Who Holds The Rights?

[LightsOut90]

Posted: 6/3/15 at 10:05pm

So I was wondering, is there a certain way to find out if anyone has the broadway revival rights for certain plays? If anyone knows it would be appreciated, just doing some research into something. 

[Liza's Headband]

Posted: 6/4/15 at 8:11am

What are "broadway revival rights"? As someone who spent many years in licensing, I've never heard of that. There might be a Right of First Refusal in some kind of arrangement/deal between a producing entity (either corporation or individual) and licensing agency, but that's not really the same thing. Can you please expand on and clarify this? 

[g.d.e.l.g.i.]

Posted: 6/4/15 at 8:35am

I think they're trying to talk in terms of an option (in this case, similar to Hollywood's model, someone is interested in a revival, and they obtain the rights, but have a specific period of time in which to use them). I'm guessing LightsOut has a fantastic idea for a revival, and is trying to see if anyone has beat them to the punch.

Alternately, they may be asking who to approach about getting rights for a first class revival, in which case: it's usually the authors' agent. If you have a published copy of whatever it is you're reading that doesn't predate the 21st century by more than a decade or so, you should have the most recent info. Get in touch!

Updated On: 6/4/15 at 08:35 AM

[Liza's Headband]

Posted: 6/4/15 at 9:19am

Your post is not really that accurate about options and first class rights, and it's also difficult to answer the OP's without more background information. But okay. 

[temms]

Posted: 6/4/15 at 10:35am

There's a weekly publication called the Theatrical Index that lists every Broadway, Off-Broadway, and upcoming commercial production in the pipeline, who is producing, who is attached, and all pertinent information regarding who is managing what. If a producer has optioned the rights to something, odds are it is listed in the Theatrical Index.

You can get an online subscription, or you can pick up a print copy at the Drama Book Shop. The information doesn't change very much from week to week, and many shows have been listed in the "planned" section for years and years.

http://theatricalindex.com

[HogansHero]

Posted: 6/4/15 at 1:04pm

All rights are a matter of contract and nothing more(or less). One can acquire the rights to produce a revival on Broadway within a stated time period by entering into a contract to that effect with the rights holder. 

That contract may or may not be public information. So if you are not finding anything about those rights by googling, there is no resource available to find proprietary information.

Theatrical Index lists only shows that have been registered.

Negotiations relating to Broadway rights are almost never handled by licensing organizations; they are handled directly by the rights holders (usually through their agents and/or lawyers). But when Scott Rudin acquires the rights to produce a revival, he most likely discussed it either with the author or the author's people, not Samuel French or the like. Sometimes the contact may be made through a third party, such as when a show is discussed with an actor, who is friends with the author, and the actor calls his friend to pitch the idea first.

In answer to the original question, if the information cannot be located through googling, you should contact the author's agent, who probably will not tell you who holds the rights but will certainly tell you if anyone has them or if they are potentially available. I say potentially because oftentimes the rights may not be available because they do not want a production at a certain time for whatever reason, and also because there are very few people who will get those rights, even if they have the money for the option, because the author is essentially investing in the ability of the optionee to mount a successful production. 

You can usually find an author's agent by googling. A good one stop shop for things is doollee.com

[g.d.e.l.g.i.]

Posted: 6/4/15 at 2:33pm

"Your post is not really that accurate about options and first class rights, and it's also difficult to answer the OP's without more background information. But okay. "

Most options have term limits in my experience, and the condescension was utterly unnecessary, but I agree -- difficult to answer without knowing more.

[GavestonPS]

Posted: 6/4/15 at 9:42pm

g.d.e.l.g.i., I don't understand the condescension either. I'm sure Headband understands the details better than I, but your original post was accurate for an original musical of mine that was optioned in the late 1970s and for a friend who held the Broadway production rights to ONE TOUCH OF VENUS for years (but was never quite able to raise the necessary capital).