‘We’ve resolved everything’: Raygun breaks silence on $10,000 demand
Rachael “Raygun” Gunn has hit back at claims she was demanding $10,000 from a comedian as she tried to put the saga to bed.
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Rachael “Raygun’ Gunn says she has “resolved” the dispute with comedian Stephanie Broadbridge, disputing the claim her lawyers were demanding $10,000 from the comedy club involved in the saga.
After it was announced a brand new musical would be coming to the stage, Broadbridge had her original creation, Raygun: The Musical, shut down after the Olympian’s legal team stepped in.
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The move sparked an online storm which only grew this week when it was revealed the Sydney-based comedy club set to stage the musical had been hit with a legal letter demanding $10,000 to cover costs incurred by Gunn.
Despite the legal threats lingering overhead, Broadbridge has decided to push forward and has since rebranded the show, now titled Breaking: The Musical, and will be taking her show about Raygun on the road as part of a national tour next year.
Gunn released a lengthy video statement on Instagram on Thursday night in a bid to put the legal saga to bed.
“Hi everyone, it’s been a big couple of weeks,” Gunn said.
“I’m not going to lie, it’s been a wild ride but I’m really pleased to say we’ve resolved everything.
“My team’s been working with Steph’s team, and we’ve managed to come to an agreement and resolved everything.
Watch Raygun’s statement about the $10,000 in the video above
“She still gets to go ahead with the musical, she’s got a new name, new poster, and she still gets to take that show on the road. So I’m really happy for her and I wish her all the best with the show and with the tour.
“We have not sought any costs from all this. So there’s a lot of talk around this $10,000 … that was from really early on, like day one, my lawyers were acting on my behalf.
“They sent out letters, and you know, they asked for a response … by a certain time, they didn’t hear a response. And you know, we were worried that we might have to go to court.
“Obviously, no one wants that, and so the $10k was would just be my potential legal costs if we had to go to court. But fortunately, we didn’t.
“We’re not seeking any costs, I’ve said before it’s not about the money, and it is still not about the money. We’ve got no costs from them, not from Steph, not from the comedy club.
“In our view, it’s all resolved. It’s not going to be any more legal proceedings from us. It’s an intellectual property issue, and now we have put it to bed.”
Gunn acknowledged it had been a “stressful time” for herself and Broadbridge.
“This has been a stressful time for me, and it’s been tough for me, but I know that I’m not the only one,” she added.
“I know that this has been tough for Steph, for you know everyone in her show, and a lot of other people, and it’s never been my intention to cause any hurt or distress.
“This is a totally new environment for me to be in and I just want to say, I am sorry for any hurt that was caused. I am certainly not doing that intentionally.”
In a post to her Instagram account, Broadbridge detailed the reason behind the change and revealed the cheeky new poster, featuring a kangaroo silhouette, and name for the musical.
“I have a statement to make about Raygun: The Musical,” Broadbridge wrote.
“I acknowledge again, that I did not contact Raygun before I created the title and poster, which used the word Raygun and her silhouette.
“It was never my intention to mislead people into thinking that she was involved in the production.
“She is not and continues to not be attached to this project in any way. I have changed the name of the show and the silhouette and will not use her name or the silhouette ever again.
“I am deeply sorry to learn that Raygun has faced negative backlash as a result of the media attention around the cancellation of the preview for the musical. The last thing I wanted was for anyone to experience hate or distress from this situation.
“The show is a comedy show, it is based entirely on stuff I read on the internet.
“It is a fictional telling of a moment in Australian History. It is now called Breaking The Musical.”
Broadbridge’s musical is set to make its debut at Adelaide Fringe with three performances to be held at the Adelaide Town Hall in February and March.
The show will then hop on into Melbourne in April before bouncing to Sydney for the final shows in May.
The musical is being dubbed an “unauthorised (but completely legal) parody” of an Olympian’s journey to the Paris Games.
“The question on everyone’s lips is how did it happen? Breaking: The Musical sets out to answer the question through song,” a statement provided to news.com.au read.
“It is a parody and unauthorised (but completely legal) telling of an Australian Olympian’s journey to the 2024 Paris Olympics, written by Australian comedian and musician Stephanie Broadbridge.
“Based on the true story as it unfolded across the internet, it tells the inspiring story of a groundbreaking breakdancer and new Australian icon who defied the odds to represent Australia in a male-dominated sport.”
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Originally published as ‘We’ve resolved everything’: Raygun breaks silence on $10,000 demand