Note: a reading of this play will be performed at the opening reception!
"The Public Domain Ball" is my original one-act play about the "death plus 70 years" extension of copyright that was applied to works under the Copyright Act in 2022. Due to this amendment of the Act, many creative works scheduled to enter the public domain were suddenly halted for another 20 years. In this play, I use the analogy of a "murder mystery" to present an engaging educational approach to the importance of the public domain for creative innovation. The cast of characters, all in the public domain (Sherlock Holmes, Dracula, Alice in Wonderland and others), come together and attempt to uncover why many newly scheduled characters aren't attending this years "Public Domain Ball."
