Shows are automatically covered by copyright law from the moment they’re written, which means that, for a certain period of time, if you want to perform them publicly you need to seek the author’s permission and pay them to stage their work.
Copyright law is complex. The precise rules over how long a play is protected by copyright law varies from country to country but works likely to be protected by copyright are:
- Plays written by authors who died less than 70 years ago
- Modern translations or adaptations of older works, which are considered new works and the copyright is owned by the translator or adapter, even if the original author died more than 70 years ago
- One notable acceptation to these rules is Peter Pan by J M Barrie. A licence is still required for performances of this title in the UK despite Barrie having died more than 70 years ago, due to a special dispensation granted by parliament.
If you’re unsure on the copyright status of a play or musical, you can always email us at [email protected] and we’ll happily advise.