Copyright laws harm the performing arts
While researching my latest column in the Swarthmore Phoenix, Copyright laws impede theater, I was surprised to discover that our theater department at Swarthmore has dealt with copyright problems multiple times in the past, and that as a result the professors are well aware of the threat which excessive copyright control can pose to artistic freedom.
The extent of the Beckett estate’s control over future productions is absurd, copyright wasn’t meant to prevent reinterpretations of past works. My understanding is that, according to the Beckett estate, you cannot get creative with the casting, you have to stick to the stage directions which call for white males. Does this mean that you can’t perform “Waiting for Godot” at schools in Africa, or China? What about half-white males, or people in drag, or trans-gendered people? It’s ridiculous, and I hope that we can work with the theater department to bring awareness of the problem to our fellow students.