I wouldn't do it. Plays have been shut down because the language of the show was changed. Neil Simon's "Rumors" is a case in point. Check this link out. This company got closed before they opened.

http://tv.ksl.com/index.php?sid=42106&nid=39&template=print - http://tv.ksl.com/index.php?sid=42106&nid=39&templat e=print

Linda

I recieved some flack (mainly from my  husband)for use the 'F-bomb' one time in my own playthat closed a week ago. 

    In the scene the lead character has gone over the edge and his use of the F word works so beautitully because it displays to the audinece just how far ovet the edge the character is.  I originally wanted to use the word when I wrote the play but I gave in to being "PC" so I changed the word to 'screwed' but it just didn't have the same impact.  It was my leading man, bless him. who convinced me to change it back.  I owe him big time for this one.  During one rehearsal he just stopped and said "I just can't do this without saying "F***" "- so we changed it. AND he was so right! AND we didn't get (at least,not that I'm aware of) one complaint about the use of the word becasue of the scene and the context in which it was said worked.

     I guess the lesson here to theatre companies- if you have an audience that is conservative and don't like profanity then stop choosing plays in which you need to change the language. Plays must be done as written. 

Hey Joe,

http://tv.ksl.com/index.php?sid=42106&nid=39&template=print -

Based on my experience with actors in community theater, if Neil Simon tried to shut down every production that wasn't doing his plays exactly as written his lawyers would be very, very busy:)
[/QUOTE]

I agree. But besides that fact that I think the show should be done as written. I wouldn't take that chance. It is not worth it.

Linda

I'm in agreement with most everyone on this topic.  This topic seems to surface every coupe of months or so and the answer is the same.  You do not own the work.   You only have a license (to which you've agreed) to perform the work as written.

If you feel that you must modify any dialog get the permission in writing from the licensing agency or the playwright or whatever entity is authorized to do that.   You might be surprised at how many might be willing to accomodate your request depenidng on the specifics of what you want to modify.   But many won't and therefore you have two choices: to do the show as written or not at all.   Seems pretty simple to me.

If you have problems with the language in your play, there is nothing wrong with putting a warning message on your advertising or playbills.  "Warning:  Contains adult language and themes."

This will give advance notice to the prudes and become a source of interest for the curious.

When we did a production of Neil Simon's "Biloxi Blues" we had to warn patrons that there was LOTS of rough language (mostly delivered by the fierce drill-sergeant character). 

Some people were shocked ("But it's NEIL SIMON!?") while others who actually served in the military were convinced we toned down the language because the sergeant wasn't swearing ENOUGH!

Excellent idea Topper!   We've done this for many shows that have had language or subject matter issues.   Not to mention gun shots, violence and nudity.

I apologize as well.  I did not wish to suggest that you were a prude, either.  I realize you have an obligation to your audiences.

A very wise teacher once told me:  "Theater is an art form.  Art is created by people with a certain point-of-view.  Any time somebody expresses their point-of-view they are certain to offend somebody else."

In short; you can't please everybody so do what pleases you.

Slicksister & Topper I'm not sure either one of you has anything to appologize for.   Language and content seem to always be at odds with either our own personal & audience's sensibilities and mounting productions that feed our soul rather just our pocketbook.

As Slicksister said, "It is often very challenging to find plays that don't have suggestive language or subject matter but that are still real and well written and thought provoking."    I'd like to think that perhaps  it's because much of what's well written and thought provoking is a reflection of real life that's captured more eloquently and susinctly by the playwright.   And most good playwrights (at least I think) leave you asking more questions than drawing hard & fast conclusions.

We do seem to hit this topic pretty often. I will chime in and Say I agree: the work should be done as written or not done at all. another point is some words of phrases that are off color now were not when the play is set. Also if you try hard enough you can make any word or phrase dirty!

