Why does the availability checker always indicate the play is restricted?
Many international (non-UK/ Ireland) licence requests are run through the rights owners for permission to proceed. This is so that we can avoid licensing any productions that may conflict, including licenses in other languages in your territory for the title. As such, we are not able to confirm availability until we receive an application from you and start the permission process.
Why can it take up to 6 weeks to find out if a title is available?
Whilst we endeavour to find out if the rights are available for you as quickly as possible, on occasion it can take several weeks. This is often due to many people having to confirm there is no conflicting interest, such as the foreign language agents, or it may be that a producer has a licence for that territory and we are waiting to see if your production conflicts with their plans. We recommend that you apply for a licence as soon as possible and well before you make any firm production plans for your chosen show, so as to avoid any financial impact if the rights are not available for you.
On the occasions when it takes longer to clear the rights for you, it is always worth applying for the rights to a back-up title, in case we do not hear back in time for you to proceed with your first choice.
Does it matter to which Concord Theatricals office I apply for a licence?
Yes, it does. All performances in the USA and Canada are licensed through our office in the USA and a licence should be applied for through their website. If you are performing in the UK or Ireland, please apply for a licence through this UK site.
Applying for a licence outside of these territories? Not to worry. If you apply for a licence through the wrong office, on most occasions we can swap it to the right one internally for you. As a general rule, titles by US and Canadian play authors should be applied for through our US website, and titles by UK/Irish play authors through this UK site, though there are exceptions to this. Most UK and European productions of R&H Theatricals and Tams-Witmark musicals are handled by our UK office, but there are exceptions to those as well.
A title is on the UK website for licensing but not on the US, or vice versa. What does this mean?
We contract with authors and agents specific rights to license their titles. This can include amateur rights, professional rights, foreign language rights; and a contract will cover certain territories. As we have two separate offices, we often have two contracts for the same title, or one office may have a contract to license a title but the other not. If you wish to know if we license the title and the rights you require in your territory please feel free to email [email protected] with the specific rights that you are looking for, or alternatively you can apply for the licence through one of our websites.