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Hello?

Copying a good director’s sets, light cues and stage movement is just tacky! On the other hand, director can’t copyright instructions like, “Move down stage” because everyone says those things. If the direction takes place in context of a certain play, like “Big Feet, Big Love,” then the stage direction (even if it’s all written down nice and pretty) is clearly a derivative work and violates the dramatist’s copyright.

As for cutting shows, it depends on the license. I won’t allow a producer or director to cut scenes or “improve” my dialog. My feeling is, “Hey, if you don’t like my play, write your own damned show!” On the other hand, I’m willing to let producers create a 15 minute showcase to take to the mall and drum up business, or condense everything down into a shortened Backer’s Audition. Allowing producer that much freedom would make many playwrights cringe.

I understand that a lot of playwrights don’t make themselves available, and I understand how frustrating that must be to a producer who’s just trying to make a buck, but unless it’s spelled out in the contract, producers/directors need to play fair and ask first, cut second.