Middle Park High School’s theater program won a free license to perform “Footloose” through a competition held by Concord Theatricals, a firm that holds the theatrical performance rights.

The competition celebrated the 25th anniversary of the musical’s 1998 Broadway opening and asked high school theater programs to submit a written or video essay about how dance has improved their school’s community. Middle Park Theatre Director Christal McDougall stated in an email that she wrote an essay for Middle Park’s entry, which mentioned she hires professional choreographers for all their shows.

“Most of our students have little or no formal dance training, and they are sometimes intimidated to step out of their comfort zones,” McDougall wrote. “But as I have found over my six years at the high school, the effort and risk-taking always pays off.”

Concord selected Middle Park and nine other schools across the U.S. as winners, and the schools will get a three-performance licensing package for their choice of three variations — “Footloose,” “Footloose Youth Edition” or a 90-minute version of “Footloose.” Winners will also receive production rental materials from iTheatrics, Right On Cue Services and KeyboardTEK for free.

The “Footloose” musical, an adaptation of the 1984 film, features music by Tom Snow, lyrics by Dean Pitchford and a stage adaptation by Pitchford and Walter Bobbie. The score also features additional music by Eric Carmen, Sammy Hagar, Kenny Loggins and Jim Steinman. Middle Park’s theater program will produce the classic variation of “Footloose” during the 2023-24 school year.