Amateur/Professional

Hi Kristine> by saying we are "amateur" we pay less for the rights.It ain't necessarily so.I was in the odd situation only a couple of years back of someone else applying for the rights for a show we were doing. They applied for the amateur rights, but strictly speaking the show was "pro". So we had to re-apply for the professional rights. They were cheaper! A flat rate applied for amateur rights, while a percentage of gross box applied for professional rights.Ok, it was probably the exception rather than the rule and it did rely on the fact that we had tiny houses for the show. But it was quite a bit cheaper.So, maybe groups with small venues or considering a show they consider won't be a big crowd-puller should think about applying for professional rights?The question then becomes one of defining professional. From the agents i have dealt with, if anyone involved with the production is paid anything at all, it's considered professional. I wonder if that includes covering someone's costs? I wonder if there aren't a few groups out there applying for amateur rights when they should be paying professional?CheersGrant