What should you do if you know someone's doing an illegal production? — Page 2

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#26

re: What should you do if you know someone's doing an illegal production?

Posted: 10/30/05 at 7:51pm

Taboophan1- I think you missed the point. Paying royalties has nothing to do with compensating a running show. It compensates the WRTIERS of the show as well as those who put money into the IDEA of the show.

Tell the principle first. If he/she doesn't do anything about it contact Mr. Cole.

David walked into the valley With a stone clutched in his hand He was only a boy But he knew someone must take a stand There will always be a valley Always mountains one must scale There will always be perilous waters Which someone must sail -Into the Fire Scarlet Pimpernel

#27

re: What should you do if you know someone's doing an illegal production?

Posted: 10/30/05 at 8:09pm

The rights aren't out. The only thing I can think of is if they are doing a concert-like idea. But its iffy. It's also illegal. The school is making money unlawfully.

"You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view - until you climb into his skin and walk around in it."
To Kill A Mockingbird

#28

re: What should you do if you know someone's doing an illegal production?

Posted: 10/30/05 at 8:10pm

I got the point, I just didn't agree with it.I understand that it doesn't compensate the show. What I mean is that high school theatre is a learning experience, not a professional production. If the royalties should be treated like it was a professional production, why doesn't everything get treated that way? Why don't we ask that high school actors be required to join equity to audition? I'm just saying it's silly that a show in a high school is treated like it was professional, and I think it's just greedy that the writers require that they pay for the rights. It's not like the high school is taking the show on the road... perhaps there should be special rules for attaining rights for a high school. Like, they don't have to pay for the rights if they restrict the run to four performances and the writers are credited in the playbill. After four performances the school must pay for the rights, or something like that.

I hold a degree in Musical Theatre from Montclair State University. It is useless. Now I'm funny for money. Oh, and I sing.

#29

re: What should you do if you know someone's doing an illegal production?

Posted: 10/30/05 at 8:13pm

They must have been told they wont get far on Broadway if they don't have any Jews, LOL!!

"It is bad enough that people are dying of AIDS, but no one should die of ignorance." - Elizabeth Taylor

#30

re: What should you do if you know someone's doing an illegal production?

Posted: 10/30/05 at 8:23pm

TabooPhan1- The royalties are different between amateur and professional productions.

I have produced and directed a few amateur productions through MTI and they always charged me a basic fee per show, a security fee (which was refunded after return of scripts and other materials) and then an additional fee based on the number of tickets you believed you would sell. This TOTAL FEE (less the security fee) always left room for a LARGE PROFIT (this in spite of extremely low ticket prices).

#31

re: What should you do if you know someone's doing an illegal production?

Posted: 10/30/05 at 8:33pm

what do you do if you're in a production and you know that the producers didn't buy the rights?

i've been in a few shows and we all had photocopied scripts and i know that the rights to the show were not purchased. and there was a ticket fee too.

what should i have done? and what should i do if it happens again?

#32

re: What should you do if you know someone's doing an illegal production?

Posted: 10/30/05 at 8:33pm

This is just a wild guess. But I wonder what the percentage of amateur to professional of a certain show is. Each show is different but taboo you will see in many circumstances that amateur may be higher, so why should the authors not get paid for their craft just beacuse the boys cant sing or the directors daughter is the star. AMatuer shows can be bad but one of the best godspell's i ever saw was a HS production. Either way credit ($) is due.

#33

re: What should you do if you know someone's doing an illegal production?

Posted: 10/30/05 at 8:34pm

Hmmm my whole reason for telling is because "Why should their school get to do it and not mine!?" Haha... Someone was telling me their friend's school did Wicked and I kept asking if they were mistaken and maybe meant The Wizard of Oz and they said no... It is technically stealing and is pretty low thing for a school to do. And I don't know if teenagers can pull off the vocals for that show anyway... IMO let the principal know and then consider your job done.. they'll either do the right thing or not.

Am I cut out to spend my time this way?

#34

re: What should you do if you know someone's doing an illegal production?

Posted: 10/30/05 at 8:41pm

Maybe their just doing the music? Possibly a music review?

I don't know how illegal that would be.

