Lawsuits are a frequent possibility in any industry. Entertainment is no exception; in fact, the multitude of artistic personalities can lead to strongly contentious disagreements. In the theater world, there are just as many legal liabilities to be aware of as any other field of entertainment. When starting a new theater company, the possibility of being sued for any of those liabilities has to be considered. Some of the recent court cases involving theater companies are an example of this assertion. Last August, a trial began for a $5 million lawsuit against the Byrd Theatre in Carytown, Virginia. In early 2009, while renovations were underway on the theatre,
David Barnett was invited to the theater. Barnett, a member of the Organ Historical Society, was there to repair a historical Wurlitzer organ. His lawsuit claims that he tripped on a loose floorboard and suffered head trauma, causing “permanent blindness in his right eye, a fractured nose, and scarring.” Legal analysts commenting on the case have said that it will come down to whether the loose board was an obvious danger, or a subtle one that the Byrd Theatre was still aware of and had an obligation to disclose. The Shakespeare Theatre in Washington, D.C. has faced problems in the past year as well. They filed a lawsuit against their landlord in June of last year to prevent their rent from being raised by 700%. Shakespeare’s Lansburgh Theatre is owned by a non-profit organization, created for the sole purpose of managing the theater space. Normally, the Shakespeare Theatre pays $70,000 a year for rent, which goes into a trust for maintenance and improvements. The organization, called The Lansburgh Theatre, Inc., tried to raise the rent to $480,000. When Shakespeare refused, the Lansburgh board threatened to evict them. Shakespeare is “seeking an injunction to prevent its rent from being raised, as well as a ruling that will allow it to remain in the building.”
On Broadway, there have been no shortages of accidents and legal troubles facing the production of Spider-Man: Turn Off theDark. The most hostile issue plaguing the company, however, is the legal battle between the producers and the former director, Julie Taymor. Taymor was fired from the show in 2011, allegedly over creative differences. She filed a lawsuit against the producers in late 2011, claiming that her creative rights had been violated repeatedly. The producers, 8 Legged Productions, also filed a countersuit. They claimed, “that Taymor refused to fulfill her contractual obligations, declaring that she could not and would not do the jobs that she was contracted to do.”