I might also point out that one of the theatres I worked with had its greatest success with the Rocky Horror Show we sold out 30 shows!! and had the most fun I have ever had on a show.Another theatre here has had its only 2 sold out runs with shows that were more than a bit off color( nude sells in the heartland).

Remember 1 patorn does not make your audience. if 100 complain than maybe worry about it but otherwise... @%#&^ them

Examples, please?  If you think these writers are such hacks, why would you do their plays?

Most of the actors I know curse much worse offstage than on.  Myself included; I prosecute sex offenders for a living, and when I call somebody a co******er, I mean it literally.

Yep, because obviously the measure of what is right and legal is whether or not you are likely to get caught.

OMG don't get me started on this topic again!!  POB and JoeMc great come backs! 

But please allow me the pleasure of also taking pdavis to the wood shed:   You do not under any circumstances have the right to intentionally change one word of the playwright's material without express permission of the playwright or whatever entity controls the performance rights to the work.  You do not own the work.  When you license the material to be performed you have agreed to perform it as written.   If you are unable to perform it as written then don't produce the show.   It's simple as that and whether or not a playwright has as you put it thrown in dirty words just to use them is irrelevant and not the least bit germane to the point.  

Removed, because the post I was replying to seems to be gone.

While not technically legal, pdavis69 brings out an interesting point about knowing what your audiences will put up with and what they won't.  I directed a production of "Catfish Moon" which is about three "good ole boys" going on a fishing trip in the South and mulling over the in's-and-out's of life.  True to character, when good ole boys get together there's going to be some amount of drinking and cussing.  I knew that we were going to have a problem with certain of our more faithful "blue-haired" lady patrons and while I don't personally use, or like used around me, that kind of language I felt that the play wouldn't be credible without some of this "realism".  I knew this is what the author intended, it's why he wrote it that way but I also knew that the *f* bomb and certain other choice expletives just wouldn't go over in a public performance in our community.  So I let the actors come up with other expletives that lent realism yet were.... more palatable and less offensive to the sensibilities of our patrons. 

We still had two ladies get up in the middle of a performance and walk out, even with a warning in the publicity and programs about "salty" language but sometimes that's the best you can hope for.

Did I strictly adhere to each word in the script?  No.  Did I satisfy the playwrights intent?  Yes.  I guess you could say I was a victim of situational ethics but let's be honest....who isn't.  We all pick and choose which rules we're going to follow on any given day.  I'll be more concerned about getting every jot and tittle in the performance when someone can find me an actor that doesn't drop or adlib a line in every production.

I have to admit that I've done the same thing when I've felt the author was just trying for a little shock rather that adding something that moved the plot along. I think we've all done it, or at least seriously considered it. It's tough to reject an otherwise excellent play because the author wants to make it "edgy" by tossing in language that can be considered offensive. I can cuss like a sailor given the right provocation, but some plays I've read seem to drop these words in to replace punctuation.

On the other hand, having done some writing in my time, I understand where the author (and his/her publisher) is coming from - it's called protecting your work. The post that started this thread asked "is it OK?" The answer (regardless of whether we've done it and gotten away with it) is "No." It isn't OK. If you do so, you run the risk of getting caught and punished.

Be aware.

b6307 writes: Did I strictly adhere to each word in the script?  No.  Did I satisfy the playwrights intent?  Yes.  I guess you could say I was a victim of situational ethics but let's be honest....who isn't.  We all pick and choose which rules we're going to follow on any given day.  I'll be more concerned about getting every jot and tittle in the performance when someone can find me an actor that doesn't drop or adlib a line in every production

Mike Polo writes:  On the other hand, having done some writing in my time, I understand where the author (and his/her publisher) is coming from - it's called protecting your work. The post that started this thread asked "is it OK?" The answer (regardless of whether we've done it and gotten away with it) is "No." It isn't OK. If you do so, you run the risk of getting caught and punished.

---------

I will attempt to not rant and rail on this topic as I have previously.    Mike I couldn't agree with you more!   But b6307 what you write shows an enormous disrespect to the playwright and their work and a rationalization that attempts to pass as reasoning.

