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From
Issue #4, Winter 2004 Copyright and permissions. Much of the Readers Theatre material being performed these days is derived from non-dramatic literary sources. This complicates matters relating to copyright and performance licenses. Unauthorized public performances can result in embarrassing and costly confrontations with authors, publishers and playwrights. In our next issue we will address this sticky subject. Our intent is not to substitute for legal advice from qualified attorneys, but to alert you to the very real hazards of using any material without appropriate permissions. In the meantime, if you have had any direct experience with challenges from authors or publishers regarding the unauthorized performance of any non-dramatic materials, please tell us about it. We'll respect your desire for anonymity and not print names, but we must know who you are so that we can verify the facts. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The many faces of Readers Theatre. We'll be taking a close look at the many ways RT is being used these days. Its value as an educational tool and as an alternative theatre form is well-known, but we're gathering some interesting hints about a few really offbeat and surprising ways RT techniques can be used. For example, one group we know of is toying with the notion of adapting the contents of their local newspaper for performance as RT. The idea, still on the drawing board, is to present an ongoing series of weekly performances. If you have some ideas for using RT that do not fit neatly into the classroom or theatre model, let us know. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Edgar Lee Master's Spoon River Anthology is one of the easiest and, paradoxically, most challenging work for RT performance. We'll detail how one RT group did it. If you have participated in a RT performance of this popular and powerful non-dramatic literature, please tell us about it. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Want to be notified by e-mail when the next issue of RTD is on line? Just click here....
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