A Playwright's Pet Peeve, Part Two

Almost two years ago, I wrote here about the annoying experience of having a play of mine being mounted not only without my knowledge, but also without my written permission.

Guess what? A while ago I experienced déjà vu when I stumbled onto www.teatrokanto.com. At the bottom of the page, it read: "The beneficiaries of these productions include the ABS-CBN Bantay Bata Foundation, GMA Kapuso Foundation, DZRH Operation Tulong Action Center, OWWA's Tuloy Aral Project, Lobo Batangas Elementary School and Nueva Ejica Operation Catarac. Tickets are 2,000 yen and will also be available at the gates."

I asked myself: Gano'n? At ako hindi? As of this writing, I have already typed a polite but firm letter addressed to the group's theater coordinator. I plan to send it first thing tomorrow.

Incidentally, our most recent Writers Bloc meeting dealt with the issue of demanding and securing royalties: how much for a short play? for a full-length? for how many shows? We also discussed our rights as dramatists: can a playwright actually prevent a theater group from staging his or her play during its run when there's no written permission? (The answer: YES) To paraphrase what the irrepressible Rene Villanueva said that time: "Wala nang hiya-hiya. Huwag na tayong mag-a la Nora Aunor." I totally agree; Filipino playwrights in general tend to reluctantly waive their rights because of hiya. Not only do they fail to get whatever that's due to him or her, they get exploited by some unscrupulous theater groups in the process. Well, no more. Aba, mahirap yata magsulat ng dula, tapos hindi babayaran ang pinaghirapan mo?! It all boils down to respect, really. Respect for the playwright, for the effort s/he had exerted in writing the play. When the meeting ended, all of us resolved to be more firm with our rights, to be more insistent about getting our dues, and to look for each other's welfare, hiya be damned.

And to those theater groups (amateur or professional, school-based and otherwise) thinking that they could get away with staging a play without permission? THINK AGAIN.