FAQs:  Copyrights and Royalties

Organizations should order sufficient script for both your cast and your crew.  The general policy for the minimum scripts that we require is one script for each speaking role.  More specifically, you have to buy enough to meet your needs so you are not tempted to illegally photocopy any.  In the case of musicals, members of the chorus who do not have any lines are not required to have a script.

While we understand that some roles are small and those actors can share a script, we also know there are only a few roles like that in a play, perhaps decreasing how many scripts you need by three or four.  “Doubling possible” suggests that the same actor can play a few small parts.  It does not mean that you can cut the cast size or script requirement in half.

Please also keep in mind that many members of your technical crew will need a script, including those working on set design, costuming, blocking, props, lights and sound and stage effects.

You can only photocopy scripts if you have purchased the distribution rights to do so.  Photocopying scripts without permission is stealing.  If you duplicate a script without permission, you are taking something that belongs to the playwright.  You are also breaking federal and international copyright law. 

As the publisher, Pioneer Drama Service’s responsibility is to make sure that a playwright’s work is used legally.  For that reason, we ensure sufficient scripts or the rights to photocopy a script have been purchased before we grant performance rights.  Anyone found in violation of this may be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.  In addition, Pioneer Drama Service reserves the right to assess an infringement penalty up to ten times the original cost owed for photocopying or reproducing a script without permission.

To purchase distribution rights for permission to photocopy a script, please contact Pioneer Drama Service.

Distributing a script in any way is illegal unless you have purchased the right to do so.  Copyright laws prohibit reproducing the work in any way, and that includes sending it via email or posting a link to the script for others to access in a Dropbox or on a website. 

Pioneer Drama Service reserves the right to assess an infringement penalty up to ten times the original cost owed for distributing a script in any way without permission.  Like with photocopying, to acquire permission to reproduce or distribute a script electronically, simply contact Pioneer Drama Service.

A royalty is due any time all or part of a play is seen by an audience beyond members of the same theatre class, whether that audience is in the theatre with the performers, watching a livestream from home, or watching a recording of a performance done previously.  Pioneer’s fixed royalty fee does not change based on the size of the audience, the price of admission, or the type of performance, whether it is called a performance, a dress rehearsal, a broadcast, a class project, a recording, etc.

Payment of a royalty fee and receiving performance rights means that you have permission to use and perform the playwright’s property.  The playwright is entitled to be paid whether or not you choose to charge admission.  Most of Pioneer Drama Service’s customers are schools, churches or other non-profit organizations.  Our prices are set with these types of groups in mind, and all are expected to pay royalties.  Royalty rates listed on this website apply to educational and other amateur theatre groups only.  All others, including regional, stock, and professional companies must contact our office for a royalty quote. 

Royalty payments are due at our office one week prior to your first performance, at which time authorization for production is granted.  Anyone found in violation of this may be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.  Pioneer Drama Service reserves the right to assess an infringement penalty up to ten times the original cost owed for producing a play or musical without first acquiring proper rights.

Yes, payment of a royalty fee means you have permission to perform the playwright’s property.  The playwright is entitled to be compensated whether or not you choose to charge admission.  Most of Pioneer Drama’s customers are schools, churches, or other non-profit organizations.  Our prices are set with these types of groups in mind, and all are expected to pay royalties.

A royalty is due any time all or part of a play is performed in front of any size audience, whether or not admission is charged.  This includes school assemblies and audience-attended “dress rehearsals.”  If no audience of any size watches your play, no royalty is due.

Pioneer Drama Service is much more flexible than most publishing companies regarding our customers making changes to one of our plays or musicals to have it better meet their needs.  The typical sort of changes we will easily approve include changing the gender of a character to fit your cast needs as long as no romantic relationship is involved or adding in local references of names or locations to add humor.  Cutting lines to accommodate your time constraints is also quite possible as long as it does not change the plot or intent of the playwright in any way.

With over 1300 published works in our catalog spanning more than 60 years, there are undoubtedly words, phrases, or other references in a few of our plays and musicals that are no longer acceptable when viewed with modern sensibilities and sensitivities.  This is especially true when doing play adaptations of classic literature written more than 100 years ago.  We apologize for this and assure you that no offense was ever intended; the terminology was deemed appropriate at the time of publication.  Pioneer Drama Service celebrates the fact that we all have a heightened awareness today and give blanket permission to change or omit these references as needed.

Adding lines or characters is trickier as it’s impossible to do so without changing the playwright’s intentions.  Since our scripts are all copyrighted, all changes must be approved by Pioneer Drama Service before your production.  Under no circumstances does making changes to the script exempt you from paying full royalties and properly crediting the playwright(s) and Pioneer Drama Service.

Yes, and in fact, we suggest you do!  We highly recommend that you make a physical backup of your downloaded music tracks immediately, just in case your hard drive crashes or one of your CDs gets scratched!  In terms of copies for your actors, as long as you have already arranged your production rights, you’re welcome to share the vocal music tracks with your cast, either on a CD or flash drive or on a secure website.  You do NOT have rights to post them on YouTube or any other website unless it is password protected to be accessed by only your cast.

Absolutely not!  Any material added to one of our shows must be in the public domain, meaning it is not encumbered by any copyright and can be freely used by any member of the general public.  Thus, music by any pop star or music group is also out of the question.  Generally, all classical music is in the public domain and can be used quite effectively to enhance the mood of your play.

Yes, you have permission to record any Pioneer production as long as all royalties are properly paid.  Audience members may take photos or record the show as a personal memento.  All other uses of a recording require additional royalty fees.  These instances include, but are not limited to, 1) making copies of a recording and distributing it to the entire cast, 2) posting a recording of more than 10 minutes of a performance on a website [NOTE:  each unique website on which the recording is posted requires one royalty fee], 3) showing your recording at a later date as a public performance, and 4) showing the performance on a local cable station.  Please call our office to make arrangements if any of these circumstances apply.

One clip no longer than ten minutes can be posted at no cost.  For a longer segment up to and including the entire performance, one additional royalty fee is required for each site on which you wish to post it, including your own group’s website.  Please note, this royalty fee is in addition to your licensing fees for performances in front of live audiences.

Yes, licensing rights for livestreaming are available for EVERY Pioneer play or musical.  For each performance livestreamed, one royalty fee is due in addition to the royalty fee for performing in front of a live audience.  If the livestream is recorded and showed at an additional time or posted on a website, additional royalties are due for each of these circumstances.

We are proud to partner with BookTix for all your livestream and ticketing needs.  You can contact them at BookTix.com.

We think this is an exciting opportunity for our customers and are always pleased to hear when you have this “taste of fame.”  In this instance, we ask that you pay just one additional performance royalty for unlimited broadcasting rights.

CLICK HERE for a helpful guide from the Education Committee of The Dramatists Guild of America.