They may have announced this earlier, but I just spotted an interesting announcement on the website for the upcoming film version of Dreamgirls:

Effective January 1, 2006, DreamWorks Pictures will pay the licensing fees for all amateur productions of the award-winning musical “Dreamgirls” in the United States and Canada.

Okay, it’s amateur only, meaning they’ll be shelling out <$50 / performance, but the important thing is that they’re not only allowing stage productions, they’re encouraging them. Usually, when a professional production or a film of a play rolls into town or onto screens, it creates a moratorium for amateur productions for a good long time - in the case of films, often years. The idea is that, while amateur productions are unlikely to compete with the big budgets and star caliber of the higher profile projects, the production company seems to think that no competition is good competition.

Someone at Dreamworks, however, clearly understands the great marketing opportunity this presents. No one at your local community college is likely to outsing Beyonce, but plenty of people who see that production will be curious to see her diva-out on the big screen. In fact, theater-goers are much more likely to attend movie musicals.

In 2006, thousands of high schools, colleges, and community theaters will roll their own productions of Dreamgirls. Each production will lift up the others, and by the time the movie’s been released, millions of people will have seen the name Dreamgirls. By helping grow the mindshare for Dreamgirls as a story, they’re helping sell their own movie. It’s a brilliant way to create true grassroots support for a film. Notice, too, that there’s no end date for the offer, which has interesting implications. Does Dreamworks have longer-term plans for Dreamgirls?