Theatre Lawyer

Earlier this week, the New York Theatre Critics broke with long standing tradition and reviewed a show while it is still in Previews.  The mostly bad reviews of “Spiderman: Turn Off The Dark” came out the day after one of the oft-rescheduled opening dates.  Clearly the critics have had enough, figuring (I think correctly), that when…

It’s quite frequent in my practice.  My clients are asked to accept less than their usual fee or “quote” for work.  What’s offered in exchange for this important concession?  You guessed it, Producer credit. Well, this is often very attractive to the client, as it helps them climb the showbiz food chain.  In fact, many…

Last week, a colleague asked me the following question: If an actor improvises lines in a play, and the “author”/director of the play later wishes to write a screenplay which incorporates the actor’s improvised dialogue, does he have to obtain rights to that dialogue?  What is the written (or unwritten) rule regarding the incorporation of…