Wikipedia:School and university projects/Open Source Culture/The Wooster Group, Arthur Miller and 'The Crucible'

"The Wooster Group, Arthur Miller and 'The Crucible'"

by David Savran

The Drama Review (Summer, 1985), 99-109

This article details the conflict that arose between playwright Arthur Miller and The Wooster Group, a NYC-based performance group, when they created a piece that included material from Miller's copyrighted play The Crucible.

Though The Wooster Group, as a small, downtown oriented group, posed no threat to Miller's market in the commercial theater, the renowned playwright objected to their use of portions of The Crucible for their piece entitled L.S.D.. Miller sent the group a cease and desist letter, arguing that their market would infringe on his, and also that their cutting and transformation of his dialogue abused his moral rights over the original work. The Wooster Group ultimately performed the piece, but replaced all the language with gibberish.