#35

re: What should you do if you know someone's doing an illegal production?

Posted: 10/30/05 at 8:48pm

It's the musical. And I told my friend to tell her principal, or I'll report the school. She got extremely mad at me, and she told me she'd do it, but I doubt she will. She's still pissed at me because she wanted to be in Wicked.

#36

re: What should you do if you know someone's doing an illegal production?

Posted: 10/30/05 at 8:50pm

LilMiZBroADwaY23- Schwartz has given permission to use music (there is a certain limit though) if you ask beforehand.

#37

re: What should you do if you know someone's doing an illegal production?

Posted: 10/30/05 at 9:38pm

I agree with those who say that you should speak to the principal, but don't report them to the authorities. Yes, what they're doing is wrong, but I don't think you want to be the one responsible for a lawsuit against the school!

#38

re: What should you do if you know someone's doing an illegal production?

Posted: 10/30/05 at 9:41pm

How does one illegally procure the script and sheet music, out of curiousity...?

'The Devil be hitting me!'--Whitney Houston

Updated On: 10/30/05 at 09:41 PM

#39

re: What should you do if you know someone's doing an illegal production?

Posted: 10/30/05 at 9:45pm

I would imagine they find the illegal script floating around on the net, and use that.

Is the script in the new Grimmerie thing? They could be using that.

#40

re: What should you do if you know someone's doing an illegal production?

Posted: 10/30/05 at 9:48pm

Okay, this is what happened.
Friend=VERY mad at me
Mom-won't let me report them

I lost

#41

re: What should you do if you know someone's doing an illegal production?

Posted: 10/30/05 at 9:50pm

It is legal to do some songs in a production, but I've heard that the limit is 3, so say if you do a cabaret and people want to do a few songs from wicked, that is legal, w/o the need to ask for permission, any more than that or if you actually want to do the show is just..so illegal ...and DUMB who in their right mind would do wicked, A. at an all girls school, B. at ANY school....LMAO...that would be halariously horrible!

and all that I could do because of you was talk of love...

#42

re: What should you do if you know someone's doing an illegal production?

Posted: 10/30/05 at 9:51pm

These days, people get them offline.

The orchestrations are available to use, my sister's high school orchestra is performing a few in their concert.

My Fair Lady, I think it's definitely the right thing to report them. At least tell the principal about it and if they still continue to go through with it knowing it's illegal, definitely report them. YOU wouldn't be responsible for the lawsuit against the school, THEY would be responsible for doing it in the first place and knowing that it's illegal.

If no other high schools/amateur/professional theaters are allowed to do it other than the official ones, how is your friend's situation any different from the rest of the country? Sorry, but I think she's just being selfish.

Like a firework unexploded
Wanting life but never knowing how

Updated On: 10/30/05 at 09:51 PM

#43

re: What should you do if you know someone's doing an illegal production?

Posted: 10/30/05 at 9:55pm

Well I think you should ATLEAST tell the principle. He/she has the RIGHT to know.

Though it would be amusing to see the school ran by Marc Platt and Universal

. (<-------- joke incase you didn't get it)

#44

re: What should you do if you know someone's doing an illegal production?

Posted: 10/30/05 at 9:55pm

I still say the vision of whoever is putting this on at this school and the vision of what your friend thinks is going to be up there on stage is completely different. Have you seen any other shows at this school? Like others have posted, it may be legal to do one or two songs (I'm not claiming to know) ... all I know is that the crappy shows my private all girls school got to do were sometimes even badly written by the drama teacher.

#45

re: What should you do if you know someone's doing an illegal production?

Posted: 10/30/05 at 9:56pm

I'd report them, too, even though your mom "won't let you". All you have to do is drop an email to Michael Cole (MichaelCole@stephenschwartz.com) telling him that you suspect the school of putting on an unlicensed production of Wicked. He can take care of the rest. And he's very good at such things. I and some fellow Idina fans email him whenever we see a Wicked bootleg on eBay and those things disappear like that.

artistic dominion

#46

re: What should you do if you know someone's doing an illegal production?

