The Stage Producer’s Business and Legal Guide  by Charles Grippo (Author)
Grippo, a theatrical attorney, producer, and commercially produced playwright, has filled a hole in theater literature with this one-stop guide to theater law for non-attorneys. It covers everything from organizing a theater company to dissolving one.

As anyone who has worked in even the smallest theater knows, legal issues touch every aspect of producing a play, from obtaining performance space and licensing plays, to managing commercial and nonprofit companies, to safety and taxes.

From Library Journal
Grippo, a theatrical attorney, producer, and commercially produced playwright, has filled a hole in theater literature with this one-stop guide to theater law for non-attorneys. It covers everything from organizing a theater company to dissolving one. As anyone who has worked in even the smallest theater knows, legal issues touch every aspect of producing a play, from obtaining performance space and licensing plays, to managing commercial and nonprofit companies, to safety and taxes.

While not going into specifics-which would be impossible, as state and local laws vary greatly-Grippo provides checklists of the questions producers need to address at each stage of a production. He is the first to state firmly that this book is “not a substitute for legal advice,” and he clearly disclaims responsibility for himself and the publisher should anyone decide to use it as such. Yet Grippo does promise that by addressing the questions presented here, a producer will greatly decrease the amount of money spent on attorney’s fees. Highly recommended for theater, law, and small business collections.

Laura A. Ewald, Murray State Univ. Lib., KY
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Robert C. Harris, senior partner, Lazarus & Harris, LLP, and adjunct professor of entertainment law, Hofstra University School of Law
A concise, informative, and well-organized introduction to basic legal and industry issues, presented in a reader-friendly style.

Dennis Zacek, Artistic Director, Victory Gardens Theater
“An entertaining, easy-to-read, practical resource for anyone interested in the art and craft of play production.”

Tony Forman, managing director, Madison Repertory Theatre
This is destined to become a textbook that gets dog-eared from constant reference.

Book Description
At last, the definitive business and legal survival kit for anyone presenting live entertainment! The entire range of individuals involved in entertainment– performers, writers, and directors to box office managers, theater board members, and theater owners–will find comprehensive answers to questions on every aspect of theater business and law. Written by attorney, producer, and playwright, this book reveals hundreds of insider strategies for minimizing legal costs, negotiating contracts, and licensing and producing plays. It also features expert, practical advice on such topics as tax risks and liabilities, safety regulations, organizing the theater company, financing, box office management, not-for-profit management, and much more. Plus everything is explained clearly, written without a lot of legal jargon.

From the Publisher
Creating entertainment is not always glamorous work. Any given day in the life of a theater administrator can be filled with combinations of concerns regarding contract negotiations, copyright and licensing, fundraising, accounting, safety regulations, unions, and much more. In spite of producers’ urgent need for business and legal advice, few companies can afford to have an attorney on hand at all times and there has been no readily available guide devoted to the specifics of theater business and law. Help is on the way. Attorney, producer, and playwright Charles Grippo has created a survival kit for everyone presenting live entertainment, The Stage Producer’s Business and Legal Guide.

From the Author
Grippo knows firsthand the territory of which he writes. From his years of working with theater administrators, he notes, “As much as they love what they are doing, they feel overwhelmed by the utter responsibility of it all. In particular, they are frustrated by the ever-increasing number of laws, rules, and regulations with which they must comply. They need help. They need a central source that makes sense of it all for them.”

From the Inside Flap
The Stage Producer’s Business and Legal Guide addresses the complexities and contradictions of business and law pertinent to all manner of performance: professional, summer stock, regional, and community theaters; college and university programs; concerts halls; opera houses; cabarets; and more. This handy guide offers practical solutions that are on the desks of today’s performers, directors, writers, box office and business managers, theater board members, and teachers of theater. Coverage includes:

  • Licensing and producing plays
  • Obtaining performance space
  • Negotiating contracts
  • Financing productions
  • Organizing a theater company
  • Running a box office
  • Managing a not-for-profit company
  • Keeping track of taxes
  • Maintaining a safe environment
  • With the advice found in this guide, producers can significantly reduce legal fees by using their attorneys more effectively and minimizing the time spent with attorneys.

About the Author
Charles Grippo is an attorney, producer, and playwright. He owns New Lincoln Theatre Productions, Holiday Road, and Charles Grippo Productions. In Chicago, he has produced plays by Neil Simon, David Mamet, and Kathleen Tolan. His plays, which include Sex Marks the Spot, Bedroom Follies, A Wife’s Tale, Santa’s Children, The Tooth of the Matter, Salvage Job, and Wait for the Wind, have been produced by theater companies in New York, Chicago, and California.

His adaptation of Wait for the Wind was published in Hardboiled Detective in 1995. He has written articles on theater law for the Chicago Alliance for Playwrights and is currently working on a novel in the legal thriller genre about a female attorney. A member of the Dramatists Guild and director emeritus of Chicago Alliance for Playwrights, he practices entertainment and real estate law and lives in Chicago.

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