Copyright Aid

Could someone tell me who would own the copyright for the printed theatre programmes that are either given out or sold at performances?

Is it the theatre itself, the producers of the play, or someone else?

I have a collection from the 1960s - 1990s. In some cases it is obvious, i.e. Playbill, but in most cases it is unclear.

Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated.

Hi Candice,

Welcome to the forum.

I think it would depend on who the producer was. If it was a smallish regional theatre and it was some thing like the annual pantomime I would expect the theatre management to be responsible for publishing the programme and therefore be the copyright owner. However if a touring repertory company was booked to perform a play for a short season, then it is more likely the repertory company would be responsible for the programme. With a West End theatre I suspect the theatre management would own the copyright in almost all cases. I would suggest the first place to check would be with the current owners of the theatre(s) if it/they still exist.

That's helpful, thank you!