Usually, new plays and musicals are made available to high schools only after several years on the commercial stage. Because of Crimsonblue's deep commitment to high school theatre, we are making these two shows available to schools at the same time we're distributing them to professional theaters: MaKiddo, set to the music of Gilbert & Sullivan's Mikado, a razor-sharp satire on today's high-strung high-stress high school, where subzero intolerance applies to everything, and students who don't get a perfect score on the "bubble test" get rejected from the college of their parents' choice. (100 minutes, 6F/4M plus ensemble; or 35 minutes as a one-act). Free-the-Music.com, a Broadway-style dance-and-romance musical comedy, with a lively, modern, and original score. Teenagers who want to download do battle against a big media company that wants to stop them. (110 minutes, 5F/5M - or 6F/5M, plus ensemble). In offering MaKiddo and Free-the-Music.com at the same time they are being developed for the commercial stage, Crimsonblue Productions, Inc. offers what many theater directors and students are looking for in shows for high school adoption: Stories that ring true. Each show presents characters, dialogue, emotions, and humor that connect solidly with today's teenagers, and their parents. These are shows about now, not about when grandma was a teenager. Provocative topics. MaKiddo satirizes college admissions, standardized tests, "gifted and trophy" students, and today's high-stress high schools. Free-the-Music.com takes on music, high-tech teenagers, low-tech adults, and big media companies. Sharp satire, smart lyrics. Both shows are written by William Strauss, cofounder of the Capitol Steps and coauthor of eight books about contemporary America. Great music. MaKiddo offers a fresh update of Sir Arthur Sullivan's classic Mikado score. Free-the-Music.com employs a modern mix of swing, rock, rap, show tunes, love ballads, and more, by the composer team of Bo Ayars and Steve Rosenhaus. Girls' roles. Girls outnumber boys in principals' roles, portraying a variety of modern female characters seldom seen in musicals: heroes and villains, geniuses and outcasts, media moguls, budding politicians, and more. Media buzz. Presenting a new show can help draw local press coverage for your program. Schools that have workshopped MaKiddo and Free-the-Music.com have attracted strong media interest, often related to the fresh message both shows deliver about today's teens-and to the bite of the stories. School friendly. Get scripts by email, scores and rehearsal keyboard on CD. Without extra charge, you can make and sell video and audio cast recordings, extend runs, and perform songs at other venues-all for rights fees below industry standard. I hope you will consider one of these two very fine shows for this season or next. Take a look at our web sites, MaKiddo.com and Free-the-Music.com To see a complete script, or for more information, please email me at lane@Crimsonblue.com. William C. Lane President Crimsonblue Productions, Inc.