Has anyone even considered ASKING the playwright or publishing house if these kinds of changes can be made.   Neil Simon aside many of them being sensitive to the nature of their work and potential audiences might actually say yes and would be grateful to have their worked performed.   To unilaterally make the decision to change someone else's words, no matter how innocent the intent, is wrong.    And if they say no, it means no and don't perform that show.   Seems rather simple to me.    

My bad that I failed to mention that I had contacted the playwright (via the publisher) in this particular case and did recieve a "No problem!" but my point was there should be some flexibility here.  In fact I recall, in some cases, I've read some scripts where a playwright has given advance OK for minor word changes as long as the substance/meaning of the passage isn't changed.  Slippery slope I know and obviously a new playwright just trying to get his material produced but yes, the point is taken that we should ask before doing. 

Then you are solid ground if you've gotten an ok (but I'd get it in writing if I were you) and/ or it stated it in the script that you could do so.   I've seen some scripts that even offer substitutions for the original dialog.

My appologies for the tounge lashing.

Okay I agree that changing a script is not only illegal, but just plain bad form for one artist to do to another.  However, language is often a consideration for many community theatres as a certain percentage of our subscriber bases can't look beyond a small collection of four letter words.

I have been noticing more script where they specifically give you alternative lines, two examples that pop to mind are "Sylvia" and "I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change."  (both shows I've recently worked on)  So I think that's good that some authors realize the bind some theatres can find themselves in.

And an interesting side note to the topic that kind of started this thread, Neil Simon's "Rumors".  When directing the show several years ago I found this statement in his second autobiography "The Play Goes On" at the end of the the chapter on "Rumors" (I'm attributing this quote so please Mr. Simon don't sue me): 

"We ran well over a year and the play runs on today almost everywhere, especially in schools where the teachers wisely take out all the F words."

Hmmmm.

I've been meaning to share that observation for a while, but haven't been home with the book infront of me until tonight.

LOL!!  A pretty good defense if Mr. Simon should decide to sue for taking out the "bad" words.   "But Mr. Simon Said I could.  It says so in his book....right here."  Whereupon Mr. Simon might counter that he limited it to only the "F" word in schools doing Rumors.

No, there is no difference in the non-professional licensing procedure for most publishers and plays.   I doubt that Neil Simon was giving blanket permission to change the profanity in any of his plays.  The bottom line is before changing any dialog for any reason, no matter how benign, get the authorization in writing.   Some plays may state in the script that it's ok to adjust the dialog for profanity and some even offer alternative dialog in place of it.  But unless you see one of these "waivers" in the script, don't change it or if you need to change it obtain the permission to change it.  Otherwise don't do the show.

And believe me Neil Simon cares if you change dialog, just ask anyone that's gotten caught.  And weather or not Neil Simon or any playwright cares or it's just the lawyers and the publishing companies making a stink about it is really not the point of this dissussion.   As I've said before the bottom line is that you don't own the intellectual property and your performance license only gives you permission to perform it as written.

Originally posted by jayzehr Originally posted by Mike Polo I had a bookholder who used to rap me on the knuckles with a script... does that count? Did it work?

Nope. The hind-brain wasn't paying attention. 

My community theatre does 3 shows a year that are called "Studio Shows" they take place in between the Children's Academy shows and are usually shows with more lanuage and stuff... Past Shows (Season: 05-06) The Diviners, Wonder of the World, Dimly Percieved Threats to the System...

I totally concur with this.  In the premiere of my play last month, my lead character dropps the 'F bomb' in one of the scenes.  The context of the scene and the way in which he said it- in the heat of ager & despair in a confrontation with his father- worked so well.  It did so becasue by now the audience knew and liked the character very much.  Hearing him utter this word in the scene gave the audience a glimpse of how deep his pain & despair were. 

