At the event, officers of the Dramatists Guild will address questions that have been at the center of a conversation for several years in response to the growing creative excitement around devised theatre and the potential challenges for defining the various collaborator roles from a contractual point of view. Deborah Murad, the Guild’s director of business affairs, and Todd London, the Guild’s director of theatre relations, will discuss best business practices for collaborations in devised theatre, as stated in the Guild’s new Devised Theatre Resource Manual. The event is organized by Cheryl Coons, the Dramatists Guild’s Chicago Regional Representative. Knowing that the Columbia College Theatre Department offers a graduate-level MA/MFA program in devised theatre, Coons approached the Theatre Department about partnering with the Dramatists Guild on the event.
“Theatre has always been a collaborative process,” notes a statement on the registration site for the November 22 event. “What happens when there are not one or two authors, but five or ten? How can we best honor contributions of non-authorial contributors within a devised process? Who is in control? What is there to be in control of? How can we assure proper compensation and credit to all? These questions have been at the center of the conversation for over two years via the DG’s Devised Theatre Committee.”