There's been much debate in the SF Bay Area and wider theatre arts community about a production of Little Shop of Horrors, created site-specifically by the Boxcar Theatre, that was recently closed by MTI due to contract violations. I wanted to offer a summary of the situation here. I should note that I considered seeing this production and now of course wish that I had...
Theatre Bay Area: "The Big Story around a Little Shop" by my friend/colleague Dale Albright
Arts Journal: "In Whose Hands does Meaning Live?" by my friend/colleague Clay Lord
TCG: "Copyright or Wrong?" by Nick Olivero
For myself, I'm still thinking about how I would interpret this. I feel like I would have to err on the side of the licensee/rights/MTI - making sure to be mindful of how the script is intended to be presented. If I wanted to be more dynamic or drastic, I would choose a different show. This is all open to debate, and clearly generates many opinions.
My uncle is a copyright lawyer specializing in entertainment law in LA, and as I was reading these articles, I was considering forwarding them over to him, as I'm always up for a lively debate. In reading them, however, I realized that we would probably fall on the same side.
ReplyDeleteBoxcar was taking a chance, and they knew that. And they got caught. It isn't about artistic integrity, it isn't about freedom of expression, it's about paying royalties to those who came before you. And although an artist myself, I can't help but disagree with their standpoint.