nominee: Five 2009 Tony Awards, including Best Musical
    Nominee: Two Outer Critics Circle Awards, including Outstanding New Broadway Musical

Details

Summary

It’s the tail end of the big, bad 1980s in Hollywood, and the party has been raging hard. Aqua Net, Lycra and Heavy Metal flow freely at one of the Sunset Strip's last legendary venues, a place where legendary rocker Stacee Jaxx takes the stage and groupies line up for their chance at an autograph. Amidst the madness, aspiring rock star (and resident toilet cleaner) Drew longs to take the stage as the next big thing (and longs for small-town girl Sherri, fresh off the bus from Kansas with stars in her eyes). But the rock 'n' roll fairy tale is about to end when German developers sweep into town with plans to turn the fabled Strip into just another capitalist strip mall. Can Drew, Sherri and the gang save the strip – and themselves – before it's too late? Only the music of hit bands Styx, Journey, Bon Jovi, Whitesnake and more can hold the answer.

Rock of Ages: Teen Edition takes you back to the times of big bands with big egos playing big guitar solos and sporting even bigger hair! This Tony Award -nominated Broadway musical features the hits of bands including Night Ranger, REO Speedwagon, Pat Benatar, Twisted Sister and others.

PLEASE BE ADVISED: There are multiple versions of this title. Before you proceed, please double-check to ensure that you are applying for the version you want. We will not be able to refund rental or shipping fees if you pay for the wrong version.

ROCK OF AGES

ROCK OF AGES (YOUTH)

ROCK OF AGES (WORLDWIDE)


