A commission contract that looks clean at first reading often contains omissions that cost playwrights money and creative control years later. These gaps are not always intentional, but they are consistently present.
The revision clause problem
Most commissions include language requiring the playwright to deliver revisions upon request. Few specify a limit on the number of revision rounds or define what constitutes a completed revision cycle.
Without that boundary, a theatre can request changes indefinitely while the playwright receives no additional compensation. Adding a clause that caps revision rounds at three, with a renegotiation trigger after that, is reasonable and rarely contested when raised professionally.
Production window language
A commission does not automatically guarantee production. Many contracts grant the theatre a production option for 18 to 36 months without obligating them to exercise it.
If the option expires unexercised, rights revert. But if the language is vague, the reversion can be disputed. Request a specific reversion date written explicitly into the contract, not implied by option expiry language alone.
Step-by-step negotiation approach
- Request the contract at least two weeks before the signing deadline.
- Mark every clause that uses the word reasonable or satisfactory without defining the standard.
- Draft proposed replacements for those clauses using specific numbers and timeframes.
- Send revisions in a single document, not piecemeal.
- Follow up with a phone call, not email, to discuss contested points.
Theatres expect negotiation from writers who take their work seriously. A contract that protects both sides tends to produce a better working relationship anyway.