Ethical Dilemma Regarding MTI

[fiyero8132]

Posted: 10/18/06 at 9:15pm

I've got a little ethical dilemma that I'd like your thoughts on. I am aware of a school producing one of the MTI shows illegally. The director has been sneaking around for about 15 years, getting away with this kind of thing. My guess is that she orders perusal copies of the script and score and photocopies them. She also makes numerous obvious changes to these shows (i.e. cutting songs, cutting dialogue, adding characters, adding songs from other shows, transposing everything etc.) It's really awful. Normally I'd have no problem reporting someone like this. However, she is an ex-teacher of mine. My friends and I are debating wether to report this to MTI or not. Their next production is in December and we know they do not have the rights. The problem is many kids would be dissapointed, and if it was discovered that we had reported the director we would be burning some bridges with her. My friends and I feel especially strongly because we are working towards presenting a show independently in the spring and we have done everything legitmately in accordance with MTI. This is how it should be. We feel frustrated that she is sneaking around this and basically robbing MTI and the writers of these shows. I keep reminding myself that it is bad to be an idle bystander in the face of wrong-doing, but something is restraining me. What should we do?

[broadwayguy2]

Posted: 10/18/06 at 9:17pm

this is remarkably like the somewhat recent drama of the school in the bronx doing chicago. I say report it. let the teacher handle 'dissapointments'. better to teach the kids to do things legally. we don't sedn kids to school to teach them to steal.

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 10/18/06 at 9:18pm

Mind your own business.

Life's too short.

[CapnHook]

Posted: 10/18/06 at 9:22pm

I agree. It's a bad situation, but I would say doing an illegal production takes priority.

a) They are doing an injustice to the writers and composers.
b) They are taking advantage of the theatre.
c) They are not setting a good example for all those in the company.
d) It's illegal.
e) It is not their right to accept money for a piece of art they had the audacity to change, without permission, and in addition put on the artwork without paying royalties.

[eatlasagna]

Posted: 10/18/06 at 9:28pm

"what we have here is an ethical dilemma..."

"oh come on! someone had to do it."

crap... where is this from again????

[fiyero8132]

Posted: 10/18/06 at 9:29pm

Good point, Broadwayguy2. That kind of behaviour definitely promotes the wrong values to impressionable kids.

[clarkstallings]

Posted: 10/18/06 at 9:34pm

You could always go to the teacher and non accusingly inform her or she that what is being done is wrong and illegal and that it needs to stop immediately or you will be forced to report it to MTI.

[broadwayguy2]

Posted: 10/18/06 at 9:35pm

yes clark, i would definately recommend mentioning it to the teachers first

[eatlasagna]

Posted: 10/18/06 at 9:39pm

thanks tobiasragg... that was really bugging me!

[Horton]

Posted: 10/18/06 at 9:41pm

I think that it would be very difficult for fiyero8132 to go to the teacher and talk to her, i would turn her in, its against the law. How do you turn somebody in, do you just call up MTI and are like "I know somebody doing one of your shows illigally"

[Michael Bennett]

Posted: 10/18/06 at 9:43pm

The teacher will deny any wrong doing. You can anonymously call MTI and tell them what the situation is and they will investigate on their own. That is the best situation, and the teacher will never know it was you who gave them the tip. No need to burn bridges.

[Lizzya9]

Posted: 10/18/06 at 9:50pm

Report it. It's not fair or right to anyone else, and the kids can't be getting good messages from this either.

[Horton]

Posted: 10/18/06 at 9:52pm

If this woman is doing shows illigally, why whenever I do one should I have to pay, its not fair!

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 10/18/06 at 9:52pm

Just mind your own business. How many other places do the same thing? Updated On: 10/18/06 at 09:52 PM

[broadwayguy2]

Posted: 10/18/06 at 9:55pm

does not make it okay or mean that you turn a cheek and ignore.... unless you, yankeefan, are guilty of the same thing.

[Michael Bennett]

Posted: 10/18/06 at 9:55pm

Less and less, Yankee because the internet has made it incredibly easy to find out information. Eventually somebody will turn the teacher in if what she is doing is illegal.

[jonartdesigns]

Posted: 10/18/06 at 9:56pm

the sad thing is mti probobly won't care. My old high school decided to add characters to into the woods (as i recall there was a chorus of fairies, some character had an added parent, etc.) so i e-mailed mti, got no response, and the show ran its full run


but still REPORT HER

[fiyero8132]

Posted: 10/18/06 at 9:56pm

Yeah, yankeefan - the fact that "other places do the same thing" makes it okay?

