Comedy play scripts were quite difficult to come by before the days of the Internet. There were script libraries where one could hire sets of plays. There would be quite a time lapse between the order and the arrival of the battered clutch of scripts in the post so play reading groups and amateur theatrical groups had to plan in advance and know which works to order. After using the scripts they had to be bundled up and posted back to the library.
The advent of the Internet has made things very much easier. A simple search brings up brings up hundreds of available plays. There is copyright on some but others are free. In most cases a site will provide an abstract to enable browsers to ascertain quickly whether or not they do wish to read further.
If a person is interested he or she can simply download the entire script and read it online. Should the intention be to produce the entertainment play for an audience copies can easily be printed. Such is the way that the world of art and culture have improved, thanks to information technology.
Many issues remain unresolved. Around the world judicial committees and courts struggle to resolve issues of privacy, of copyright and intellectual property. Computer technology has raced far ahead of the law causing great confusion and unaddressed questions of obsolete laws.
With respect to comedies the situation is quite straightforward. Small royalties have always be due to writers of recent works but real creativity in comedy depends on the creativity of actors and directors. Even an Oscar Wilde work can be received in absolute silence in the hands of a bumbling director and bad actor.
When teachers or amateur dramatists go online to search for comedy play scripts they need to take context and culture into account. The World Wide Web is global in reach and does not yet have a common culture. Texts written for Chinese audiences might be very difficult for an Australian outback audience to appreciate. The Web demands critical acumen from all browsers.
The advent of the Internet has made things very much easier. A simple search brings up brings up hundreds of available plays. There is copyright on some but others are free. In most cases a site will provide an abstract to enable browsers to ascertain quickly whether or not they do wish to read further.
If a person is interested he or she can simply download the entire script and read it online. Should the intention be to produce the entertainment play for an audience copies can easily be printed. Such is the way that the world of art and culture have improved, thanks to information technology.
Many issues remain unresolved. Around the world judicial committees and courts struggle to resolve issues of privacy, of copyright and intellectual property. Computer technology has raced far ahead of the law causing great confusion and unaddressed questions of obsolete laws.
With respect to comedies the situation is quite straightforward. Small royalties have always be due to writers of recent works but real creativity in comedy depends on the creativity of actors and directors. Even an Oscar Wilde work can be received in absolute silence in the hands of a bumbling director and bad actor.
When teachers or amateur dramatists go online to search for comedy play scripts they need to take context and culture into account. The World Wide Web is global in reach and does not yet have a common culture. Texts written for Chinese audiences might be very difficult for an Australian outback audience to appreciate. The Web demands critical acumen from all browsers.
