VIDEO UPDATE: THAT'SWHATSHESAID Playwright Courtney Meaker and Creator/Performer Erin Pike Reflect on Copyright Controversy

By: Mar. 22, 2016
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As previously reported by BroadwayWorld, Erin Pike's performance of Courtney Meaker's solo piece, THAT'SWHATSHESAID, received a cease and desist order from the publishing company Samuel French an hour before its February 5th performance at Seattle's Gay City's Calamus Auditorium.

The order came after a review was posted by The Stranger's Rick Smith, describing the play as a collage piece consisting of dialogue from the female characters that appear in American Theater magazine's list of the 10 most-frequently-produced American plays during the 2014-2015 season.

One of the plays on that list is Joshua Harmon's BAD JEWS and, as reported by Smith, the order came about because Harmon's agent sent an email to Samuel French, the company that licenses performances of BAD JEWS, with a link to his review, which particularly described how material from the play was used in a piece that is critical of the way women are represented in American theatre.

The play went on with a voice mail message from Samuel French Executive Director Bruce Lazarus confirming the order incorporated into the performance, and all references to BAD JEWS removed, with an off-stage voice yelling "redacted" when those references would ordinarily occurs.

Following THAT'SWHATSHESAID's engagement, the creators of received an additional cease and desist order; this time from Peter Hagan, president of Dramatist Play Service Inc. The order was in regards to five referenced plays that the company represents: Jon Robin Baitz's OTHER DESERT CITIES, Christopher Durang's VANYA AND SONIA AND MASHA AND SPIKE, David Ives' VENUS IN FUR, Nina Raine's TRIBES and John Patrick Shanley's OUTSIDE MULLINGAR.

After more than of month of reflection Meaker has posted a video on her website with scenes from the February 5th performance, included the moment before the play began when the audience listened to Lazarus' voice mail. Meaker also partakes in a discussion with Pike, who created the piece, co-producer Ariel Glassman and director HATLO, explaining why they believe the play legally falls into the category of "fair use."

Visit http://courtneymeaker.com/ for more information on THATSWHATSHESAID.


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