On BWW's Theatre Business Podcast 'The OHenry Report,' What Happens When a Theatre Violates a Copyright?

On the third episode of BroadwayWorld's new theatre business podcast, "The OHenry Report," Broadway producer and investor Oliver Henry Roth talks to two industry professionals about the licensing process for plays and musicals, and then what happens when a theatre company violates their license.

In the news recently, the Shelton Theater in San Francisco came under attack for dramatically modifying Stephen Adly Guirgis's play THE LAST DAYS OF JUDAS ISCARIOT without receiving proper approval from the author.

To understand the process of licensing and the enforcement of an author's copyright, Oliver talked with Bruce Lazarus the executive director of Samuel French and Howard Sherman, the director of the new Arts Integrity Initiative.

Oliver also talked with BroadwayWorld's Matt Tamanini, The OHenry Report's producer, about recent theatrical news, specifically openings, closings, and Broadway real estate.

Listen to the latest episode here:

About Bruce Lazarus: A Tony-nominated producer before joining Samuel French, the oldest and largest publisher and licensor of plays and musicals in the world, Lazarus oversees the companies strategy, acquisitions, marketing, licensing and business affairs in New York, Los Angeles, and London. You can connect with Bruce on Twitter @BruceLazarus.

About Howard Sherman: The former executive director of the American Theatre Wing from 2003 to 201, amongst other things, Sherman is now the director of the new Arts Integrity Initiative at the New School for Drama, focused on creative and academic freedom in the arts. You can connect with Howard through Twitter @hesherman or on his website hesherman.com.

About Matt Tamanini: Matt is a Senior Editor and Administrator at BroadwayWorld, regularly writing about Broadway real estate, TV, and film. He is a proud graduate of The Ohio State University and has worked in professional and collegiate sports, as a theatre director, producer, and teacher, and he is a podcast host and producer with BroadwayRadio. He also hosts BroadwayWorld's pop culture podcast, "Some Like it Pop." You can connect with Matt through Twitter @BWWMatt.

About Oliver Henry Roth: Roth is a theater producer based in New York. His producing credits include Broadway's upcoming ESCAPE TO MARGARITAVILLE and GETTING THE BAND BACK TOGETHER and Off-Broadway's STRAIGHT and INVISIBLE THREAD. He has previously worked on Broadway's THE REALISTIC JONESES and MACBETH. In addition to producing independently, Roth works with several non-profits in helping them develop new works and support emerging theater artists.

With Roth's unique approach to producing, he will discuss how production teams integrate data analytics into their projects, and what that means for their bottomline. Roth also uses trends and historical data to provide some of the most accurate Tony Awards predictions in the business.

Outside of New York, Roth has worked for Center Stage (MD), and the Buck Hill Skytop Music Festival (PA). He currently writes "The Broadway Beat," a monthly column in The Connector Magazine.

In 2011, Roth was awarded the American Marketing Association's Marketing Excellence Award. He founded OHenry Productions in 2014, shortly after working on his first Broadway show, MACBETH (Alan Cumming). For more information on Roth and OHenry Productions, visit their website at ohenryproductions.com.

You can subscribe to "The OHenry Report" on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, TuneIn, and Google Play.

Music by: bensound.com