Tape This. Copy That.

We do not videotape our shows. Not for archival or any other purpose. While I recognize the sentimental value this practice has for many parents, I also understand the concept of copyright protection and intellectual property. I know that when we produce a play or musical that we do not own its mechanical rights and therefore are not permitted to record it in any fashion.

I am regularly asked by parents and students if we videotape mostly I think because so many others do. I know of at least one school whose  shows are taped and later exhibited on the local cable TV outlet. Others regularly make DVDs to sell to parents and fans. Others only make one copy for their "archives." All these schools are in violation of copyright regulations and may open themselves up to being sued in civil court.

I know that we can find thousands of school performances on YouTube. These clips can be a valuable resource when researching a particular show. However, plain and simple they are a violation of the copyright regulations. I struggle to ensure that clips of Firestone Theatre productions are not among them. I simply refuse to take this risk.

Every performance contract I have signed includes a clause specifically forbidding the taping of the work. To do so anyway violates the contract and might subject the school to a substantial fine or a moratorium -- meaning the publishing company may refuse to work with you in the future.

Firestone Theatre has never made a video version of a copyrighted work. The only time we have taped a show is when we owned everything: material, music, staging, artwork, etc. We taped the only original show we produced, Just Passing Thru, a collaboration with local artist Miller Horns. We did so mostly at Miller's insistence. We taped our recent production of Macbeth because we could. Shakespeare is not subject to copyright regulation and we had music written and performed specifically for our show.

I recently came across yet another online article explaining some of the myths about copyright laws. While this article is informative, it does not directly address the disturbingly common practice of videotaping theatre productions. Here is a the link. Check it out to better educate yourself about this complicated issue.