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| re: Interesting way a theater company reacted to criticism over making unauthorized cuts | |
| Posted by: ryhog 10:00 am EDT 08/11/17 | |
| In reply to: Interesting way a theater company reacted to criticism over making unauthorized cuts - Ann 09:36 am EDT 08/11/17 | |
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| Stephen's reaction expresses a mentality I have championed here (and elsewhere) often, and I commend it to everyone's attention (this means you Portantiere :-) ) because, of course, he expresses it better than I ever could. | |
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| re: Interesting way a theater company reacted to criticism over making unauthorized cuts | |
| Last Edit: bmc 10:47 am EDT 08/11/17 | |
| Posted by: bmc 10:39 am EDT 08/11/17 | |
| In reply to: re: Interesting way a theater company reacted to criticism over making unauthorized cuts - ryhog 10:00 am EDT 08/11/17 | |
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| Is there a general consensus, by theater professionals, on these kinds of drastic changes on a copyrighted play?.....How is chopping a play in half , then presenting it for the public, how is this different from theft?; I could understand if you and your friends held a reading in your living room, not charging admission, etc-a just for fun. .....I think both Albee and Sondheim have commented on folks who say something like "I'm thrilled to be presenting MY vision of Tiny Alice to a New York audience". Albee (I vaguely remember) said something like-- If You have a vision ,write your own damn play' Tiny Alice is My play' ....As with a recent Broadway opera, but in that case changes were made, even advocated, by the estate; For me it's like a high school production of West Side Story, where they eliminated all the dancing because they didn't have a choreographer and none of the cast knew how to dance. Not quite WSS..........It also reminds me of a production I posted about on this site , maybe 10 years ago, when the U of Mich undergrads were putting on a production of How To Succeed, with a girl playing the lead as Jaye Pierpont etc; The Loesser estate said the students had to do the play as written. My only contribution to the theater, other than the occasional small contribution to the U of Mich graduate music/ theater program, 'is buying tickets...........Is there a general consensus, among theater professionals, theater vets, about these kind of changes to someone else's work?.i | |
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| re: Interesting way a theater company reacted to criticism over making unauthorized cuts | |
| Posted by: ryhog 10:57 am EDT 08/11/17 | |
| In reply to: re: Interesting way a theater company reacted to criticism over making unauthorized cuts - bmc 10:39 am EDT 08/11/17 | |
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| There is a general consensus, because it is the law, that alterations of any kind are illegal WITHOUT PERMISSION. What I have long advocated is that playwrights adopt Guirgis's attitude to their work rather than the cramped view you describe. But make no mistake, it's up to the owner of the property. I think sometimes examples involving tangible property are easier to understand than intellectual property. So let's assume you own a parcel of land. And let's assume that the shortest point between your neighbor's land and the bus stop involves cutting across your land. You are totally within your rights to insist that your neighbor walk around your property. Your neighbor can take the shortcut without asking and risk getting caught and forced to retreat, or the neighbor can ask and, assuming you are not an ass, you will consent so long as your underlying property is not damaged by the transit. Of course there are no property rights once a play enters the public domain (something we have made ridiculously difficult thanks to Disney having legally corrupted Congress to get an enormous gift). Yet some of us believe in the "sanctity" of the original play nonetheless, whereas I ascribe to Guirgis's mentality (as I said). |
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| re: Why did Guirgis change his mind? | |
| Posted by: FasterTheater 10:39 pm EDT 08/11/17 | |
| In reply to: re: Interesting way a theater company reacted to criticism over making unauthorized cuts - ryhog 10:57 am EDT 08/11/17 | |
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| Excuse me for being dense, but I don't understand why the playwright first was willing to let the production go ahead as long as they printed that statement, but then, once they printed it, ordered the lawyers to shut it down. | |
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| re: Why did Guirgis change his mind? | |
| Posted by: ryhog 10:54 pm EDT 08/11/17 | |
| In reply to: re: Why did Guirgis change his mind? - FasterTheater 10:39 pm EDT 08/11/17 | |
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| From what I read, they used the statement in marketing in a way that exploited it to suggest they were doing something exciting, daring, etc., and I guess that lack of contrition was the straw that broke the camel's back. | |
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| re: Why did Guirgis change his mind? | |
| Posted by: whereismikeyfl 09:22 am EDT 08/12/17 | |
| In reply to: re: Why did Guirgis change his mind? - ryhog 10:54 pm EDT 08/11/17 | |
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| They did not use it in marketing (though Guirgus said it looked like a marketing item). Shelton put a big red warning stamp on the statement which made it look like it was supposed to be a joke. Also, the statement was added to the program stating why Giurigis' insert was wrong. The statement reads: “For me, a play is a living document that should transform from production to production. It is something the author bestows upon the public as a gift to be shared and theatre remains the greatest interpretive art the human race has developed. I say this because it is my fervent belief that as a director, an actor, a designer, a producer, a stage manager, a board operator, and an audience member, we are all taking the work of one artist and reinterpreting it into our own separate experiences. The play may not be what the author intended in his original vision, but as a work of art. I believe it is our duty to interpret and not simply repeat, to participate, not just transmit, and by doing so become a collaborators [sic] in the work.” |
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| Link | The Insert |
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| re: Why did Guirgis change his mind? | |
| Posted by: ryhog 09:51 am EDT 08/12/17 | |
| In reply to: re: Why did Guirgis change his mind? - whereismikeyfl 09:22 am EDT 08/12/17 | |
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| Thanks for that. I don't think that statement says Guirgis (not that it matters but spelled wrong by you twice, in two different ways) was wrong, but rather that the laws protecting him are. I also don't think Guirgis disagrees any more than I do. That said, I think we both disagree with breaking the law. All of that said, I think the huge flaw in the statement is at the very end: there was no collaboration here and that is all Guirgis is after. | |
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| re: Why did Guirgis change his mind? a Jesuit Off-Broadway by Rev James Martin SJ | |
| Posted by: bmc (`bmccabe67@comcast.net) 08:54 pm EDT 08/12/17 | |
| In reply to: re: Why did Guirgis change his mind? - ryhog 09:51 am EDT 08/12/17 | |
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| It took a day, but my memory bank finally unloaded the title of a book some friends gave me. Title is A Jesuit Off Broadway. James Martin S.J. got a phone call from Actor Sam Rockwell and playwright Adly Guirgis. He spent six months working with them, the cast, and director Phillip Seymour Hoffman. It's a very enjoyable book; It was published in 2007. | |
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| re: Why did Guirgis change his mind? a Jesuit Off-Broadway by Rev James Martin SJ | |
| Posted by: ryhog 12:04 am EDT 08/13/17 | |
| In reply to: re: Why did Guirgis change his mind? a Jesuit Off-Broadway by Rev James Martin SJ - bmc 08:54 pm EDT 08/12/17 | |
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| Thanks for that. I'll track it down; I'd love to read it. | |
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