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Contract Riders

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URL: http://www.communitytheater.org/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=5027
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Topic: Contract Riders

Posted By: Amos Hart
Subject: Contract Riders
Date Posted: 4/05/11 at 1:39pm

It was just posted that if you are licensed to do Hairspray, the contract stipulates that certain characters must be cast with black actors.

If you are going to produce Equus and plan to cut the nudity, guess again. Contractually, you don't have that option.

Are there any other interesting contract stipulations you've come across?

Replies:

Posted By: TonyDi
Date Posted: 4/06/11 at 7:19am

It used to be - oh perhaps nearly 20 years ago now - as I recall (I wasn't part of the production team) - but we were TOLD that when we did FIDDLER, that the contract specifically stated that the choreography had to be duplicated that Jerome Robbins did for the show originally. They even sent this.....book....that looked for all practical purposes like a training manual that the choreographer - who was well qualified - had to decipher to interpret the "moves" required by the original choreograpy. Don't know if all that was true but as far as we knew we were doing the choreography precisely as Jerome Robbins fashioned it when it was done originally. Then I did it again maybe 10 years or so later and supposedly that requirement had been dropped. But it's interesting what is required in contracts for these shows. And as for Eqquas it was even done here locally by a group and they followed through with the nudity. Very powerful show - I understand - though I didn't get to see it (involved in other things at the time) but the young man who did it, supposedly was outstanding in the role. And it's odd that they "got away with it" since I recall churches and other groups were up in arms a number of years before when a Broadway touring company came in and was going to do (is it??) HAIR where everyone drops clothes near the end of the show?? I don't think they allowed it here. Of course with time and more modern outlook and less inhibition things have changed. Even the local college did it more recently and THEY weren't prevented from doing the nudity. Very interesting observations.

TonyDi

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"Almost famous"