I was worried that there might be ramifications but I actually had people comment on how effective it was.  It was like "Wow!  When Tait said that, it was so powerful. I knew then he was over the edge"

My philosophy has always been, if the language is gratuitous, drop it.  If it is intrinsic to the character or situation, keep it in.  I mean, can you imagine the characters in any of the Mamet plays saying "gosh darn" or "heck"?

At auditions, I always point out that there is some "adult" language in the play and that certain characters will be expected to use it.  If that kind of language is offensive to anyone auditioning, I encourage those people to audition for a different part in the show. This helps to prevent those actors from letting you know half-way through rehearsals that they won't say "off color" words.

God bless her....my Mother Miriam Ruth in "Agnes of God" is an EXTREMELY religious and Christian lady, and was very uncomfortable with uttering "Then she's a G.D. liar" about Agnes, but she realized that it was absolutely essential for her character to say it at that particular point in the play.  She also realized that it was the CHARACTER using that language, not her.  And she handled it beautifully!

Thanks eveharington, you are absolutely correct!!!

......and spoken more graciously than I would have.

Maybe I should have explicated more.....I have never, in any play I've directed, deleted expletives.  All I was expressing was my philosophy on the subject....certainly contact with the proper authorities should be made.  I was stating my opinion on when to take that action.  I apologize that I didn't make that clear.

I have gone the "putting a warning in the publicity" route every time I've done this type of show.  We have then gotten such responses as "Well, I'm an adult and I don't talk like that", etc.  Makes you wonder why you bother to offer them the consideration of a warning.

I have difficulty imagining a quality show that has gratuitous profanity in it.  I don't know whether you are speaking of actors not wanting to say "hells" or "damns" or the much more, shall we say, graphic words.  I think they should bear in mind the play and the character and his/her position in the play.  I would discourage dropping mild profanity.  And, I would make it clear at auditions about the language in the show and how I felt about it.  If an actor auditions and accepts a role, I feel he or she has an obligation to say the lines as the playwrite intended, even in community theatre.  Having said that, I am not rigid when it comes to scatological language and the mighty "F" word, since it is important to keep in mind community standards and also that, in community theatre, we often times do not have a large pool of actors to choose from when casting a show.

As to the warnings in publicity, they should be to the point. "Salty language", "Strong Language", "sexual overtones", etc  tell what's going on. 

My wife was in a play that was "recommended for mature audiences". One of her friends didn't come and didn't bring her teenage daughter because she thought it would have sexual content. It didn't, but had very strong language, which wouldn't have bothered her.

And why do they say "recommended for mature audiences" when it's really the teenagers would get a bigger kick out of it than the old folks? 

Oh, castMe!!!! You are a man after my own heart!!!  Well, you and Picasso.

Juror #3, you getting all this....?

castMe:

A swoon?  Why, I absolutely had a case of the vapors, as Blanche might have said but didn't! 

Nah, Martha doesn't do as much for me, though the quote IS pithy!

And ditto what POB said, please let me know when those shirts are ready....I'll need one in a medium.  (Seriously, if you really are getting those made up, let me know how much if you're willing to send me one......Marty and our playreading committee will understand why I want one:  I'm the "queen of edgy" at the Playhouse.)

Ba da bump [cue: rim shot]

Um, not to be a stickler for details, but this might be of interest:

Fainting is a biological reaction that is difficult to suppress and often happens without warning, unless one has exerted themselves to the point of exhaustion. 

When a Southern Gentlewoman professes to leave the room due to "having the vapors" she is not referring to feeling faint or poorly, but is actually admitting to feeling an oncoming bout of intestinal flatulence.

In other words, she's leaving the room in order to pass gas!  This is something a proper lady does not do in polite company.  (And something gentlemen shouldn't be doing either!)

Notice this remark is typically not shared in the presence of men, but is only expressed to the other women in the room. 

The more you know ....

Oh, I BEG to differ.... Not only does she rate'm, she has earned both titles in spades.....

