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Community Theaters Kill 'Mockingbird' Productions After Lawsuit Threat

2 points by js2 8y ago

js2 8y ago
Seems like Copyright law is doing more harm than good here. I guess the argument is that these community productions reduce the audience for the Broadway performance. Of that, I'm dubious: From Massachusetts to Utah, small community theater productions of "To Kill a Mockingbird" are being shut down under threat of a lawsuit by the producer of the new Broadway production. It doesn't matter that the new version, penned by Aaron Sorkin, is completely different from the Christopher Sergel play that's been performed by high school students and community theater actors for decades. Nor does it matter that the community theaters paid a licensing fee of at least $100 dollars per performance to the Dramatic Publishing Company, which owns the rights to the earlier version of the play. What matters, lawyers for Broadway producer Scott Rudin say, is that according to the contract between Dramatic and the Harper Lee estate, most amateur performances can't proceed now that a new version of the story is on Broadway. That 1969 contract, according to the Times, blocks Mockingbird performances within 25 miles of cities that had a population of 150,000 or more in 1960, while a "first-class dramatic play" based on the book is playing in New York or on tour.
rurban 8y ago
The very last paragraph explains it: > "Rudin's production opened on Broadway in December to generally strong reviews. But the show itself was the subject of controversy last year when the Lee estate sued, claiming Sorkin's adaptation was too far removed from the original story. Rudin and the Lee estate settled the suit in May, just one month before the trial was set to begin." Rudin is angry over having to pay for an adaptation, so he pushed back, and it's his right so.
- js2 8y ago
  He was always going to pay to license it. If he’s angry at anything it’s that the Lee estate tried to block his production for deviating too far from the book. So because he’s angry at the Lee estate, he’s taking it out on these community productions? Doesn’t make sense. From the NYT article: > The restrictions on local productions are meant to protect the financial viability of a national tour by restricting competition. I think it’s more likely that, but I don’t buy the argument. I’ve been to many community productions, touring productions, and Broadway itself. The former, even the best of them, isn’t really in the same league. If anything I’d argue the community productions help Broadway by exposing plays to more audiences. If I hadn’t seen a community production of Les Mis first, I would not have gone out of my way to take my family to it when it opened in NYC. Anyway as you say, his decision, but I think it’s shortsighted and mean spirited. I won’t be seeing this play.

2 points by js2 8y ago

js2 8y ago

Seems like Copyright law is doing more harm than good here. I guess the argument is that these community productions reduce the audience for the Broadway performance. Of that, I'm dubious: From Massachusetts to Utah, small community theater productions of "To Kill a Mockingbird" are being shut down under threat of a lawsuit by the producer of the new Broadway production. It doesn't matter that the new version, penned by Aaron Sorkin, is completely different from the Christopher Sergel play that's been performed by high school students and community theater actors for decades. Nor does it matter that the community theaters paid a licensing fee of at least $100 dollars per performance to the Dramatic Publishing Company, which owns the rights to the earlier version of the play. What matters, lawyers for Broadway producer Scott Rudin say, is that according to the contract between Dramatic and the Harper Lee estate, most amateur performances can't proceed now that a new version of the story is on Broadway. That 1969 contract, according to the Times, blocks Mockingbird performances within 25 miles of cities that had a population of 150,000 or more in 1960, while a "first-class dramatic play" based on the book is playing in New York or on tour.

rurban 8y ago

The very last paragraph explains it: > "Rudin's production opened on Broadway in December to generally strong reviews. But the show itself was the subject of controversy last year when the Lee estate sued, claiming Sorkin's adaptation was too far removed from the original story. Rudin and the Lee estate settled the suit in May, just one month before the trial was set to begin." Rudin is angry over having to pay for an adaptation, so he pushed back, and it's his right so.

js2 8y ago
He was always going to pay to license it. If he’s angry at anything it’s that the Lee estate tried to block his production for deviating too far from the book. So because he’s angry at the Lee estate, he’s taking it out on these community productions? Doesn’t make sense. From the NYT article: > The restrictions on local productions are meant to protect the financial viability of a national tour by restricting competition. I think it’s more likely that, but I don’t buy the argument. I’ve been to many community productions, touring productions, and Broadway itself. The former, even the best of them, isn’t really in the same league. If anything I’d argue the community productions help Broadway by exposing plays to more audiences. If I hadn’t seen a community production of Les Mis first, I would not have gone out of my way to take my family to it when it opened in NYC. Anyway as you say, his decision, but I think it’s shortsighted and mean spirited. I won’t be seeing this play.