FAQs:  Theatre in the Era of COVID-19

E-views are non-printable electronic preview scripts that are delivered immediately to your online e-view library.  They are available to everyone who is interested in simply perusing or previewing play scripts, including students.  There are no restrictions on who can set up an e-view account and even take advantage of any “3 for free” e-view offers available.  E-views are not to be used for rehearsal or production purposes.

Think of your e-view script as a preview script.  If you were sharing it with one student or co-worker to say, “Is this the script you think we should produce?”  then yes, that is allowed, just like you might hand them your paper preview script.  However, once you have decided on a show, you may NOT simply share your electronic preview script.  That would be the same as illegally photocopying a paper script.  Instead, you need to purchase one script or e-script per cast member.

An e-view is an electronic preview.  It is not printable and can be used only to peruse or preview a script.  An e-script is printable and part of a production order, meaning you have ordered scripts for the entire cast and arranged for royalties.  Getting your scripts as e-scripts is a delivery option when you place a production order, and it includes written permission to distribute the e-scripts based on the number of script rights you ordered.  We encourage you to read more about our electronic script offers in other FAQs.

Get It Now!  is simply a different delivery option for e-scripts.  It gives you the printable PDF of the script and any other electronic material you ordered immediately, but requires prepayment, including royalties.

While you might not need e-scripts for an entire cast, to be fair to our playwrights, we still require that you purchase one e-script for each person needing a script, including actors and members of your tech crew.

Pioneer Drama has always charged a fixed royalty fee for each audience watching your performance, and this policy still applies.  What’s changed are how an audience might be watching your show and how your performance might be done.  To be fair to both you and our playwrights, each different audience requires one royalty fee:  1) those in your auditorium watching a live performance, 2) those at home watching a livestreamed performance, 3) those who are watching a DVD of a pre-recorded performance, 4) those going to a website to watch a pre-recorded performance [NOTE:  each unique website on which the pre-recorded performance is posted requires one royalty fee], and 5) those watching a broadcast of a performance on a local cable station.  These audiences types, and thus the same royalty fees, apply whether a performance is done live or done virtually on any video-conferencing site.

Here’s an example:  let’s say you perform your show in an empty auditorium but have the chance to livestream your performance.  Then you are reaching one audience at home, meaning a single royalty fee is due.  If there was an audience in the auditorium AND you livestreamed it, then you would owe for two performances — one for the live audience and one for the audience watching from home.  If you also record this performance and post it on your organization’s website, that is reaching still a different audience, meaning you need to pay an additional royalty fee before you have permission to post it.  If you also post your recording on a social media site such as Facebook or YouTube, that is reaching yet another audience, requiring an additional royalty fee.

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.

Yes, though circumstances might limit how your cast “comes together” to perform, the playwright still deserves to be compensated.  After all, you selected their work and chose to produce it, even if the style of production is quite different.