Luv ya Bon..

Probably... but then again, 'cuz we make the rules, enforcement can be kind of iffy, as long as y'all play nice.

Seriously, we like a lively discussion as long as all viewpoints are given respect, the kidding is kept (relatively) clean and rudeness is left at the door. We should be able to agree to disagree on some subjects without losing respect for each other... aside from that (and the rejection of any and all spammers), please feel free to enjoy yourselves.

After all, how many cast party discussions end up on the same topic they started?

However, the fact is no matter how justified the reason you have absolutley no right to change the dialog without the express permission of the playwright or whatever entity has the authority to grant it or not.

At the end of the day either get the permission or don't do the piece.  Those are the only legal choices you have.   As I've stated already on this topic your perfomance license only allows you to perform it as written.

I agree 100% with B-M-D.  Contractually, you cannot change the language on copywritten works.  I know of a few theatres that have done so and had their rights for the entire publishing house yanked indefinitely. 

By the way, not only is Craig Popisil a playwright, he also WORKS for Dramatists Play Service.  Not a wise move, IMHO.

Go back to the start of this thread....

My day job involves copyright licensing, though not with dramatic works.  Believe me people get sued, pay huge penalties and fines and people go to jail for copyright infringement.   Messing with the dialog is a form of copyright infringement.   Tell it to the judge when you get caught.

Your restrictions are your problem.   What you did is almost like taking a rental car from Avis and painting a racing stripe on it.   It didn't hurt the car and it still runs.   But it's not your property.  And you don't own the intelectual property that's represented by the words in the play.  Until the play is no longer protected by copyright (which is now the life of the author plus 70 years) you do not have the right to change it without permission.

Bottom line it's not ok no matter what.

As B-M-D points out, being sued and having to pay huge penalties is a real danger.  Case in point:  about 30 years ago one of the community theatres in our state infringed on a copyright, was sued as was their board, and went under because of the financial judgement against them.

Chances are you won't be caught, but what if you are?  It's always a possibility.

Jayzehr:  I'm not an attorney, but my understanding is that if you are a board member of a not-for-profit group, you can personally be held responsible in any judgement against your theatre.  If there is an attorney out there that can tell me whether or not that's correct, I would appreciate his/her comments, but that is the belief that our theatre has operated under since I've been involved (34 years).

I don't remember the details of the case, but I will email the Exec. Dir. of our state organization and see if she recalls the circumstances.

If Neil Simon is as picky as I have heard and the agency that handles his plays is aware that you have asked for permission to edit and were refused, they may choose to keep an eye on you....or not. A friend who is an executive for MTI told me that if they investigated all the possible copyright infringements that came to their attention, they would have to build a new wing on their corporate headquarters....it's just not worth their time, effort, and expense to pursue infractions.  But are you willing to take the chance that an agency might just want to make an example of your theatre?

Quite a few years back, our Playhouse advertised our Weds. night final dress as a "Club Performance" (for families and friends).  Even though we were not charging admission, we received a letter from Dramatists, French, or whichever one it was, telling us that unless we paid royalty rights for that "performance", they would take legal action against us.  We paid, and are very careful now to call that night a final dress rehearsal, and not any sort of performance! You never know who might have access to your advertising or newsletter, and as unlikely as it seems, somehow one of our publications ended up in their hands.  Big Brother is indeed watching!

jayzehr:

Again, this is all based on my understanding and that of my theatre:

1.  Yes, a board member would be liable in any judgement.

2.  In most cases, stage directions/blocking noted in a script are NOT written by the playwright (with exceptions, of course);  they are the notes of some past stage manager of an earlier production that wrote that director's blocking down in his script and then it was included when the script was printed for sale.  Therefore, unless the blocking directly relates to lines in the script and you would have to change the lines to go along with the changed blocking, you are free to do whatever blocking you want.  When I direct, I usually tell my cast to totally ignore the stage directions in the script unless I tell them not to.  After all, your stage and set design are different than that of the original production, and chances are the printed blocking would not work in your show's design.

