Sydney theatre director Anne-Louise Sarks was left in a difficult situation today, when just before the opening night of her new play, Seventeen, Taylor Swift's label told her she couldn't use "Shake It Off" in the production.
Hey @taylorswift13 I'm a big fan and I'm facing an artistic emergency I hope you can help with 1/7 #greygrey4taytay
Sarks went for broke and tweeted at Queen Tay herself.
.@taylorswift13 I'm a theatre director from Sydney, and we have a big show opening tomorrow night @belvoirst 2/7 #greygrey4taytay
She pleaded to let the 70-year-old actors in the play dance to "Shake It Off" because it fit perfectly in the production.
.@taylorswift13 It's about the last day of school - only the 17yrolds are all played by 70yrolds 3/7 #greygrey4taytay
. @taylorswift13 (including Barry Otto from Strictly Ballroom which maybe you've seen) http://t.co/cBOHzj4vdp #greygrey4taytay
.@taylorswift13 there's this great moment where they Shake It Off, and they know all the words and have amazing moves 5/7 #greygrey4taytay
.@taylorswift13 But we've just at the last minute been told we can't have the rights to the song! 6/7 #greygrey4taytay
.@taylorswift13 Is there anything at all you can do?!! Thanks for reading! 7/7 #greygrey4taytay
A few Australian celebrities joined the cause, including Tim Minchin...
Dear @edsheeran. Cd you please ask Taylor & to ask her manager to ask her publisher to sort this? (I said I'd try). http://t.co/K9oF9htD95
...And Orange Is the New Black's Yael Stone.
Hey @taylorswift13 This wonderful Australian theater company is desperate to #shakeitoff It'll be magic! Can they? https://t.co/oyrigfCPuJ
And just seven hours hours later, BOOOOOOOM, Tay Tay granted the wishes of a bunch of old actors to literally shake it off.
Permission granted, @BelvoirSt. Good luck with your opening night :)
What. A. Story.
@taylorswift13 OMG THANK YOU! #greygrey4taytay
By chance, BuzzFeed News was interviewing Anne-Louise Sarks as the news came in. When we told her, she was so over the moon, she made this face:
@MarkDiStef @jmodoh this is the directors face when I told her as they were filming a video of the dance
