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Intellectual Property and Rights

Questions of ownership are often fraught in creative contexts and are worth exploring. Dive into conversation on intellectual property and rights for theatre artists in this section, which includes a series of articles exploring ownership of creative work and videos of accompanying panels, an essay on the Creative Commons, and more. And if you’re interested in HowlRound’s policies on intellectual property, you can read all about them here.

The Latest

There’s No Such Thing as an Original Play
Essay
There’s No Such Thing as an Original Play
by Ezra Brain
22 March 2022
Experimental Theatre + Performance Publishing
Video
Experimental Theatre + Performance Publishing
at the Martin E. Segal Theatre Center
Monday 17 December
New York City
The Creative Commons, or “Commonly Creative”
Essay
The Creative Commons, or “Commonly Creative”
by Cheryl Davis
27 September 2016
Four actors hold another one in the air.
There’s No Such Thing as an Original Play
Essay

There’s No Such Thing as an Original Play

22 March 2022

In this rethinking of authorship in contemporary theatre, Ezra Brain uses a collaborative definition of creativity to open up opportunities for theatre workers to advocate for pay equity.

Experimental Theatre + Performance Publishing
Video

Experimental Theatre + Performance Publishing

at the Martin E. Segal Theatre Center

Monday 17 December
New York City

The Martin E. Segal Theatre Center in New York City presents Experimental Theatre + Performance Publishing with 3 Hole Press, 53rd State Press, and Ugly Duckling Presse livestreaming on the global, commons-based peer produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv Monday 17 December 2018 at 3:30 p.m. PST (San Francisco) / 5:30 p.m. CST (Chicago) / 6:30 p.m. EST (New York).

The Creative Commons, or “Commonly Creative”
Essay

The Creative Commons, or “Commonly Creative”

27 September 2016

Playwright and attorney Cheryl Davis delves into the legal specifics of Creative Commons and fair use, explaining how artists can use them to fit their needs.

Convivial Control, Culture War, and the thatswhatshesaid Watershed
Essay

Convivial Control, Culture War, and the thatswhatshesaid Watershed

12 June 2016

Eric Kildow looks at the letter written by Doug Wright of the Dramatists Guild in the wake of casting conflicts and at the cease and desist letters sent to the creators of thatswhatshesaid in the context of what they mean for the nature of collaboration and collective control of the means of production. 

Lest We Misforget—Chewing On Chewing On Beckett
Essay

Lest We Misforget—Chewing On Chewing On Beckett

11 June 2016

Regina Buccola discusses Ed Proudfoot’s Chewing on Beckett, a contemporary reimagining of Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot with an all-female cast. 

Where Do Broken Hearts and Intellectual Copyright Go? The Ponderings of a Dumped Artistic Director
Essay

Where Do Broken Hearts and Intellectual Copyright Go? The Ponderings of a Dumped Artistic Director

5 June 2016

After Ernie Nolan was terminated from a theatre company where he was artistic director, he considers the rights of artists and administrators who work in states where employers can fire at will.

A Playwright’s Words
Essay

A Playwright’s Words

Last Rights? thatswhatshesaid Offers a Challenging Conversation.

19 March 2016

Dramaturg and rhetoric instructor, Arwen Mitchell, explores artistic ownership, intellectual property, and new idea formation in consideration of Samuel French’s cease-and-desist orders to thatswhatshesaid

Scripts For Free
Essay

Scripts For Free

23 January 2016

Edward Einhorn discusses the benefits and pitfalls of posting scripts online.

Welcome to #MusicalsWeek
Essay

Welcome to #MusicalsWeek

Protecting, Developing, and Celebrating Your Work

27 September 2015

Ashley Moniz and Courtney Kochuba introduce this series of articles and live events taking place this week online and in New York City.

Contracts 101: Fair Use & the Dramatist at Dramatists Guild of America
Video

Contracts 101: Fair Use & the Dramatist at Dramatists Guild of America

Tuesday 5 May 2015 
New York, NY, United States

Dramatists Guild of America presented Contracts 101: Fair Use & the Dramatist livestreamed on the global, commons-based peer produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Tuesday 5 May at 2:30 p.m. PDT (Los Angeles) / 3:30 p.m. MDT (Albuquerque) / 4:30 p.m. CDT (Austin) / 5:30 p.m. EDT (New York). To participate on Twitter, use hashtag #howlround and direct your questions to @DramatistsGuild. Additionally, follow @HowlRoundTV for updates.

a portrait of mike lew
Going Digital
Essay

Going Digital

How Should We Publish & License New Plays In An Online World?

17 July 2014

#RightsWeek post: While I think the databases may be useful for schools and small companies, at the highest level I question whether access to plays is really the rate-limiter behind getting more plays to production. Rather I think the dialogue between producers and playwrights is limited and opaque and inauthentic, leading to misspent efforts all around.

Protecting, Distributing, and Monetizing Your Work Online
Essay

Protecting, Distributing, and Monetizing Your Work Online

16 July 2014

Sean Patrick Flahaven offers insight into how artists can protect their intellectual property from piracy. 

The cast of Avenue Q.
The Battle of Artistic Acknowledgment
Essay

The Battle of Artistic Acknowledgment

An Ongoing Education

15 July 2014

#RightsWeek post: No one gets into directing new plays because they want to copy someone else’s work. For me, the fun is in solving a monumental problem in a completely unique and aesthetically elegant manner.

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Panel Discussions on Intellectual Property in Theatre
Video

Panel Discussions on Intellectual Property in Theatre

Monday 14 July through Thursday 17 July 2014
New York, NY, United States

Samuel French, Inc in New York City presents four livestreaming panel discussions for #RightsWeek: Protecting & Sharing Your Intellectual Property on the global, commons-based peer produced HowlRound TV network at HowlRound.TV this Monday, July 14 through Thursday, July 17. What is the state of intellectual property? What are the rights of theatre artists and new work? The complete #RightsWeek series will include these four livestreamed panel discussions, five essays and blog posts on HowlRound, and live tweeting throughout the week including a real-time Twitter chat on Thursday, July 17. To participate in these four livestreamed panel Q&A's, watch HowlRound.TV, follow @MrSamuelFrench, @HowlRound, and use hashtags #RightsWeek and #howlround. Alternatively, you can watch the livestreams and comment using Samuel French's Facebook page.

the word "piracy" crossed out
Defining Piracy (And Fighting Against It) In Today’s Theater Industry
Essay

Defining Piracy (And Fighting Against It) In Today’s Theater Industry

14 July 2014

Creativity and collaboration both rely on trust and on the work of other people. But the law seeks to make the murky concrete, and the complicated simple. This is why we should keep our understanding of piracy (and for that matter, plagiarism) to the very clear cases when scripts and designs are used without their creators’ permission.

Welcome to #RightsWeek
Essay

Welcome to #RightsWeek

Identifying & Sharing Intellectual Property

13 July 2014

Amy Rose Marsh provides an overview of HowlRound's #RightsWeek.

Nourishing the Commons
Essay

Nourishing the Commons

Rethinking Intellectual Property

15 March 2012

Isaac Butler argues for a re-thinking of the way we as theater artists approach and apply copyright and intellectual property.

 

#MusicalsWeek
Series

#MusicalsWeek

What is the process of developing new musical theatre? How can composers and lyricists better protect their work, while also promoting it?

Rights Week
Series

Rights Week

A week of articles and panels that examine a variety of topics surrounding the ownership of work.