School of Rockis arock musicalwith music byAndrew Lloyd Webber, lyrics byGlenn Slaterand a book byJulian Fellowes. Based on the2003 film of the same name, written byMike White, the musical follows Dewey Finn, an out-of-work rock singer and guitarist who pretends to be a substitute teacher at a prestigious prep school. After identifying the musical talent in his students, Dewey forms a band of fifth-graders, in an attempt to win the upcoming Battle of the Bands contest. The musical was announced in December 2014 and opened just under a year later on December 6, 2015. Prior to School of Rock's debut, staged concerts were held at the Gramercy Theatre in Manhattan in June 2015. It made its Broadway debut and world premiere at the Winter Garden Theatre on December 6, 2015 following previews that began on November 9, 2015, with direction by Laurence Connor and choreography by JoAnn M. Hunter, and starring Alex Brightman and Sierra Boggess as Dewey Finn and Rosalie Mullins, respectively. The musical made its West End debut at the Gillian Lynne Theatre on November 14, 2016.