Rights?

The one time I saw my class at CTI get into an uproar was when we were all going around and discussing our current projects and one of the producers in my class didn’t have the rights to a show he had been working on for years and put money into.

Another time, I remember Arena Stage announced The Women of Brewster Place and then pulled it from the season because Gloria Naylor had not signed off on her rights from the book. She later did, and it appeared the following season, but you see where I am going with this.

I had just started to pursue a show for Project Fringe 10 when the authors asked about getting the rights from the book. I felt a little dumb for not asking first off. I thought it was public domain, but it turns out it is not. They now are hiring a lawyer to help them through this matter. This is so important because they have already had other people interested in licensing the show. So this is something that could yield a profit for the authors. Needless to say, I am hoping and praying the rights come through.

If you are working on a show or getting ready to, always make sure the authors and or company have the appropriate rights. It is so important.