Agreements and Contracts A Working Playwright Guide www.writersguild.org.uk The Writers’ Guild of Great Britain is a trade union registered at 134 Tooley Street, London SE1 2TU Contact us You can contact us in the following ways: Email:
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[email protected] 2 Writers’ Guild of Great Britain Contents Preface 4 Introduction 7 The National Theatre, RSC and Royal Court (the TNC) 8 UK Theatre (UKT) 20 Independent Theatre Council (ITC) 29 Appendix 1: Headline provisions 35 Appendix 2: UKT/Equity MRSL grades 37 Appendix 3: ITC Ethical Managers 38 Disclaimer 40 www.writersguild.org.uk 3 Preface In the old days, getting a play on wasn't easy, but it was simple. You'd send a play off to a theatre, and, if they read it, they might decide to put it on. The production would be cast, designed and marketed largely without your input. If the director felt like it, you might attend the read-through and a late run, to check on what changes had been made in your play. After it opened you'd get some money, in the form of a percentage of the box office. In the 1970s and 1980s, all that changed. In collaboration with the Writers' Guild (WGGB), a new Theatre Writers' Union negotiated binding, minimum terms agreements with – first – the National Theatre, the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Royal Court. Then agreements were negotiated with the rest of the building based sector, and finally with independent, non-building based companies.