There were only three weeks of rehearsals before opening night on October 3, when Lakeside Little Theatre (LLT) President Peter Luciano informed director Roseann Wilshere that “God of Carnage” could not go ahead, because LLT had failed to obtain performance rights.
The cast of four was nearly “off book,” having learned many hundreds of lines. Costumes and props were sourced and organized, special effects equipment was built and the set under construction. Posters were printed and distributed and program production was well in hand.
In an inexplicable departure from LLT’s established practice – applying for rights in January and ensuring they were approved before publishing the next season’s selection – the program for Season 50 was announced to the membership at the annual general meeting in March, before the rights applications for “God of Carnage” were even submitted. Despite the continued absence of confirmation, auditions went ahead at the end of July and rehearsals began on August 5.
The agents’ website is unequivocal: “Please apply for performance rights well in advance of your planned production dates to ensure the play’s availability. We recommend that you apply three to four months in advance of production. Do not make extensive production plans before receiving written confirmation that rights are available to you.”
Regardless, LLT’s application to Dramatists Play Service for international rights was made extremely late, in mid-June only six weeks before auditions, allowing less than half the recommended time. Both Luciano and LLT Treasurer Kevin O’Byrne confirm that it was followed up several times as time ran out.
Craig Pospisil, director of Nonprofessional Rights at DPS, New York, informed the Guadalajara Reporter that it only holds the U.S. and Canadian rights for “God of Carnage.” He explained that international rights for Mexico are handled by publishers Samuel French in liaison with the playwright Yasmina Reza’s own agent in France.
This renders the statement on French’s website, “Licensing Rights for this title are not available through Samuel French,” rather confusing.
When the reply eventually arrived on September 4, it said it was unable to grant LLT’s application because rights valid until May 2015 had been awarded to a professional theater in Mexico.
With rehearsals in their final stages and unaware of the rights issues, the news was a huge shock for the two former professional actors and directors, Wilshere and (assistant director) Arleen Pace, the cast and crew. Full credit must go to each of them. Instead of descending into theatrical paroxysms of self-pity, everyone involved immediately agreed that nothing was going to stop them, nor their loyalty to LLT. The show must go on!
In the absence of an LLT audience-appropriate suggestion for a substitute from anyone else and conscious of the desperately short lead-time involved, Wilshere contacted her friend, Canadian playwright Norm Foster.
Thanks to this connection, some years ago Foster and Canadian stage and screen actress, Trish Vanstone, performed his play “Old Love” to packed houses at LLT, which has also presented other plays from Foster’s impressive oeuvre of some 52 insightful comedies.
Within 24 hours Foster had generously granted LLT rights to perform his play “Bedtime Stories,” a cleverly constructed and wildly funny comedy comprised of six vignettes about odd and hysterically humorous situations in ordinary people’s everyday lives.
Original “Carnage” actors Kathleen Morris, Douglas Pinkerton, Ken Yakiwchuk and Collette Clavadetscher have been joined by Chet Beeswanger, James Leonard, Tina Leonard, Judy Long, Ed Tasca and Michael Warren, in the mammoth task of taking a play from scratch to opening night in just three weeks.
Right now, LLT is a hive of determined activity. The amount of effort being expended by everyone, both on and off stage will ensure “Bedtime Stories” is the outstanding success it’s already shaping up to be. The number of rehearsal hours alone is mind-blowing.
“Bedtime Stories” is an inspired choice to open LLT’s landmark anniversary season, let alone as a last minute substitution. Don’t miss it!