Like To Do Collaborative Play, Not Coordinate

SmokestackJones · Post by **SmokestackJones** » February 24th, 2009, 9:32 am

Hey there,

I put a suggestion in the Dramatic Works forum but nothing happened, so I'll ask here.

I'd like to see Hobson's Choice done (http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/6347) but not coordinate, as I'm not organized enough for it. Any suggestions?

Brickbats?

-SJ

icyjumbo · Post by **icyjumbo** » February 24th, 2009, 11:09 am

I thought it was about time to stretch myself a little, so I was about to offer. But the wretched author died in 1958! Ask me again in another 20 years, and I'll be glad to oblige.

Bloomin' 70 year rule! <stomps off>

SmokestackJones · February 24th, 2009, 11:14 am

icyjumbo wrote:I thought it was about time to stretch myself a little, so I was about to offer. But the wretched author died in 1958! Ask me again in another 20 years, and I'll be glad to oblige.

Bloomin' 70 year rule! <stomps off>

Hey icy,

Might want to look again. According to Wikipedia, the play was produced in 1916 and, according to Project Gutenberg, it is not under copyright in the US, so it might be doable.

-SJ

Post by **chocoholic** » February 24th, 2009, 11:19 am

It's PD in the USA but not in England (which is a life+70 country); that's what icyjumbo means.

russiandoll · Post by **russiandoll** » February 24th, 2009, 11:19 am

SmokestackJones wrote: Any suggestions?

Well, more observations, really. First, it is a good play and would be lovely to have.
One thing to note is it's not PD in the UK or other life+70 countries as Brighouse died in 1958 (so it has just become clear in life+50 countries). That rules me out, for one, though I would have liked to be involved. As it's a British piece, you might find the copyright situation does reduce the consituency of potential readers for the project who are familiar with it and so come rushing eagerly forwards (and it probably wipes out any chance at all of getting a genuine Lancashire accent in it

).
I suspect it would be a time-consuming job to edit as it's a dialogue-y rather than a speech-y play - i.e. many more cuts and pastes per minute of recording than, say, Shakespeare - although it has a smaller (though not tiny) cast so perhaps it's swings and roundabouts* to some extent.

rd

*Edit - sorry, just realised that's an idiom probably impenetrable to non-native speakers, and very possibly to non-British English speakers. 'What you lose on the swings you gain on the roundabouts' - one thing makes up for the other.

Edit 2 - I am too slow.

Post by **chocoholic** » February 24th, 2009, 11:22 am

russiandoll wrote:Edit 2 - I am too slow.

Not slow, just much more thorough than I am.

SmokestackJones · February 24th, 2009, 11:55 am

chocoholic wrote:It's PD in the USA but not in England (which is a life+70 country); that's what icyjumbo means.

Ah, I see. Never thought of that. russiandoll's also right about it reducing the pool of readers for the piece.

So PG cannot be relied upon for copyright status in other countries, but what can? Is there a PG-like site for the country in question?

-SJ

P.S. If this does ever come off, I got dibs on Hobson!

ExEmGe · Post by **ExEmGe** » February 24th, 2009, 12:49 pm

I'll see if I can persuade cousin Termin to have a go. (lives in Australia so o.k.)
Although really I can't see anything wrong with BCing. After all it's only a matter of encouraging other people to read something when they are perfectly entitled to do so

Post by **annise** » February 24th, 2009, 12:57 pm

My understanding of PD in Australia - and I'd love to be proved wrong , is that it is not PD here - the rule was changed in 2005 or 2004 to be death plus 70 , but was not backdated , so 1955 remains the magic year for 20 years

Every single Australian author that I think I would like to do writes their stuff before 1923 , then sits around till after 1955

you would think they would have the grace to die young

Anne

hefyd · Post by **hefyd** » February 24th, 2009, 2:12 pm

Somerset Maugham wrote Liza of Lambeth in 1897, but he didn't die till 1965, so it'll be in copyright till 2035 ! And it's one I'd like to read ! hefyd

Cori · Post by **Cori** » February 24th, 2009, 2:25 pm

A recording sojourn in the US, mebbe..?

russiandoll · Post by **russiandoll** » February 24th, 2009, 2:33 pm

PG Wodehouse hung on a bit long for my liking too. About 40 titles on Gutenberg and didn't do the decent thing until 1975

.

SmokestackJones · Post by **SmokestackJones** » February 24th, 2009, 5:38 pm

Sooo, any chance we can ask for Yank readers but everyone else caveat emptor?

-SJ

RuthieG · Post by **RuthieG** » February 24th, 2009, 6:03 pm

Well, yeah, but you've got to find someone who's willing to do all the hard work and give you the plum part.

Ruth
Don't mind me, I'm just green 'cos I can't record my favourite authors as they all lived too long.

SmokestackJones · Post by **SmokestackJones** » February 24th, 2009, 9:23 pm

RuthieG wrote:Well, yeah, but you've got to find someone who's willing to do all the hard work and give you the plum part.

Ruth
Don't mind me, I'm just green 'cos I can't record my favourite authors as they all lived too long.

That kinda was the original point (although voicing the parts is also some work). I just didn't think I'd run into the ol' Copyright Demon for a PG file.

-SJ