If you’re doing a public performance of a copyright protected play, you need a licence. Put simply, unless you’re doing a show in your own home for friends and family, or in a school as part of the usual teaching day and in a lesson, with no other invited guests, your show will be considered ‘public’. Visiting educational companies to schools will require a licence from the appropriate rights holder.
You may host a private play reading without a licence; however, in these instances it must be a non-ticketed, unrehearsed, closed reading with people from the same organisation.
There’s a common misconception that you don’t need a licence if you’re not charging for tickets. This isn’t the case. All public shows require a licence, regardless of whether or not you’re charging
Further Clarification on School/College/University Performances:
If you are performing on the educational premises such as a classroom, during the normal teaching day and in front of a non-paying audience comprising of examiner(s) and students sitting the same module only with no advertising; this would be classed as an educational exercise and would not require a licence. If you are wanting to perform in any other circumstances, such as inviting family or students from the wider school to watch, you will need to apply for a licence to perform.