Yet another cease-and-desist letter letter to regional taking liberties with a play's text.

[Owen22]

Posted: 6/21/14 at 10:30am

Alchemist Theatre in Milwaukee cast "Oleanna" with a male in the role of "Carol".

http://www.jsonline.com/entertainment/arts/mamet-letter-forces-alchemist-to-cancel-oleanna-after-1-performance-b99295992z1-264051181.html

[broadwaydevil]

Posted: 6/21/14 at 12:20pm

While this seems far more minor than the other one, the Alchemist Theatre is still in the wrong. Producing someone else's work that is not in the public domain is a privilege not a right. It's no so hard to comprehend that it's not your work and that absolutely any changes you make need to be approved by whoever issued you the rights.

[ggersten]

Posted: 6/21/14 at 12:23pm

Sometimes you just need to ask permission - rather than to wait and ask for forgiveness.

[broadwaydevil]

Posted: 6/21/14 at 12:31pm

With this sort of thing, you ALWAYS need to ask for permission.

[dramamama611]

Posted: 6/21/14 at 12:36pm

It is very clear in the contracts you get that changing the gender of characters is not allowed.

I'm sort of glad these stories are getting attention. I know plenty of directors that pay little mind to the contracts they sign, and it gets my goat. Maybe this will remind people a little bit.

[broadwaydevil]

Posted: 6/21/14 at 12:44pm

Agreed. I can't count the number of regional productions I've seen making unauthorized changes with no repercussions. There should probably be another cease-and-desist letters issued every day for how frequently this happens.

[Auggie27]

Posted: 6/21/14 at 12:49pm

I know of a case where the entire last scene of Jordan Harrison's "Maple and Vine" was dropped. Anyone who knows that play knows it basically leaves out a particular Twilight-Zone-esque O'Henry twist. It wasn't reported but should have been.

[SNAFU]

Posted: 6/21/14 at 12:54pm

When I recently directed three short Beckett Plays over at the Irish Rep, Beckett's Estate were breathing down our backs constantly. I had to write out a specific request to be able to perform Act Without Words using a bunraku style puppet. It was the very first time anyone had made such a request to them and the first time they allowed the change. The Estate came 4 times during our run to review the shows.
In the requirements to get the rights, a character's sex could NOT be changed, no dialogue could be added or subtracted without written consent and ALL of Beckett's stage directions were to be followed to the 'T'. I guess so much of Beckett's work is the rhythm and movement, they have to be that hard-nosed about it.

[somethingwicked]

Posted: 6/21/14 at 12:59pm

SNAFU, the Beckett estate is indeed notoriously diligent. When Deborah Warner and Fiona Shaw collaborated on FOOTFALLS in London in the mid-90s and took some liberties with it, the estate banned the production from touring and refused to allow it to be filmed, both of which were planned.

Neither were allowed to do a Beckett piece again until they eventually did HAPPY DAYS just a few years ago.

[SNAFU]

Posted: 6/21/14 at 1:22pm

Somethingwicked, the Estate seemed to like what we did and are allowing us to that the show to the Adelaide Theatre Festival in March!

[ukpuppetboy]

Posted: 6/21/14 at 1:26pm

SNAFU - sounds like the Beckett estate are really taking their role seriously and I'm glad they were pleased with your results. It reminded me of watching an all female production of Waiting For Godot that the drama society at the university I attended staged and rather arrogantly boasted how tabboo this concept was to the author and how he had expressly forbade it to happen in their programme notes. It was awful but must have slipped under their scrutiny.

Updated On: 6/21/14 at 01:26 PM

[SNAFU]

Posted: 6/21/14 at 1:27pm

Although I find the character of Carol being portrayed by a man,(while hopefully retaining the name Carol), an interesting concept, I think it would totally change the dynamic of Oleanna a great deal.

[ukpuppetboy]

Posted: 6/21/14 at 1:29pm

The only other male Carol I'm aware of plays Big Bird.. Now THAT would be a play..

[dramamama611]

Posted: 6/21/14 at 1:40pm

Carroll O'Connor. Well known American actor.

[SNAFU]

Posted: 6/21/14 at 1:56pm

Exactly Dramamomma!

ukpuppetboy, had they informed the Estate they were doing they would have never been given the rights! Perhaps they performed it without obtaining them? I guess a very short run could get away with it.

