
Community Theaters Kill 'Mockingbird' Productions After Lawsuit Threat - js2
https://www.npr.org/2019/03/01/699245024/community-theaters-kill-mockingbird-productions-after-lawsuit-threat
======
js2
Seems like Copyright law is doing more harm than good here. I guess the
argument is that these community productions reduce the audience for the
Broadway performance. Of that, I'm dubious:

 _From Massachusetts to Utah, small community theater productions of "To Kill
a Mockingbird" are being shut down under threat of a lawsuit by the producer
of the new Broadway production.

It doesn't matter that the new version, penned by Aaron Sorkin, is completely
different from the Christopher Sergel play that's been performed by high
school students and community theater actors for decades. Nor does it matter
that the community theaters paid a licensing fee of at least $100 dollars per
performance to the Dramatic Publishing Company, which owns the rights to the
earlier version of the play.

What matters, lawyers for Broadway producer Scott Rudin say, is that according
to the contract between Dramatic and the Harper Lee estate, most amateur
performances can't proceed now that a new version of the story is on Broadway.

That 1969 contract, according to the Times, blocks Mockingbird performances
within 25 miles of cities that had a population of 150,000 or more in 1960,
while a "first-class dramatic play" based on the book is playing in New York
or on tour._

------
rurban
The very last paragraph explains it:

> "Rudin's production opened on Broadway in December to generally strong
> reviews. But the show itself was the subject of controversy last year when
> the Lee estate sued, claiming Sorkin's adaptation was too far removed from
> the original story. Rudin and the Lee estate settled the suit in May, just
> one month before the trial was set to begin."

Rudin is angry over having to pay for an adaptation, so he pushed back, and
it's his right so.

~~~
js2
He was always going to pay to license it. If he’s angry at anything it’s that
the Lee estate tried to block his production for deviating too far from the
book. So because he’s angry at the Lee estate, he’s taking it out on these
community productions? Doesn’t make sense. From the NYT article:

> The restrictions on local productions are meant to protect the financial
> viability of a national tour by restricting competition.

I think it’s more likely that, but I don’t buy the argument. I’ve been to many
community productions, touring productions, and Broadway itself. The former,
even the best of them, isn’t really in the same league. If anything I’d argue
the community productions help Broadway by exposing plays to more audiences.
If I hadn’t seen a community production of Les Mis first, I would not have
gone out of my way to take my family to it when it opened in NYC.

Anyway as you say, his decision, but I think it’s shortsighted and mean
spirited. I won’t be seeing this play.

