Echo Theater Cancel's Tommy Smith's GHOST LIGHT After Playwright Urges Public and Media to Boycott The Production

Playwright Tommy Smith's GHOST LIGHT received an excellent review from L.A. Weekly when the Echo Theater Company produced it this past August. Critic Bill Raden called it an "entrancing new evening of playlets," and noted that, "the lyrically allusive, 30-minute program, which stars Deborah Puette, is actually intended to be performed on the set of whatever play it follows. That will come later when (artistic director Chris Fields) transfers it to the bill of Miki Johnson's full-length AMERICAN FALLS, which opens in September."

But after four performances the theatre company announced that its remaining scheduled showings of GHOST LIGHT, October 4th and 11th, had been cancelled.

As reported by David Ng in The Los Angeles Times, the reason for the cancellation is that the playwright had begun urging audiences and the media not to attend or cover the production, claiming, "I literally have had my play stolen from me," while arguing that there was never a contract between he and the company.

According to the Times, a spokeswoman stated the theatre company has a signed contract and that the playwright has been paid for twelve performances. While the playwright confirms that he entered into an agreement to do a workshop production for which he has been paid, he states he never received a rehearsal schedule and that the play went up without him seeing it.

"The playwright said Fields eventually sent a document to Gersh (the agency that represents the playwright) in September that gave Fields complete authorial control over the production. The Echo didn't immediately respond to a request for comment on the playwright's statement about the document."

Smith says he does not plan to sue the theatre, believing "this is a community art, built only on the goodwill between artists, and there isn't enough money to bring in lawyers," however arts administrator and producer Howard Sherman urges playwrights to fight against the growing trend of theatre companies attempting to take control of their work.

He writes on hesherman.com, "If indeed Echo Theater proffered a contract that proposed to give Chris Fields, the company's artistic director 'complete authorial control over the production,' then the situation is shameful. If the play was proposed as a workshop and produced without a valid production agreement in place, it's actionable. I would refer Smith and Amato to the Dramatists Legal Defense Fund, who I believe would vigorously pursue such a claim, including identifying an attorney who might take on the case pro bono. No matter the size of the company, the length of the play or the dollars at stake, the rights of artists to control their work must be defended."

The Los Angeles Times named Tommy Smith's FIREMEN (Echo Theatre Company, d. Chris Fields) among the best stage shows of 2014. FIREMEN also won five LADCC awards, including best writing.

His other plays include GHOST LIGHT (Labyrinth Theatre Company, d. Paul Budraitis), FUGUE (Echo Theatre Company, d. Chris Fields), WHITE HOT (Here Arts Center, d. May Adrales & West Of Lenin, d. Braden Abraham); ZERO, PTSD & PIGEON(Ensemble Studio Theatre, d. Billy Carden); THE WIFE (Access Gallery, d. May Adrales);CARAVAN MAN (Williamstown Theatre Festival, music & lyrics by Gabriel Kahane, d. Kip Fagan); DEMON DREAMS (Magic Futurebox, music by DJ Spooky, d. Kevin Laibson); A DAY IN DIG NATION (PS 122, co-written and d. Michael McQuilken); AIR CONDITIONING (Eugene O'Neill Playwrights Conference, d. Steve Cosson); among others.