Unsigned Contracts Reviews for DG Members

 

The Guild's Department of Business Affairs is committed to educating writers about business and legal standards in the theater industry. The staff lawyers in Business Affairs can review unsigned contracts and 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. They can also provide guidance, and follow up on complaints regarding theatres, producers, publishers, agents, attorneys, festivals, and contests.

The Dramatists Guild 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. 

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Model Contracts for Theatre Writers

 

Because the Guild tracks national and worldwide trends, we are able to provide certain model contracts that reflect up-to-date industry standards. We encourage our members to use these models to educate themselves and use as a guide when entering into productions or collaborations.

Most of our contracts are available to download as PDF files. The first-class Approved Production Contract for Plays and Approved Production Contract for Musicals (APC) must be purchased and are available in a printed booklet. Please note that members must pay additional dues (i.e., “assessments”) based on the members’ royalties earned from productions presented under the APC. For more about assessments, please visit the Broadway information page. Only current members of the Guild may view, download, or request sample contracts. Explore our full suite of resources. Download a Dramatists Guild model contract, guide or best practice today.

  • Anti-Piracy Agreements for Auditions or Rehearsal
    Download a forms for authors, producers, or other theater professionals to distribute at auditions and in rehearsal.
  • Approved Production Contract Booklet Guide for Broadway
    APC Booklet Guide or Approved Production Contract Booklet Guide for Broadway/First Class Musical Productions. Requires Guild Certification.
  • Approved Production Contract for Broadway Musicals
    APC or Approved Production Contract for Broadway/First Class musical productions. Requires Guild certification.
  • Approved Production Contract for Broadway Plays
    APC or Approved Production Contract for Broadway/First Class straight plays. Requires Guild certification.
  • Best Practice Considerations for Director Agreements
    For the rare circumstances in which a director's extraordinary contributions to a work transcend dramaturgy, and the author elects to assign a portion of the work's future revenues to the director.
  • Best Practices for Contests & Festivals
    For dramatists weighing contest & festival submission opportunities. Can also be used by theatres and organizations to craft contests or festivals.
  • Collaboration Agreement for Musicals
    Form agreement for collaboration between authors writing a musical.
  • Collaboration Agreement for Plays
    Form agreement for collaboration between authors writing a straight play.
  • Devised Theatre Contract: Collaboration Agreement Between Writers and Non-Writers
    This model represents a process in which one or more writer(s) (alternatively, principal devisors, delegates, or lead writers) collaborate with one or more non-writers to create a new work.
  • Devised Theatre Contract: Collaboration Agreement Solely Between Writers
    This model should be used when all of the participants in the devised process are writers (alternatively, “ensemble members”).