Is HBO stopping Vagina Monologues in SL?

ToryLynn was contacted by the contact at VDay.org on 1/18 and informed that HBO holds all cross country broadcast rights for the Vagina Monlogues, while VDay.org holds only production rights for live theatre performance. Our production was granted rights through VDay.org, but our contact says that HBO considers our production a broadcast.

We have suspended production of SL Vagina Monologues at the request of VDay.org, but have a week until they actually revoke our production rights completely and pull our registration off the VDay.org website. We have stopped taking donations, but will not be refunding donations for at least a week (Ada and ToryLynn must handle this).

Please stop all publicity and fundraising efforts. All rehearsals and technical production meetings are cancelled.

We are NOT shut down, denied, revoked...we are only currently SUSPENDED until the producers can get more clear info from the out-world organizations and work with them to convince them to allow us to continue our production.

The SL VDay producers (ToryLynn Writer, Ada Radius, Lauren Weyland, Calliope Delgado) are currently working on the following:
-- Contacting Shael, our contact at VDay.org, to clarify details re: live production versus broadcast, and the unique situation that SL presents
-- Contacting HBO to clarify details re: live production versus broadcast, and the unique situation that SL presents
-- Contacting Dramatists Play Service re: live production versus broadcast, and the unique situation that SL presents
-- Develop a clear plan of action in terms of contacting in-world and out-world media if the above organizations will not cooperate with us

Options discussed at the meeting, but NOT to be carried into action until the producers have made the contacts previously listed :
-- Approaching HBO to develop a possible partnership for an SL production of The Vagina Monologues, and possibly aiming for a 2009 production
-- VDay will allow us to use the Spotlight Monologue, so we could create our own original production, use the Spotlight Monologue, and donate the funds to VDay.org as originally planned

What we should NOT do right now:
-- consider litigation or drag this into a legal battle
-- be aggressive or confrontational...we need to build relationships, not burn bridges because this issue goes FAR beyond the scope of just our production -- it ultimately affects live theatrical production in SL and gaining rights to materials, definition of broadcast, etc.
-- allow VDay group members to contact media or others on behalf of the production

ALL OFFICIAL CONTACTS, PRESS RELEASES, INFORMATION RELEASES, INTERVIEWS, MUST BE CLEARED THROUGH THE PRODUCERS AT THIS TIME -- if you have contacts, please introduce them to ToryLynn, Ada, Lauren, or Calliope or let one of the four of us know how to contact them.

We are not finished...we are not giving up...but we (the producers) must take specific steps if we want to continue with THIS project that so many have contributed time and talent to. Please trust us and let us take these first steps.

Please pass any information or ideas for action on NOTECARDS to the producers as IMs can get lost in the shuffle.

SL VDay will meet again on Tuesday, 1/22 at the VLS Theater to discuss the status of the production and next steps to take.

--Calliope Delgado