This week, Julie Taymor is set to square off against the producers of “Spider Man: Turn off the Dark,” claiming that they owe her more than $500,000 is royalties for the production. If you didn’t already know, Taymor was fired from the production back in March for artistic “clashes” with the producers; which basically means she wasn’t willing to change things that they wanted changed. The arbitration claim was actually filed by the Stage Director’s and Choreographer’s Union, because Taymor hasn’t been paid anything since the show began its previews. So really, the only money she has received was a $125,000 payment five years ago. Now I really don’t know anything about what’s right or protocol when it comes to directors being paid, but I just found this dispute super super interesting. What is right in the theatre today — that a director be paid only on the basis of a show’s success, or that they be compensated for ALL of their time, and for their commitment, no matter how successful the production ends up being. It’s a tricky situation, for although Taymor did spend endless amounts of time collaborating on the production, the production DID cost a hefty $75 million – the most expensive Broadway show EVAHH!!!
Here’s the article: http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/09/29/its-spider-man-turn-on-the-lawyers-with-taymor-arbitration-hearing-set-for-next-week/