[dramamama611]

Posted: 6/21/14 at 2:02pm

I would imagine that this happens more often than they could possibly catch. They could have gotten the rights but kept their intentions quiet. There is no way all productions can be policed.

If course, just as big an unforgivable issue is that of producing WITHOUT obtaining rights.

Updated On: 6/21/14 at 02:02 PM

[South Fl Marc]

Posted: 6/21/14 at 2:05pm

"Although I find the character of Carol being portrayed by a man,(while hopefully retaining the name Carol), an interesting concept, I think it would totally change the dynamic of Oleanna a great deal."

I agree, it sounds like an interesting concept. I think something like that would be the only thing to make me sit through "Oleanna" again. I'm glad I saw it, but I don't think I ever want to see it again unless the concept was so different that it would warrant it. I find the characters two dimensional and the writing slightly pretentious.

[followspot]

Posted: 6/21/14 at 2:14pm

And once again, a completely unapologetic, ego-filled reaction from those responsible:

In a statement issued Friday evening, Erica Case and Aaron Kopec, owners of Alchemist Theatre, said: "We excitedly brought this story to the stage because even though it was written years ago, the unfortunate story that it tells is still relevant today. We auditioned for this show looking for the best talent, not looking for a gender. When Ben Parman auditioned we saw the reality that this relationship, which is more about power, is not gender-specific but gender-neutral. We stayed true to each of David Mamet's powerful words and did not change the character of Carol but allowed the reality of gender and relationship fluidity to add to the impact of the story. We are so very proud of the result, of both Ben and David Sapiro's talent, and Erin Eggers' direction."

So the problem in this situation lies not in directorial hubris, but in a playwright's inability to appreciate how these visionary artists wanted to "add to the impact" of his work. They're the victims. Unbelievable.

Alchemist Theatre's take on Oleanna admittedly sounds fascinating (see link). They may very well be visionary artists. But there's a right way to do things, and there's a wrong way. This was the wrong way.


Oleanna

Updated On: 6/21/14 at 02:14 PM

[Gothampc]

Posted: 6/21/14 at 2:20pm

"we saw the reality that this relationship, which is more about power, is not gender-specific but gender-neutral."

Then stop being lazy and write your own d*mn play and leave Mamet's work alone.

[SNAFU]

Posted: 6/21/14 at 2:20pm

With that statement alone, I am glad the was a cease and desist ordered! I hope from now on that theatre has difficulty obtaining any rights at all!

[Gothampc]

Posted: 6/21/14 at 2:27pm

"When Ben Parman auditioned we saw the reality that this relationship, which is more about power, is not gender-specific but gender-neutral."

In other words, the actor auditioned in the nude with his penis taped down. (Or maybe as they say on Seinfeld "There was shrinkage.")

[James885]

Posted: 6/21/14 at 3:48pm

Wow. What is it with directors who think that they can alter an author's work in such a way?

I'll never forget a production of Little Shop of Horrors I saw years ago that inserted 'Mean Green Mother From Outer Space' at the end of the show and changed the finale to mirror that of the movie, so that Seymour and Audrey survived and got their happy ending.

[tazber]

Posted: 6/21/14 at 4:14pm

I just want to back up a sec here and say that using bunraku puppets for Beckett is a brilliant idea!

[Auggie27]

Posted: 6/21/14 at 4:52pm

Anyone in the Dramatists Guild will tell you this is not a gray area; it's black and white. The playwright owns the play, allows his agent(s) including a publisher/leasing mechanism to license rights for production. It's a basic contractual issue, no nuance. The playwright's prerogative is the only binding concern. I've never seen so much sthus about this (the Playwright's Group on FB is filled with blathering about fairness to female actors, grandiose ruminations on interpretation freshness, the "need" for new ideas in staging classics). None of it matters. The DG protects its own, as AEA protects its members.

[Wilmingtom]

Posted: 6/21/14 at 5:20pm

Snafu, there is no estate. The author is alive and, reasonably, pissed. A play is someone's personal property that you're renting. You wouldn't rent a car and decide to paint it orange, would you? I have had very good luck asking authors if I could make revisions to their work. But when they say no, then it's no and you need to determine if you want to do it as written or not. Sometimes yes, sometimes no. But this all needs to happen before the production is scheduled. Ego, hubrus and arrogance are not a pretty trio.