Posted: 10/30/05 at 10:01pm

She is. This is my conversation with her:

"her" (9:42:53 PM): im very mad at u
"her" (9:44:22 PM): !!!
"her" (9:44:24 PM): are u there???
"her" (9:44:48 PM): ok fine dont nswer then
Me (9:45:41 PM): i know you're mad at me
Me (9:45:49 PM): and i was downstairs getting my mom something
"her" (9:46:22 PM): i cant believe u would be soooo freakin mean!
Me (9:46:28 PM): and you don't haev to worry about me reporting anyone, since my mom won't let me. i was telling my sister, because my sister wanted me to reort you guys, and she overheard me and yelled at me. and i'm not being mean
Me (9:46:31 PM): it's against the law
Me (9:46:33 PM): simple as that
Me (9:46:53 PM): lawas are written for a reason, and (the school)'s bereaking them, which is why you should tell your principal
"her" (9:46:57 PM): well u know what....i think ur crazy'
Me (9:47:13 PM): why am i crazy?
because i want to prevent a school from doign something illegal?
Me (9:47:23 PM): you're being immature and selfish
"her" (9:47:28 PM): OMG MIND UR F*CKIN OWN PLACE
"her" (9:47:35 PM): and no i dont think im being immature
"her" (9:48:03 PM): and seriously next time i wont tell u when i have these things cuz ull just get me in trouble!!!!
"her" (9:48:08 PM): i mean (friend of ours) agrees
"her" (9:48:15 PM): why would u even think to care
"her" (9:48:18 PM): like seriously!
Me (9:48:23 PM): no one ever thinks they're beign immature
"her" (9:48:30 PM): uh huh
Me (9:48:38 PM): and the only reason you acre so much is because you want to be in wicked
"her" (9:48:39 PM): ya know what go be unloyal to someone else
Me (9:49:04 PM): and you know what? being in a illegal production won't get you ANYWHERE. and the word is disloyal.
"her" (9:49:33 PM): thanx for fuming me up more]
"her" (9:49:43 PM): u know wat screw this
Me (9:49:52 PM): ok
"her" (9:50:12 PM): u know what go tell on the school
"her" (9:50:16 PM): but dont make me the one to do it
Me (9:50:18 PM): i'm not
"her" (9:50:19 PM): thats why i am sooo mad
Me (9:50:23 PM): did you read anything i typed?
Me (9:50:26 PM): my mom isn't letting me
"her" (9:50:26 PM): cuz u would make me havta look like a freak
"her" (9:50:28 PM): well thanx
"her" (9:50:31 PM): thats loyal
Me (9:50:38 PM): and you're still being irrational...
"her" (9:50:57 PM): ok wtever broadway sux!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Me (9:51:08 PM): mature much?
"her" (9:51:32 PM): oh thats it
"her" (9:51:39 PM): now u blew the fuse

#47

re: What should you do if you know someone's doing an illegal production?

Posted: 10/30/05 at 10:05pm

Hell! I'm tempted to email that address and tell them what's going on!

#48

re: What should you do if you know someone's doing an illegal production?

Posted: 10/30/05 at 10:12pm

I would report ...do an anonymous report of the event.

#49

re: What should you do if you know someone's doing an illegal production?

Posted: 10/30/05 at 10:18pm

If Broadway sucks, why does she want to do Wicked so badly? Not that I'm going to go through that entire conversation and pick out every instance of stupidity. Wow, no offense, but do you still consider this person your friend?

Why won't your mom let you? You can just email the guy yourself and not have to go through her. Not that I'm suggesting you disobey your mother, but breaking copyright laws is kind of out of her jurisdiction in my opinion.

Like a firework unexploded
Wanting life but never knowing how

#50

re: What should you do if you know someone's doing an illegal production?

Posted: 10/30/05 at 10:28pm

I say you report it. Sometimes you just have to stand up for what you believe in, even if it hurts you.
Anyways, what's the worst that can happen? If they stop the school from doing the show, it's not like they'll plaster the school with signs saying "MY FAIR LADY REPORTED THIS ILLEGAL PRODUCTION!" No one (other than your friend and mother) will suspect you.

Avatar (C) Gregory Jbara, used with permission. Visit his web site at www.gregoryjbara.com! Click here!

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