“Practice” Makes Plaintiff: Lawsuit Targets Playwrights Horizons’ BIPOC Night Pricing
By Ethan Krasnoo A class-action lawsuit filed on December 22, 2025 in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York is challenging a ticket-pricing practice used by Playwrights Horizons, a prominent nonprofit theater company based in New York City. At its core, the case asks whether a public-facing arts organization can offer…
“Stereophonic” Rumors and an Evaluation of Cases from the Last Decade Exploring the Ability and Limits of Borrowing Copyrighted Material for the New York Stage
This month, the producers and sound engineer behind Fleetwood Mac’s recordings filed a lawsuit alleging that the playwright David Adjmi and other related parties infringed their copyright in the memoir Making Rumours with Adjmi’s currently running Broadway play, Stereophonic. Notably, Stereophonic has garnered significant acclaim, winning five Tony Awards this year, including for Best Play. The complaint alleges that “hidden…
Taking a “Look Back” at Hadestown’s Journey Way Down to Court: A Significant Case Opinion Paves the Way for Defenses to Claims of Discrimination in Casting
By Ethan Krasnoo and Anna Beckelman In May 2023, in the RPJ website post ”Will NYC’s New Employment Discrimination Bill Restrict Casting ‘In The Heights’?” we discussed New York City’s new law prohibiting employment discrimination based upon height or weight and how this legislation might affect casting decisions in New York theater, including on Broadway. As we…
Beetlejuice Eviction Day-O: Theater’s and Patron’s Rights and Remedies
Last week, as widely reported, U.S. Representative Lauren Boebert was ejected from a Denver performance of the national tour of Beetlejuice, a musical based on the cult-favorite movie of the same title that played on Broadway until early 2023. According to The Denver Post, Boebert was escorted out of the theatre after “causing a disturbance,” with venue…
Hadestown’s Journey Way Down to Court: Race-Based Casting’s Intersection with Employment Discrimination Laws
Ensemblist Kimberly Moore has taken Hadestown from Broadway to lower Manhattan, having filed last month a lawsuit in federal court against the Broadway producers of the Tony Award-winning show. In the lawsuit, Moore alleges race discrimination and retaliation under federal and New York law. According to the complaint, Hadestown, a self-proclaimed “beacon of diversity,” merely…
Will NYC’s New Employment Discrimination Bill Restrict Casting “In the Heights”?
As recounted by my colleagues Jill Kahn Marshall and Anna Beckelman in their recent article, on May 11, 2023, the New York City Council passed a bill that prohibits discrimination in employment, housing, and access to public accommodation on the basis of someone’s actual or perceived height or weight. By adding height and weight as protected classes, the…
Look at Me, I’m Parod-y
This month, New York federal district court Judge Laura Taylor Swain gave what is expected to be her final substantive ruling on the dispute between Sketchworks Industrial Strength Comedy Inc. and the copyright owners of the musical Grease, which Sketchworks’ musical Vape parodies. In her ruling, Judge Swain held that Vape constitutes “fair use” of…
What Comes Next?
As Broadway Grapples with Reopening and Bringing in PatronsSome Shows Also Confront Lawsuits from Actors Alleging Discrimination and Termination Due to Protected Classes Including Religion and Gender While Broadway is up and running, and trying to stay that way despite lacking tourists, new variants of Covid, and the financial challenges to Broadway recoupment present even in…
Ring of Keys: NYC’s Proof of Vaccination Program
On August 17, 2021, the Key to NYC program, which requires proof of vaccination for indoor activities in New York City, including attending theatrical and other performing arts events, went into effect. Under the program, individuals age 12 and older are required to show proof that they have received at least one dose of a…
One Jump Ahead: Broadway Makes Strides to Bridge Racial Equity Gaps
In response to the great, cultural emphasis being paid to national racial inequities, the Broadway Advocacy Coalition (BAC) announced the launch of Reimagining Equitable Productions (REP), its newest program conceived in effort to invite racial equality to the rehearsal rooms and performance spaces of the American Theatre. Inspired by its Theater of Change course at…
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