History
Rock of Ages opened on Broadway on April 7, 2009 at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre, where it played for 2,328 performances. At the time of its closing, Rock of Ages was the 29th longest-running show in Broadway history.
Performing Groups
LONNY BARNETT - the dual role of omnipotent narrator and being the secondary male lead character within the story, with a storyline that includes a bro-mance with Dennis. He is a charming and funny guy who gets along with everyone. Cast an unflappable, magnetic performer with a strong tenor voice who can sing, act and has a great sense of humor.
JUSTICE CHARLIER - the owner of the Venus-A-Go-Go Dance Club. She’s a smart woman who looks out for her girls. Cast a strong young lady with a warm, nurturing nature and a rockin’ singing voice.  
DENNIS DUPREE - the owner of The Bourbon Room. He’s a bit older than the others and a little burnt out on the party scene. Cast someone with a big presence, strong acting skills and a good voice. Dennis should pair flawlessly with Lonny as the other half of their bro-mance. 
DREW BOLEY - “just a city boy, born and raised in south Detroit” who moved to L.A. to rock. Unfortunately, every rocker has to do his time, so Drew barbacks just to make rent. While the music and setting of the show is pre-1980s, Drew is a classic musical theatre archetype – the nice guy with big dreams. The role requires an experienced performer with a solid tenor voice who can convey both a sweet, charming quality and fit the bill as a rocker.
SHERRIE CHRISTIAN - the female romantic lead and, like Drew, is a musical theatre archetype – a sweet, small-town girl moves to the city to pursue a brighter future.  She hopes to get her break in the acting business despite her parents’ obvious disapproval. This is a perfect role for a performer a strong voice and solid acting skills. She should also pair well with Drew.
SHERRIE'S FATHER - the classic disapproving dad. Cast a young man who can play stern and imposing and someone who is comfortable singing a few solos.
SHERRIE'S MOTHER - more nurturing and sympathetic. Cast someone with maturity, warmth and a nice singing voice. Make sure that Sherrie’s Father and Mother pair well together.
JOEY PRIMO - a secondary character with several great stage moments, including the classic line, “I poop money.” Cast a young man who is fearlessly willing to make a total fool of himself and then sit back and enjoy his performance.
ANITA BATH - the Mayor’s assistant who refuses to compromise on what she thinks is right. She leads a protest to save The Bourbon Room and, in the process, falls in love with Franz. Cast a young lady with a strong voice and who can convey a real sense of protest and conviction.
MAYOR - chooses the money over the music and is more than willing to sell himself and his city out to the highest bidder. This role can be played by a guy or a girl; just make sure your actor has a strong speaking voice and is comfortable making bold choices.
HILDA KLINEMAN - a German real estate developer who has her eyes on turning the Sunset Strip into a strip mall. With her son Franz by her side, Hilda won’t take no for an answer. Cast a young lady with a strong speaking and singing voice who can make bold acting choices and has a great sense of comedic timing.
FRANZ KLINEMAN - the son of the overbearing Hilda, and he dreams of running a confectionary shop back in Hamburg.  Cast a young man with a sweet demeanor, a good singing voice and solid acting skills.
STACEE JAXX - the comedic villain of the show, is a bona fide rock star who doesn’t quite realize through his selfish and wild antics that he’s reached the peak of his career. Cast a charismatic performer with an excellent voice who can command the stage and make a self-absorbed rock star both villainous and hilarious.
WAITRESS #1, #2 and #3 - work at The Bourbon Room and exemplify the era of 1980s rock with style and flair. Cast three young women who sing and act well as a unit.
PROTESTOR #1, #2 and #3 - a group of die-hard rockers helping Anita save the Sunset Strip. Be sure to remind your troops that these ensemble parts are the bedrock for the show. They must capture the need and desire to keep rock alive and kicking. Cast dynamic speakers.
THE BAND (Lead Guitarist, Second Guitar, Bass, Piano and Drums) - members of Arsenal, once led by Stacee Jaxx but are now separating from their front man. You can tackle this casting in two ways. If you have cast members who are proficient musicians, let them rock out! If you don’t have musicians on hand, your performers can easily act like they’re playing the instruments (these roles could be played by either guys or girls and could also perform in the ensemble). Either way works just fine as long as they can sell the spirit of the music.
CONSTANCE SACK - an inquisitive reporter who interviews Stacee Jaxx just as he’s about to part ways with his band. Cast a performer for this non-singing role who can infuse this curious reporter with energy and poise. 
JA'KEITH GILL - becomes Drew’s agent and in the process, destroys Drew’s rock star dreams by forcing Drew to join a boy band. This is a nice featured role that can be played by a male or female and requires reasonable acting and singing skills.
THE LADIES OF THE VENUS-A-GO-GO CLUB - should be cast as an ensemble who can carve out their own individual personalities within a fun, unified company. Cast young ladies with nice singing voices and solid movement skills.  
SLEAZY RECORD PRODUCER and a SLEAZIER RECORD PRODUCER - These roles require a bit of singing but are mainly a sight gag and can be played by boys or girls.
PRODUCER (Orion) - sees Sherrie as the next Molly Ringwald and offers her his card (which is a picture of his beach house in Malibu). This is a non-singing role.
ROCKER - a featured role who hangs at The Bourbon Room with Joey Primo. This is a great role for one of your guys who has a strong speaking voice but may not have the strongest singing voice.
RIOT POLICE, WOMAN IN A SEQUIN GOWN, GIRL and BARTENDER - cameo roles, some with few speaking lines, and all feed into the vivid world of the Sunset Strip of the 1980s. Woman in a Sequin Gown is a sight gag to punctuate Dennis’s impromptu Academy Award acceptance speech—no singing or speaking is required. The Riot Police break up the protestors physically at the top of Act 2. Cast these roles from your ensemble using a combination of both boys and girls. Furthermore, the ensemble is used throughout to support the action and build the environment of the play.
  • Time Period 1980s
  • Setting The Bourbon Room, Hollywood, CA
  • Duration 120 minutes (2 hours)
  • Cautions
    • No Special Cautions

