Payments

While many publishing and licensing houses charge nonprofessionals a flat per-performance fee, our Nonprofessional Payments Schedule charges in a manner similar to how professionals pay royalties. The Schedule can provide nonprofessionals with the opportunity to produce plays with a smaller upfront investment (the Advance Payment) than would otherwise be required for a production in which all royalties are payable prior to the opening date. Equally, the Schedule provides authors with potentially greater compensation than they would otherwise receive from a per-performance-only production.

In the (unlikely) event that your production should do poorly at the box office, the Schedule requires no further financial obligations from you toward the play. The author has already received fair minimum compensation for the use of their work. In the event (we're confident) that your production fares well at the box office, you will now have box-office proceeds to additionally compensate the author up to their rightful 10%.

In a sense, the Schedule makes both the author and BPPI limited financial partners in your production. If you don't do well, neither do we. If you do well, we do too. We think that's right.

Use the appropriate Professional or Nonprofessional Performance Rights application and enter zero as the ticket price. The application will automatically calculate the correct per-performance minimums. If at any time during the run tickets are sold, submit your Final Payment and summary Box Office Statement as per usual within three business days of your closing date. Otherwise, with zero-ticket-price performance licenses, it is assumed that no box office was collected and no Final Payment is due, and your open license will be marked completed following your closing date.

The nonprofessional per-performance minimums are $150 for a full-length play and $75 for a one-act play. The professional per-performance minimums are $200 for a full-length play and $100 for a one-act play.
Use the appropriate Professional or Nonprofessional Performance Rights application and enter your minimum donation amount as the ticket price. The application will automatically calculate the correct per-performance minimums. The nonprofessional per-performance minimums are $150 for a full-length play and $75 for a one-act play. The professional per-performance minimums are $200 for a full-length play and $100 for a one-act play. If, at the close of your production, 10% of your donations exceeds the amount paid as minimums, a Final Payment is required.

For example, the minimum nonprofessional per-performance fee for a full-length play is $150. The author is due a minimum of $150 per performance or 10% of the house receipts, whichever is greater. Therefore, if you did one performance, your donations would need to exceed $1,500 before a Final Payment would be required. If two performances, your donations would need to exceed $3,000 before a Final Payment would be required. If three performances, $4,500, etc.

If your donations exceed these amounts, your Final Payment will be 10% of the excess amount.

For example, nonprofessional Theater X is accepting only donations for their three performances. Their minimum Advance Payment is $150 * 3 = $450. At the close of their production, their total donations are equal to $10,750. 10% of $10,750 = $1,075. Theater X subtracts their minimum Advance Payment of $450 from $1,075 to arrive at an overage amount due of $625 as Final Payment in order to ensure that the author receives $1,075, equal to 10% of the total donations.
There is no distinct pricing model for fundraising events. For example, say you wish to raise money to do a restoration of your theater. Your usual average ticket price is $10, but you set your ticket price at $25, with $15 of that earmarked as a donation towards the restoration. In your performance-rights application, you would enter an average ticket price of $10. Likewise, when you tally final box-office receipts, you would exclude the amount that has been earmarked. In short, the authors are entitled to 10% of the box office, excluding amounts publicly earmarked for fundraising.
So long as dress rehearsals are invitation only and admittance is free of charge, no additional performance fees apply.
Each venue requires its own performance license. As long as the billing address remains the same, you may submit multiple performance-rights applications, one for each venue, and add them to your cart for a single checkout.

If, however, the billing address differs for each venue, you will need to place separate orders for each venue.

If you have in excess of three venues, your production may be considered a mini-tour or a tour. Visit the Contact Us page and submit the details of your planned production, and we will advise you on the performance-licensing logistics.
Visit the Contact Us page and submit the requested number and dates of additional performances. Be sure to include your order number where indicated. We will review your request and, provided there are no restrictions conflicts or other problems, will issue you a revised license and invoice within two to three business days. Please note that in most cases an additional Advance Payment will be required, and we will contact you to confirm credit card authorization or other payment method.
Visit the Contact Us page and submit the number and dates of performances to be dropped. Be sure to include your order number where indicated. We will review your request and issue you a revised license and invoice within two to three business days. Please note that this request must be submitted prior to your production opening date in order to be eligible for a partial Advance Payment refund.
Visit the Contact Us page and submit your reason for cancellation. Be sure to include your order number where indicated. Please note that cancellation requests must be submitted prior to the production opening date for Advance Payments to be refundable unless special circumstances apply. As regards special circumstances, please see the question: Are Advance Payments refundable?
Yes. A "reading" here, including a "staged reading," is defined as a public performance in which the actors have scripts in hand or within reach, such as on a stand, and which has minimal production values, including, but not limited to, little to no set, little to no lighting effects, and little to no underscoring or sound effects. The fee for a professional reading to which the public is invited and admission provided free of charge is $200 per performance for a full-length play and $100 per performance for a one-act play. The fee for a nonprofessional reading to which the public is invited and admission provided free of charge is $150 per performance for a full-length play and $75 per performance for a one-act play. Readings for which admission is provided free of charge are exempt from the summary Box Office Statement and Final Payment requirements. Enter zero as the average ticket price, and the application will reflect the appropriate per-performance minimum.

Readings for which admission is charged are treated the same as full productions, with Advance Payment and summary Box Office Statement and Final Payment requirements, as described on the Payments page.

Use either the professional or nonprofessional performance-rights applications to request the rights. When presented with the choice between "Production or Public Reading" on the application, select "Reading." Note that all readings are subject to restrictions. Review the Restrictions list for conflicts before you apply for performance rights.
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