If it doesn't fit, don't buy it.

“I like John Constable’s painting ‘The Haywain.’ But I’m going to add a few trees and maybe, a duck in the foreground to make it more interesting. Pass me a brush.”

“Michelangelo’s ‘David’ is OK, but I just need to change his hairstyle. Has anybody got a chisel?”

“I think I’ll take out that final bit with Molly at the end of James Joyce's ‘Ulysses.’ Doesn’t work for me. Snippety snip.”

 

I know. Utter nonsense. Who would dream of changing them? Who would think of taking someone else’s work and altering it?

 

But if it’s a play script, it’s open season. And the justification I have been given over the years beggars belief.

 

“I like the play, but I just need to change the ending.”

“It works, but it’ll be better once I’ve taken out a few characters which aren’t needed.”

“It’s too long. I just need to ditch several pages and 15 minutes from it and then it’ll be perfect for us.”

"Our audience like a play to be done before 10pm."

“It’s too wordy. I need to take some out. People don't like plays with lots of words.”

And my favourite "You only get a couple of hours on the car park so we need to cut the script."

And if you're laughing at any/all of that, I agree. You couldn't write it. And if you're laughing because it's what you do, then read on.

 

Forget the work which went into creating it. Forget the creative process, the research and development, the rewrites, the dramaturg, the editor, the publisher, the submissions process, the development workshops, the previous performances. Forget the small matter of copyright and a contract to perform it. Let’s just ignore all of that because none of it matters ... does it? And let’s simply ignore that one small issue: you don’t own it and therefore, it’s not yours to alter. Where does ignorance end and arrogance begin?

Don't get me wrong, there is at least one publisher who represent writers with works they are happy to have adapted, changed, whatever. I have writing friends who are OK with it too. But the majority don't. It's not about not wanting to collaborate. Collaborative R&D is all about getting a work to the marketplace and is a necessary and valuable process. It's not about new work being developed/workshopped. This is all about the finished, published article. It's my work, my words. It's about authenticity. It's about fairness. It's about respect.

 

The times I have challenged folk, questioned the legitimacy of their intention to change someone else’s work. I can’t even attempt to put a number to the occasions. I stopped counting years ago. Exasperation does that to you.

 

I’ve spent so much time over the years trying to understand it. It can’t be stupidity because these aren’t stupid people. Is it arrogance? I'm not entirely convinced as there are no signs of it in other ways. A lack of information? Ignorance? At the core of the practice I genuinely believe that the crux of it is that people don’t care. It has become custom and practice. It's what you do. Get a script, take a pencil to it. "Everybody does it." Some have even found it funny. It has been accepted for that long that people genuinely believe they know better and have a right to exercise it with impunity.

 

I’ve had a number of phone calls down the years with performing companies asking for advice or querying my writing. I enjoy getting them. Helping them to find their creative take for their production; making it their own.

And then, there was the time I had a call during which I was asked for a copy of my script in Word because the director wanted to change it. That didn't end well.

 

What are the takeaways? I think they’re pretty simple.

• If you feel the need to change a play because you can’t cast it, choose a play that you can.
• If a play isn’t right for you, go find one that is.
• If the director wants to change a play because they don’t “get it” perhaps you should either get a new play or get a new director.
• If a play is too long, too short, too dark, too light, too wordy, too whatever for your needs or liking, choose one that isn’t. There's a pretty big choice out there. 

And if all of this is considered as me being a bit precious, think on that when you change someone else's play or musical without permission:

• you are breaching copyright and 
• you are undoubtedly in breach of any contract/licence to perform it.

I can’t imagine a successful defence to either being that you “knew better.” And the implications both financial and reputational could be substantial. Trawl the net. There are plenty of examples.

 

As my late mother always used to say, “For some people it’s easier to seek forgiveness than ask permission.” 

 

But you know what? There's a positive to all of this. If you have a perspective on a published work and it fires your imagination and ideas, then why not write your own stuff? Let's take that creativity and use it to make something new, something original.

Here's hoping others don't want to change your work though. I do tend to find that the shoe does somewhat pinch on the other foot ...