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 10/18/06 at 9:57pm

I write....I don't direct.

And just the typing of that statement makes me change my mind.

Wow.

[broadwayguy2]

Posted: 10/18/06 at 9:58pm

jonart, as i recall from dealing with mti, you can add chorus/non speaking people or reassign a line or two, but you can't write new material, cut material, etc etc etc... I do know that R&H and MTI can be nazis when it comes to their material. I have heard some horror tales.

[Michael Bennett]

Posted: 10/18/06 at 9:59pm

All you have to do is look up the show on the MTI website and it will list all "approved" productions of it. If you contact MTI and they chose to do nothing about it, than that is their choice. You have done what you feel is morally correct, and that is why I suggest you go straight to MTI and not to the teacher. You may or may not know the entire story and to make any type of accusation is not your place. Leave that to MTI - it's their job.

[orangeskittles]

Posted: 10/18/06 at 10:09pm

Don't tell the teacher, just go straight to MTI. If you're worried about burning bridges with her, she'll never know it was you that turned her in. And if she's been doing this for decades, she doesn't deserve advance warning.

Updated On: 10/18/06 at 10:09 PM

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 10/18/06 at 10:28pm

I find it absolutely appalling and sickening that people on this board who claim to be theatre lovers are actually urging this person to just mind their own business and look the other way.

Are you crazy?

I would report them in a heartbeat. Hell, give me the name of the school and I will call them myself.

It is completely assinine to do anything but turn them in.

The teacher is showing her students to have no respect for theatre by behaving in this manner. Sure, they might be upset about one show - but the show they will do next year LEGALLY will make up for it. MTI probably won't even take drastic action. They will probably either call them to arrange a contract, or send out a cease and desist.

I once worked with a theatre company in NYC *coughcoughcoughharmonytheatrecoughcoughcough* and I was treated like absolute garbage. The horrendous human being that was running the program made huge changes to the show. He re-wrote vocal parts, re-ordered the songs, re-wrote the book - everything under the sun. As soon as I found out what he was doing, I withdrew from the production (though I'm sure if you ask him, he fired me) and marched right over to the MTI offices on 54th street and handed them my entire script and score as proof. As it turns out, they were ALSO lying about how many times they were performing and claimed they were charging $0 for a ticket - when in fact - they charged $25. I also handed him the poster with the ticket prices.

Let's just say that the show never completed it's run, and they got lawyers involved. And I do not regret it a bit.

As the man at MTI explained to me, all artists need to look out for one another, and they really count on people who respect theatre to alert them when people are robbing artists and destroying their shows. I feel good about turning them in.


It's not as if this woman has been doing legal shows and just decided to do it again. That is illegal and I would turn her in - but some wouldn't. She's been doing illegal productions for years, apparantly, and she has robbed enough people of what is rightfully theirs.

And don't worry about burning bridges. It is 100% anonymous, and MTI respects that. Though, I'm not quite sure WHY would would care about burning bridges with a woman that is clearly disrespectful toward the very creators of the artform she "teaches."

It's bull**** and should not be tolerated. I understand why you have hesitation...it's completely understandable...but your fear and hesitation and your director's incompetance should not stop people from receiving what is rightfully theirs.

I hope you make the right decision.

[popculture37]

Posted: 10/18/06 at 10:30pm

Has this show been cast already? If so, I would wait until after the show is over, then inform MTI that this teacher has been repeatedly breaking the law, so that they can prevent her from doing so ever again. If a kid's already been cast in their dream role, it would be cruel to take it away from them because of someone else's misbehavior that they might be totally unaware of. It is unfair that this happens, and it is done frequently-every time a voice teacher organizes a concert for their students that includes copyrighted songs it is illegal unless they buy the rights, which almost never happens. Just remember that this is a school production-they're not going to make a huge profit from it, and many directors at the school and local level aren't aware of how important it is to purchase rights. It's still wrong, and it should be stopped, but the world won't end if you don't inform MTI right away.

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 10/18/06 at 10:38pm

WHO CARES IF IT HAS BEEN CAST.

YOU PEOPLE ARE RIDICULOUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

CALL MTI TOMORROW MORNING. PLEASE. GIVE ME A F*CKING BREAK.