Theatre Design & Technology - Summer 2013 - 70

book
arnold wengrow

review

editor

Business and Legal Forms for the Theatre, Second Edition
By Charles Grippo; New York, Allworth Press, 2013. 216 pp.
+1 CD-ROM. Paper, $24.95.
Reviewed by Patrick Donnelly
Professional life requires many agreements between individuals and organizations. They can be agreements to accept work,
agreements to purchase or rent things, or agreements to create
something new together. Even agreements to cancel agreements
appear, in resignation letters or with collaborative teams that dissolve. Theatre professionals rely as much on agreements as other
businesspeople. Given that theatre work revolves around projects
with relatively short life spans, theatre professionals form more
agreements in the course of a year than most persons.
These agreements-or contracts-do not always exist in
writing. Charles Grippo, author of Business and Legal Forms
for the Theatre, argues that they should. His book provides,
in template form, samples of the most common agreements in
the world of producing theatres. He wishes to enable drama
professionals to make simple contracts on their own. This approach is reminiscent of what Nolo Press (now at nolo.com)
offers consumers and small businesses for routine legal needs:
basic agreements with compact descriptions, all for the price
of a book.
Of course, Grippo acknowledges, the more professionalized the theatre practitioners, the more likely they belong to
a trade association that issues its own contracts. For example,
individual members of the Actors Equity Association, and the
theatres that employ them, don't have to generate contract
language for their projects; the AEA provides that service. The
same applies for the Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers, the American Guild of Musical Artists, United Scenic
Artists, and so forth. Business and Legal Forms is intended for
the many persons and organizations working outside of those
associations, terrain that the author knows well.

Working things out in writing
Grippo's career straddles both the theatre and the law: he is
an attorney, a producer, and a playwright who works in Chicago and New York. His first book on stage producing has an
established reputation among theatre professionals. His expertise particularly shines in the realm of managing the literary
aspects of the production. He deals frequently in commissions
and options and copyright as applied to the theatre, and he has
managed artistic personnel both as a producer and as counsel.

theatre design

& technology

s u m m e r 2013

The ups and downs of these experiences have given Grippo a
keen eye to working things out, in writing, before they cause
trouble.
For example, the Real Person Release contract may strike
the reader with surprise. It means what the name suggests: legal permission to use the identity of a true, living individual in
a creative work. Concerns about defamation, the right of privacy, and the right of publicity create obstacles to this that even
Hollywood-scale productions cannot always surmount. But if a
writer secures the living person's blessing beforehand, it might
turn out favorably. This is not the sort of document that any
lawyer can assemble-it requires a seasoned entertainment attorney.
The agreements in Business and Legal Forms cluster
around three themes: creative or intellectual property contracts, labor or personal service contracts, and venue or assembly space contracts. Almost half of the forms deal with
creative property-writing or using scripts, music, or performed works-while the fewest number address the ins and
outs of obtaining space to conduct rehearsals and perform.
The sections with the widest audience cover labor agreements,
specifically, the contracts for actors, directors, designers, and
for the risky activities (staged fights, public nudity) that they
conduct.
Grippo sensibly handles contract boilerplate terms-
clauses for arbitration, force majeure, waivers, etc.-in one
chapter at the start of the book. This allows him to focus on
the specific agreements without distraction. He offers a helpful
narrative with each contract form, explaining the purpose of
what's included, and provides a checklist of topics to help the
user not overlook important items.

http://www.nolo.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Theatre Design & Technology - Summer 2013