Perhaps you meant "business", not "blocking"?  Very often, business stated in the script directly goes with the lines (as I mentioned above).  In that case, you need to keep it as it is in the playbook.

3.  Yes, gender changes need to be cleared with the licensing house.  My experience is that, depending on the playwright, they are willing to let you do so.  Some scripts even state that these changes are permissable.  It's best to err on the side of caution and check.

4.  Yes, some theatres/schools do violate copywrite laws without permission.  I have worked in some that have done this.  As I said in my earlier post, however, if you are the one theatre that they find out about and want to make an example, you're up ----- creek with-out a paddle (and perhaps without money)!

Again, if an attorney out there would like to correct anything I believe to be true, I would welcome the correction!

It has nothing to do with the playwright being picky or not.   It has everything to do with whether you have the right to change that which you do not own, the words of the play.   You do not.

I hope that you or your group does the right thing.  If not I sincerely hope that someone has the good sense to drop a dime to Samuel French or Neil Simon's attorney.

Very true.  But Craig is also a pretty easy going guy and probably would've given the school permission to change some of the language. 

They DEFINITELY should have asked him, though.  And by "him," I mean ME.

Seriously, as a playwright and head of nonpro licensing at Dramatists, theaters should always ask for permission to make any changes.  You may feel your community would respond badly to certain language, but many playwrights will also respond badly to changes to their plays.  And do you really want a licensing organization threatening to shut you down in the middle of your run?  Believe me, it's not worth it.  Ask.

Craig,

Welcome! Of course, by throwing your 2 cents into this discussion, you know you've opened yourself to a gazillion questions. I'll start it off;

Could you give us a brief idea of how this kind of request should be made? I think most of us are a little skittish about approching the publishing houses about anything, given some of the experiences we've had.

Craig:

Thanks for your comments.  Both as a playwright and as a licensing agent. 

I hope the readers/posters on this board take all comments into consideration and do the right thing.  Not only because it's the law, but out of respect and consideration for the playwright's hard work. 

~ Teri

PS:  If you haven't had the pleasure of dealing with Craig, he truly *IS* a very easy-going guy.

Mike, the best way to approach us here in the high towers of our licensing world is simply to send a letter or email that details the changes or types of changes that you would like permission to make.  And send that letter early and with plenty of time to spare.  Do NOT write to us a week or two before you open, saying "Oh, by the way, can we change x?" As soon as you know you want to produce a play and think you might want to aks about changing something, sit down and write.

The responses will be varied.  Some authors may not mind some "toning down" of language.  Others may say no changes may be made.  Requests to cut or replace some profanity are likely to at least be considered by most authors or agents, but requests to make larger cuts or alterations will be increasingly harder.  Changing gender of characters is not likely to be allowed unless the character in question is a minor one.

The only other thing to keep in mind is that the answer may be "No."  And you may have to live with that.  If you feel it's impossible to produce a play without the changes, then you should have another possible choice if the author won't approve the changes.  Again, nothing is worse for you than getting a call saying you have to close your play in the middle of the run.  And I don't like making that call, either.

I've been doing some surfing on several topics in this thread. I'm not vouching for the info one way or another, just some things I've read. First of all here's a theater professor named Louis E. Catron on stage directions and copyright infringement:

"There is an urban myth about stage directions.  Some theatre practitioners claim stage directions aren?t worth much because so many are written by the stage manager of the play?s first professional production.  Nonsense!  What you see within the script is by the playwright."

"Strangely and for at best weird reasons, some directors preach that the director should cross out all stage directions before beginning to prepare the play for production.  That?s a violation of copyright."

http://lecatr.people.wm.edu/copy.htm - http://lecatr.people.wm.edu/stagedirections.html -  

And here's something on the personal liability of board members of non-profits. This is specific for my state and could be different elsewhere.

