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Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/42296
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/42296
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

**If your inspiration story is in the public domain (which all of Shakespeare is), you have no legal obligation to disclose your source material.** Though with Shakespeare, people will of course figure it out.

The musical _West Side Story_ is a well-known retelling of _Romeo and Juliet_. It was in fact [pitched to producers](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Side_Story) as such and of course all the reviews mention it.

> _West Side Story_ is a musical with book by Arthur Laurents, music by Leonard Bernstein and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. It was inspired by William Shakespeare's play Romeo and Juliet. ([ref](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Side_Story))

A 1961 movie poster doesn't mention R&J though (I can't read the fine print so maybe it's there).

[![enter image description here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/hMGAI.png)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/hMGAI.png)

**If your inspiration story is not in the public domain, then you need permission from the copyright holders before you proceed.** If they grant it, they will advise you on how to cite.

**But what if your inspiration story is in the public domain but obscure?** I would put it in the acknowledgments, if not the title page.

**And if the story is not public domain but your inspiration is slight?** That's the trickier one. The answer is "it depends." But err on the side of caution and get permission. Or change your story even more.

Original score: 13