“Any time there is an agreement between two people to do something, that agreement is a contract. The importance of the paper is to prove what they agreed on,” explained Gordon Firemark, entertainment attorney in Los Angeles. He represents all sorts of entertainers, from comedians, magicians and clowns to theater, TV and film actors, and he has been a theater buff his whole life as well. He enjoys helping performers so much that he does a blog and podcast on entertainment law issues. Although he maintains that a written contract is the preferred way to outline everyone’s expectations, he also explained something interesting, that even an email, though not a legal document, is sometimes used as an informal contract, outlining the details of the offer and the negotiations leading up to acceptance. Sometimes, he admitted, that is how jobs, especially smaller one night shows, get booked. But having an official contract, especia...