"Officers and directors of corporations normally are not liable for conduct of the corporation that causes harm or injury. The rules vary with respect to unincorporated associations. Of course, officers and directors can have personal liability for their own conduct or criminal acts, but this liability does not arise from the status of merely being an officer or director. Because officers and directors frequently are named as additional defendants in litigation arising from an act of a nonprofit organization, the Virginia Code has specified many statutory immunities:

• Limitations of liability. Officers and directors of non-stock, nonprofit corporations will have no liability for acts of the corporation if they are uncompensated. If they are compensated, liability is limited to one month?s prior compensation."

http://www.vscpa.com/Financial_Fitness/Nonprofit_Resources/Liability.aspx -  

I already wrote this posting once, but the computer I was using froze up on me and I lost it.  I'll try again.

Interesting posting on copywrite infringement, jayzehr.

Maybe I'm reading it wrong, but the first website you listed seemed to me to deal with using a director's staging rather than omitting it.  It stated that the producer and director of a 1994 Chicago production of "The Most Happy Fella" used Gerald Gutierrez's staging from his 1992 Broadway revival without permission, and that is what got them into trouble.

Also, it mentioned that the Chicago-Kent Law Review concluded that "stage directions can't be copywrited".

I am no lawyer, so someone please correct me if I am reading it wrong.

Your second citation was likewise interesting.  The article in the 1999 Dramatics magazine seemed to describe "business" more than "blocking".  To me, "business" always seems to be more closely tied to the author's dialogue and meaning.  The article listed "laughing", "tearfully", throwing Stella the bloody meat.......all business having nothing to do with moving the actors around the stage, which to me is one of the meanings of "blocking". It would be very difficult to change or omit "business" without changing the playwright's intention. Sometimes it is necessary to change blocking, which I still maintain is the notation of the original director's blocking made in the prompt book by the stage manager (which I, by the way, learned from a theatre professor, like the professor quoted in the article).  Your stage, set, and facility are different than the original and likely would not accomodate the staging in the script book.

Thanks for including the information about liability of the board members.  I wonder if Ohio's laws are the same.  Anyone out there have the answer to that?

Hey, jayzehr:

Back on page 8 of this topic, I mentioned several theatres going bust because of copyright infringement.  You asked for particulars, and I mentioned that I would contact the Ex.Dir. of our state theatre org. and let you know what those were.

She got back to me today.  I will quote her, except for the names of the theatres involved.

"Here in Columbus, the ____________(theatre) was rehearsing Noel Coward's "Private Lives", however instead of 2 men and 2 women according to the script, they decided to cast 4 guys (2 gay couples).  They made the mistake of putting something on their website and on Thursday before they were scheduled to open on Friday, a rep from Samuel French flew into Columbus and pulled the rights.  The show was scheduled for a 3 weekend run.  They not only lost the royalty that they had paid up front, but with no audience, they really lost money and as a result had to declare bankruptcy.

Several years ago ('70's or earlier), _________(theatre) was going to do a musical revue of various songs from various musicals, but they did not get the rights.  I heard they were supposed to be fined $10,000........... I am not positive on the outcome."

As I said before, Big Brother is indeed watching!

I saw a production of Albee's Zoo Story with a woman playing Jerry.  It was at a state community theatre festival.  Also added a third character to the play:  that of the dog in Jerry's long convoluted story that "he" (she in this case) tells.  I'm pretty sure no one got permission for that.

Wow.  We are really off topic, but I'm going to continue...

The instance that I am speaking of was really odd, because if I recall correctly, I saw this production at the state level and then again at the regional level.  I know it was an AACT representative who remarked to me that she was very concerned about it.  She must have said something because it didn't get past regionals.  However, nothing was said publically about it being disqualified. 

The ironic thing is that there were adjudicators who praised the choices quite extensively.  The next festival this group (same director, many of the same actors) went to nationals.