Community Theater Green Room Discussion Board: Video taping performances

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   First off I want to say thank you to Craig for your insight and willingness to explain policy. It must be a pleasure for Dramatist to have you in their employ.

Originally posted by CPospisil

Yes, you still need to obtain permission to make an archival video tape copy of a performance.  Most of the time I think agents or authors are open to allowing that.  The time it might get tricky is if the play has been made into a movie or the film rights have been purchased by a movie studio.  In most cases the studio would then own the film and video rights.

On the same topic but from a second post.

Originally posted by CPospisil

And trying to figure out who to call is not difficult.  On the copyright page of any play published by Dramatists Play Service, Samuel French, Dramatic Publishing, Playscripts, etc., you will find a note that gives you the name of the author's representative.  If none is listed, you can contact the publisher and get the proper information from them.

I would to make two observations. 
#1 - I tried this again this week, as I have done in the past. I contacted the publisher, explained that I wanted to create an archival copy, and they told me it wasn't their decision to make, and to contact the author (they gave me the address).  I contacted the author and was told to contact the publisher saying it wasn't her call.  It was not Dramatist, nor any of the companies you listed in your quote, but I would call this experience the same old run around. However, I will continue on, I did go back to the publisher and am waiting for a reply.

Originally posted by CPospisil

As for a stage manager, they are allowed to make a photocopy of THEIR OWN script for their own use.  What you are not allowed to do is to buy, say, one script and make copies for the cast and crew.  I'm not sure what you mean by "they don't send enough scripts for every member of the cast."  The theater can order however many copies of a script that they feel they need.   

#2 The situation I was trying to explain was when there are 20 speaking parts in a musical ? you get 21 scripts ? one for each speaking part and one for the director. But then we have another 10 people in the ensemble, with no speaking lines. What scripts do they use for their blocking, or to learn their music? There have only been a couple of publishers (not all) where I have been able to order extra scripts. Normally the amount of scripts is pre-determined. 

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