S. Law and Theatre

Enrollment is open to law students and to students from the MFA Program in Theater Management & Producing and the MA Program in Arts Administration. This seminar begins with an overview of the theatre industry in America and an analysis of the Intellectual Property framework of theater-related legal issues and then examines the various contracts and issues involved in creating a theatrical property, raising money for the production and bringing it to the stage (especially Broadway and Off-Broadway), and exploiting it during its run and thereafter (e.g., on film, on tour and internationally). Students review the background law and practice for contracts they deal with, draft contracts and memoranda, and with role playing and simulation will negotiate and revise various agreements that are considered.

Contentious issues, such as directors' intellectual property rights in their stage direction, and the line between commercial entities and not-for-profit theatre companies, are also explored.

Students will be graded on the basis of class attendance/participation, 3 mock negotiations, and 4 drafting assignments (legal memoranda and contracts).

The waitlist for this course will be frozen as of the first class session. Students must attend the first class session in order to remain registered or on the waitlist.