Re writing a play
Printed From: Community Theater Green Room
Category: Producing Theater
Forum Name: Directing
Forum Discription: For questions about handling shows, actors, crew, board members, children ...or do we repeat ourselves?
URL: http://www.communitytheater.org/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=2694
Printed Date: 11/23/24 at 7:59pm
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 8.05 - http://www.webwizforums.com
Topic: Re writing a play
Posted By: GoldCanyonLady
Subject: Re writing a play
Date Posted: 9/27/07 at 10:26am
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I know that we shouldn't change ONE word in a play without the author's permission. But I recently read where New City Theatre in Overland Park, Kansas did the "Americanized version" of the English play, Busybody by Jack Popplewell this past summer. The original play is set in London and obviously the actors are required to speak with a British accent (one is even quite cockney). The author is dead so where did they go to get permission to change it? I just talked with a gal in the theater and she told me that the producer and director re wrote it themselves and set the play in San Francisco. I know our actors are not of the caliber to do good English accents, but I would love to see us to the play. It would be really fun. Maybe I just need to send my actors to a coach to learn accents. ------------- Barb Hofmeister, MountainBrook Village Players, Gold Canyon, Arizona. |
Replies:
Posted By: benhamtroll
Date Posted: 9/27/07 at 4:39pm
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You would need to contact the publisher, which is what you would need to do even if the author was still living. If you make major changes and the publisher finds out, they could pull your rights at the least. Be careful with it . . . |
Posted By: pdavis69
Date Posted: 9/27/07 at 5:48pm
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As with all things weigh your decision carefully. What might happen if you change things and get caught? Is it worth the chance? Also remember that you just put out the name of your group and the play you wanted to do in a forum where we know people feel very strongly about changing even one word, so yours chances of someone dropping a dime on you have gone up already.
PS I have worked in a theatre that changed the location of the show from one side of the Atlantic to the other with fantastic results. We are very bad people and should feel very guilty about our sins, but the show was a huge success. ------------- Patrick L. Davis Fort Findlay Playhouse |
Posted By: Gaafa
Date Posted: 9/27/07 at 7:49pm
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Why worry about accents & location of the script? We never seem to have a hang up if the american accent is correct or if the punters would be able to relate to the location. Your better off doing it in your own accent naturaly, than bunging on a bad accent. Give it a go I'm sure it won't worry the punters & they are likely to understand it better. you might get the odd crit, but it gives them something to rabbit on about. We invarabily can't relate to a multitude of areas & in house society references about America. But let it wash over us instead, enjoy the show & accept the facts as viewed. On the pictures & with the TV fodder served up daily. May I suggest you forget the accents & do your own thing Barb.  ------------- Joe Western Gondawandaland turn right @ Perth. Hear the light & see the sound. Toi Toi Toi Chookas {{"chook [chicken] it is"} May you always play to a full house} |
Posted By: GoldCanyonLady
Date Posted: 9/28/07 at 10:04am
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Thank you everyone. Good advice. Our committee decided not to do Busybody this year but we may try it another year. I love that play so I won't give up and as Gaafa says---we will just do it without worrying about the accent. Barb ------------- Barb Hofmeister, MountainBrook Village Players, Gold Canyon, Arizona. |
Posted By: Tallsor
Date Posted: 9/28/07 at 2:41pm
Just a clarification - it's the New Theatre Restaurant ( http://www.newtheatre.com/ - http://www.newtheatre.com/ ), and they are not a community theatre, but a professional (how else to explain they got Jamie Farr to be in the show?
 ). I'm sure they contacted the publisher to get it taken care of.
Angie
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Posted By: whitebat
Date Posted: 11/26/07 at 12:25am
| I think we will be rewriting a play in a somewhat different situation. It was performed for the town's 50th anniversary, and the 100th is coming up. The museum wants us to perform it again. It was written by a local gal, since deceased. They performed in the fairgrounds arena with a huge cast and heavy narration. We would be in a building, with a small cast, and I would like the actors to speak, rather than narrating everything. Other than that, the script changes would likely be for political correctness (or not), and length. I don't think there will be a legal issue, but what of the ethical one? |
Posted By: JoeMc
Date Posted: 11/26/07 at 1:35pm
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You might still be on dodgy ground mate? Since we stupidly aligned our selves with a free trade agreement, which little Jonny didn't have checked out properly. But his government has gone now & he lost his seat as well! Couldn't happen to a nicer bloke. It changed our copyright laws automaticaly, from 50 to 70 years afterthe death of the author, the same as yours. So you may be caught with your pants down? I would check for permission with her eastate & /or surviving family, even make them guests of honour, to sweaten the pot & get the City to fork out for something or other, in her name. to mark the occasion Or offer royalties at least. ------------- [western] Gondawandaland "Hear the light & see the sound! TOI TOI CHOOKAS {may you always play to a full house!} |
Posted By: whitebat
Date Posted: 11/26/07 at 9:24pm
| There is no surviving family. The museum had the manuscript (photocopied from a typewriter version with handwritten stage directions). The museum said it would be ok to make those minor changes. We will definitely credit her as the author/playwright in the program. She hasn't been dead THAT long, but I doubt there's much of an estate to speak of. I have a note of who the museum got the script from, but it's probably just the actor who had that copy. Also, at least one of the two people whose name is listed is also deceased. |