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How much should one change a play?

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Topic: How much should one change a play?

Posted By: GoldCanyonLady
Subject: How much should one change a play?
Date Posted: 7/15/05 at 5:34pm

The play we are doing, Meanwhile, Back on the Couch, was written in the early 70's but states that the time is "present". So nurses in psychiatrist's offices don't wear starched white uniforms and hats any longer and it costs a patient more than $25 per hour per session. I can update those things okay but one character is a sweet little old lady (patient) who wears a 1920s style bathing suit, brightly colored, across which a large bathing-beauty style satin ribbon proclaims her "Miss October 1929".

If I update everything this little old lady would be ---- way old. If she was 20 when she was Miss October in 1929 that means she was born in 1909 so now she would be 93 in the present day.

Should I leave the setting to be the 70's? If the play was set in 1985, this old lady would be 76 which is fine. It would be easier to do the costumes in the mid 80's rather than the 70's. Maybe it is not okay to change the time.

Barb

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Barb Hofmeister,
MountainBrook Village Players, Gold Canyon, Arizona.

Replies:

Posted By: tristanrobin
Date Posted: 7/15/05 at 6:12pm

Wouldn't it be easier to make her Miss October 1949?

The old-fashioned bathing suit would be funny, no matter what
year the took place in.

Posted By: GoldCanyonLady
Date Posted: 7/15/05 at 6:24pm

No, because 1929 is important to the script.

Dorthea says: " I was supposed to lead the parade down Wall Street on Friday, October 30 in 1929. It was my big chance. Do you know what happened?"

Barb

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Barb Hofmeister,
MountainBrook Village Players, Gold Canyon, Arizona.

Posted By: tristanrobin
Date Posted: 7/15/05 at 7:26pm

yep
that would make a heckuva lotta difference
LOL

well, although it might easier to costume a play in the 80's
rather than the 70's - think how much FUN 70's clothes could
be (and funny as well) - and it would definitely 'speak' period to
an audience perhaps more than '80's clothes would.

doesn't it tick you off when a playwright IMMEDIATELY dates
his play that way?!

Posted By: GoldCanyonLady
Date Posted: 7/15/05 at 7:29pm

That helps a lot. Okay, 70s it is. That will be more fun. Now we have to find a record player and records too (called for in the script). You were a great help, thanks again. Barb

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Barb Hofmeister,
MountainBrook Village Players, Gold Canyon, Arizona.

Posted By: th8rguykc
Date Posted: 7/18/05 at 2:22pm

From this and your other posts here on the discussion board I would guess your audience will love the bell bottoms, "fro" wigs, and other 70's stuff. (Hey, it worked for That 70's Show!)

I say go for it!

Posted By: POB14
Date Posted: 7/20/05 at 5:29pm

Okay, in real life I'm a lawyer, so I have to do this.

From Samuel French's website, regarding rights:

The play will be presented as it appears in published form and the author's intent will be respected in production. No changes, interpolations,or deletions in the text, lyrics, music, title or gender of the characters shall be made for the purpose of production. This includes changes or updating the time and place/setting of the play. [Emphasis added]

Yes, yes, I know, everybody does it. But everybody usually does it badly. What I see more often than not is a show where half of the references are updated, and half aren't, and the audience can't figure out when the play is supposed to be.

I recently was in a production of Send Me No Flowers. Modern dress, easy to update, right? Well, how many wives do you know of nowadays who don't know what a mortgage is or how to pay a bill? Is it still funny to say a grown woman wrote out a check for her license plate number instead of the bill amount?

I'm not saying don't do it. I'm saying

1) it's illegal to do it (in a civil sense; you won't go to jail for it!), and

2) if you do it anyway, think VERY CAREFULLY about ALL the effects it will have on the play. (As you have obviously done by looking at the 1929 reference.)

Good luck, and let us know how it goes!

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POB
Old Bugger, Curmudgeon, and Antisocial B**tard

Posted By: GoldCanyonLady
Date Posted: 7/20/05 at 7:08pm

Thanks for your input. I have decided that the play will be done as written. It is actually easier this way since we need a record player (and a line in the play makes references to setting records not playing them) and other things too. It will actually be easier to do it in the 70's theme anyway.

I appreciate your help.
Barb

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Barb Hofmeister,
MountainBrook Village Players, Gold Canyon, Arizona.

Posted By: Colin
Date Posted: 7/25/05 at 4:52pm

Costuming is so much fun in that time period, and if you have any stock
of things donated you'll find you probably have almost everything you
need for the 70's. It seems most donations to our costume stock, as well
as to thrift shops, is from that decade. The kids will love being "retro"!

Colin

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Colin Douglas

Posted By: pauliebonn
Date Posted: 7/29/05 at 12:32am

Could you possibly change it to the late 80's? There was a stock market crash then too.

Posted By: Guests
Date Posted: 10/13/05 at 12:27am

Okay, we've all done it. We've violated performance/copyrights by cutting a foul word here and there, changing a date or two, etc.

But here are some questions: who is the publishing house? Samuel French and Dramatists Play Services are very picky about absolutely no cuts, no changes, etc. Whereas, Pioneer Drama Service allows foul language changes, the saloon being changed to a hotel, the beer becoming rootbeer, etc. The publishers that cater to high schools and community theaters also understand when you just can't present a song or two because your performers are not suitably talented.

Know your publishing house and realize you are paying for the privilege to present the playwright's work they way he wanted it presented. By the way, when a play's timeline says "The Present Day" they generally are referring to the date the play was first published, not the date you perform it.

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