Media

“A seriously silly, absurdly enjoyable arena-rock musical.” – New York Times

ON BREAKING CHARACTER

Our Picks for The 2019/20 Season: K-12 Edition
Felicia Lucas
April 23, 2019

Our Picks For The 2019/20 Season
Lawrence Haynes
January 7, 2019

Videos

  • Rock of Ages: High School Edition Workshop youtube thumbnail

    Rock of Ages: High School Edition Workshop

Music

Song Samples

Noize / Paradise / Good Time
Sister Christian
We Built This City / Too Much Time
We're Not Gonna Take It
More Than Words / To Be With You / Heaven
Waiting for a Girl Like You
Dead or Alive
I Want to Know What Love Is
Feel the Noize / Not Gonna Take It
Harden My Heart / Shadows of the Night
Here I Go Again
The Final Countdown
Any Way You Want It / I Wanna Rock / We're Not Gonna Take It
High Enough
Hate Myself for Loving You / Heat of the Moment
Hit Me With Your Best Shot
I Can't Fight This Feeling
Every Rose Has Its Thorn
Keep On Loving You / Oh Sherrie
The Search is Over
Don't Stop Believing
1. Noize/Paradise/Good Time – Company
2. Sister Christian – Father, Lonny, Mother, Sherrie, Drew, Dennis & Ensemble
2a. Wail To The Chief – Band
3. We Built This City/Too Much Time – Hilda, Anita, Mayor, Lonny, Dennis, Stacee & Ensemble
4. I Wanna Rock – Drew & Ensemble
4a. Heaven 2 – Drew
5. We're Not Gonna Take It – Anita & Protesters
5a. Heaven 3 – Drew
6. More Than Words/To Be With You/Heaven 4 – Sherrie, Waitresses, Drew, Dennis & Ensemble
6a. Waiting For A Girl Like You – Drew, Sherrie, Stacee, Lonny & Ensemble
6b. Dead Or Alive (Intro) – Band
7. Dead Or Alive – Stacee, Sherrie & Ensemble
7a. Renegade (Underscore) – Band
8. I Want To Know What Love Is – Stacee, Sherrie, Drew & Ensemble
8a. Heaven (Underscore) – Band
9. Feel The Noize/Not Gonna Take It (Reprise) – Company
10. Harden My Heart/Shadows Of The Night – Sherrie, Justice & Women
11. Hear I Go Again – Company
12. The Final Countdown – Dennis, Lonny, Hilda, Franz, Anita, Protester #1 & Ensemble
12a. Heading Towards Venus (Scene Change) – Band
13. Any Way You Want It/I Wanna Rock (Reprise) – Justice, Sherrie, Drew, Ja'Keith Gill, Dancers, Sleazy Record Producer, Sleazier Record Producer & Ensemble
13a. We're Not Gonna Take It (Reprise 2) – Anita & Protesters
13b. Dennis's Oscar Moment – Band
13c. Rock Candy (Underscore) – Band
13d. Hangin' Bluff – Band
14. High Enough – Sherrie, Drew & Ensemble
14a. Kiss Me Deadly (Underscore) – Band
15. Hate Myself For Loving You/Heat Of The Moment – Sherrie, Stacee & Drew
15a. Hate Myself (Transition) – Band
16. Hit Me With Your Best Shot – Franz, Anita, Hilda & Ensemble
16a. I Can't Fight (Transition) – Band
17. I Can't Fight This Feeling – Lonny, Dennis, Women & Men
17a. Still Can't Fight (Transition) – Band
18. Every Rose Has Its Thorn – Company
18a. Keep On Lovin' You – Hilda, Anita, Lonny & Drew
19. Oh, Sherrie – Drew, Sherrie & Ensemble
20. The Search Is Over – Drew, Sherrie & Ensemble
20a. The Search Is Over (Underscore) – Band
21. Dennis Is Dead – Band
22. Don't Stop Believin' – Company
23. Bows – Band
  • Musical Style Pop/Rock

Licensing & Materials

  • Licensing fees and rental materials quoted upon application.
    PLEASE BE ADVISED: There are multiple versions of this title. Before you proceed, please double-check to ensure that you are applying for the version you want. We will not be able to refund rental or shipping fees if you pay for the wrong version.

    If you’re not sure which version best suits your needs, you may purchase a perusal for each available version.

    ROCK OF AGES

    ROCK OF AGES: TEEN EDITION

    ROCK OF AGES: YOUTH EDITION

Music Rentals

Concord offers a full suite of resources to help you put on the show of a lifetime!
30   Student Books
1   Production Guide2   Piano-Conductor (rehearsal & performance)

1   Guitar 1 – Electric & 12-String Acoustic
1   Guitar 2 – Electric, 6-String Acoustic & 12-String Acoustic
1   Bass
1   Drums – Drum Set, Mark Tree, Ride Bell, China Cym., Cowbell, Tambourine & Small Triangle

Digital Delivery:
Guide Vocal tracks
Performance tracks (Provided through Right On Cue Services)

Authors

Chris D'Arienzo

Chris D’Arienzo is the book writer of the five-time Tony-nominated Rock Of Ages, as well as the screenwriter and executive producer of the film adaptation starring Tom Cruise. Chris wrote and directed the film Barry Munday, starring Patrick Wilson, Judy Greer, Chloe Sevigny, ...
View full profile

Now Playing

Related