I'm looking for something in the public domain
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Topic: I'm looking for something in the public domain
Posted By: SweeneyBob
Subject: I'm looking for something in the public domain
Date Posted: 12/13/08 at 1:25am
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Hello all, We're getting to the point where royalties are getting expensive so we're looking for something in the public domain. Yes, I know we can do virtually any Shakespeare, Greek, Roman, Chekhov, Wilde play, but I'm looking for specific suggestions. I don't really have any requirements, although I would really like an intense drama, preferable one that does NOT involve revenge. Any ideas? |
Replies:
Posted By: tristanrobin
Date Posted: 12/13/08 at 8:27am
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Ibsen's "A Doll's House" is one of my favorite classics - and it's about sacrificing for one's family rather than revenge! It's hard to think of a play more intense than "Medea!" |
Posted By: donzolidis
Date Posted: 12/13/08 at 9:56pm
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I seem to recall Medea had something to do with revenge...
If you want to make money, there's always A Midsummer Night's Dream.
As far as intense dramas go, my favorites:
Henry V
MacBeth
Schiller's Mary, Queen of Scots
Woyzek
Uncle Vanya ------------- www.donzolidis.com |
Posted By: SweeneyBob
Date Posted: 12/14/08 at 12:47am
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Ooooh, Woyzeck is a good one! Can you recommend a good translation? Is "The House of Bernarda Alba" in the public domain? I know that the play was written in the mid-30's and the author died almost a year later. But I forget the rule... isn't it 70 years after the author's death? |
Posted By: tristanrobin
Date Posted: 12/14/08 at 8:40am
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Bernarda Alba is not in public domain (I had to pay royalties LOL) - but they're very very minimal - I think it was like $35 per performance. He's (Lorca) has been dead quite a long time. He was a very early 20th century writer. LOVE LOVE LOVE that play! |
Posted By: Theatrefolk
Date Posted: 12/14/08 at 9:06am
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There's a handy chart to determine if something is in the Public Domain. The date of publication is key because the rules have changed several times over the years. http://www.copyright.cornell.edu/public_domain/%20 - http://www.copyright.cornell.edu/public_domain/ - http://www.copyright.cornell.edu/public_domain/ One thing that is very important to keep in mind, particularly for something like A Dolls House, Bernard Alba, or Medea is that the translator/adaptor holds the copyright to their translation, and so the royalty issue is determined by the translator, not the original author. So, yes, Medea is in the public domain in the original Greek. Joseph Goodrich's adaptation of Medea, however, is not. ------------- Theatrefolk: Scripts for High Schools, Middle Schools, and Elementary Schools http://www.theatrefolk.com - http://www.theatrefolk.com |
Posted By: SweeneyBob
Date Posted: 12/14/08 at 5:26pm
| Ah, yes, I hadn't thought of translations. Thanks a lot for the info, Theatrefolk. |
Posted By: B-M-D
Date Posted: 12/15/08 at 10:41am
Excellent point! And for those of you that are curious as to why: a translation is a derivitive work and therefore constitutes a new work. So unfortunately, for the most part, you will be limited to works in English that are already in the public domain.
Brush up your Shakespeare!
 ------------- BD 
"Dying is easy, comedy is hard." |