Your work cannot be performed without your permission. And it is never okay for someone to change your words, lyrics, or notes, without your approval.
This rule applies whether the desired alteration is a significant change to the text, such as rearranging scenes, adding lines, cutting an entire monologue, or removing an explicit word. It also applies to changing the setting or casting requirements. Casting requirements and settings are a part of an author’s work; if any defining characteristics are written into the stage directions, such as a character’s age or gender, then they cannot be changed without written authorization.
As a part of the Dramatists Guild's effort to support dramatists and their allies in this fight, we've created a telephone hotline and form through which anyone can anonymously report instances of copyright infringement – the Guild will reach out to writers, licensors, and publishers of theatrical works to follow up on the reports.
To anonymously report copyright infringement, or if you don’t know where to go to request a script change, you can call DG's #DontChangeTheWords hotline at 1-855-71-WORDS and leave a report via voicemail. You can also fill out this form to report infringement in your area.
For more information on why people should not change the words or music without the writer's approval, please visit: https://www.dramatistsguild.com/dontchangethewords