The Guild's Department of Business Affairs is committed to educating members about business and legal standards in the theater industry.
Business Affairs also provides constructive comment to government and business leaders on balancing institutional tradition in the face of necessary innovation. Toward this end, the lawyers at the Guild track U.S. and worldwide theater business trends, advise members on immediate business concerns, and draft statements reflecting the Council's position on issues of national import.
Business Affairs can advise on a wide range of matters including options, commissions, royalties, copyright, collaboration, trademark, rights of privacy, rights of publicity, defamation, so-called "life-story rights," and agents. It can also provide guidance, and follow up on complaints regarding theatres, producers, publishers, agents, attorneys, festivals, and contests.
While the Guild's purpose is to advocate generally for playwrights, composers, lyricists, and librettists, it does NOT represent individual members. With respect to this limitation, Business Affairs aims to give each individual member the tools necessary for successfully managing the business of being an author. As such, the lawyers in Business Affairs will not contact any non-members on an individual member's behalf, nor will the lawyers analyze a contract that has already been signed or draft language for any member's agreement.
We are excited to bring regular announcements from inside the Business Affairs department. Look for bi-monthly updates on Mondays or Wednesdays that focus on the topics that are most important to you. We look forward to helping you get back to business.
The wait is over. DG contracts now available for download.
It is now easier than ever to get contracts from the Dramatists Guild. You can download most of them for free, directly from our website. You simply have to be signed into your DG member profile.
One of our top priorities is to ensure that you have all the tools you need to successfully manage your career. We've decided that one of the best ways to serve this priority is by making our information more widely accessible to the people who need it most: our Members. We hope this change will facilitate more productive conversations and fair deals for authors.
Business Affairs is working hard for you. If you have an idea for a feature that you'd like to see, please EMAIL US. We'd love to hear from you.
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