While not technically legal, pdavis69 brings out an interesting point about knowing what your audiences will put up with and what they won't.  I directed a production of "Catfish Moon" which is about three "good ole boys" going on a fishing trip in the South and mulling over the in's-and-out's of life.  True to character, when good ole boys get together there's going to be some amount of drinking and cussing.  I knew that we were going to have a problem with certain of our more faithful "blue-haired" lady patrons and while I don't personally use, or like used around me, that kind of language I felt that the play wouldn't be credible without some of this "realism".  I knew this is what the author intended, it's why he wrote it that way but I also knew that the *f* bomb and certain other choice expletives just wouldn't go over in a public performance in our community.  So I let the actors come up with other expletives that lent realism yet were.... more palatable and less offensive to the sensibilities of our patrons. 

We still had two ladies get up in the middle of a performance and walk out, even with a warning in the publicity and programs about "salty" language but sometimes that's the best you can hope for.

Did I strictly adhere to each word in the script?  No.  Did I satisfy the playwrights intent?  Yes.  I guess you could say I was a victim of situational ethics but let's be honest....who isn't.  We all pick and choose which rules we're going to follow on any given day.  I'll be more concerned about getting every jot and tittle in the performance when someone can find me an actor that doesn't drop or adlib a line in every production.

b6307 writes: Did I strictly adhere to each word in the script?  No.  Did I satisfy the playwrights intent?  Yes.  I guess you could say I was a victim of situational ethics but let's be honest....who isn't.  We all pick and choose which rules we're going to follow on any given day.  I'll be more concerned about getting every jot and tittle in the performance when someone can find me an actor that doesn't drop or adlib a line in every production

Mike Polo writes:  On the other hand, having done some writing in my time, I understand where the author (and his/her publisher) is coming from - it's called protecting your work. The post that started this thread asked "is it OK?" The answer (regardless of whether we've done it and gotten away with it) is "No." It isn't OK. If you do so, you run the risk of getting caught and punished.

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I will attempt to not rant and rail on this topic as I have previously.    Mike I couldn't agree with you more!   But b6307 what you write shows an enormous disrespect to the playwright and their work and a rationalization that attempts to pass as reasoning.

Has anyone even considered ASKING the playwright or publishing house if these kinds of changes can be made.   Neil Simon aside many of them being sensitive to the nature of their work and potential audiences might actually say yes and would be grateful to have their worked performed.   To unilaterally make the decision to change someone else's words, no matter how innocent the intent, is wrong.    And if they say no, it means no and don't perform that show.   Seems rather simple to me.    

Then you are solid ground if you've gotten an ok (but I'd get it in writing if I were you) and/ or it stated it in the script that you could do so.   I've seen some scripts that even offer substitutions for the original dialog.

My appologies for the tounge lashing.

Okay I agree that changing a script is not only illegal, but just plain bad form for one artist to do to another.  However, language is often a consideration for many community theatres as a certain percentage of our subscriber bases can't look beyond a small collection of four letter words.

I have been noticing more script where they specifically give you alternative lines, two examples that pop to mind are "Sylvia" and "I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change."  (both shows I've recently worked on)  So I think that's good that some authors realize the bind some theatres can find themselves in.

And an interesting side note to the topic that kind of started this thread, Neil Simon's "Rumors".  When directing the show several years ago I found this statement in his second autobiography "The Play Goes On" at the end of the the chapter on "Rumors" (I'm attributing this quote so please Mr. Simon don't sue me): 

"We ran well over a year and the play runs on today almost everywhere, especially in schools where the teachers wisely take out all the F words."

Hmmmm.

I've been meaning to share that observation for a while, but haven't been home with the book infront of me until tonight.