Great Value, Low Cost Script Sources (Under $100)
1. Plays Magazine is one of my favorite sources for scripts for my classes. A one year subscription costs $59; you’ll receive 7 issues each year, and each issue contains six to eight short plays geared towards children and students, and so it’s a perfect choice for school plays. With the subscription, you can perform any of their plays, past or present, royalty free. Subscribers have full access to a HUGE online database of plays (the full play, not just an excerpt!) and are also granted permission to make copies of scripts for your performances. I produce about eight of their plays every year for my Actor’s Showcase performances. This is the most cost efficient choice for classroom performances, specifically short one acts.
2. Another favorite is ArtReach Children’s Theatre Plays. They have an outstanding selection of school appropriate plays and offer School Play Packages for $99.95 that include a master script (to make copies for your cast and crew), a teachers guide, a CD soundtrack (sound effects, background music, and piano accompaniment for musicals), and a performance license. The package is emailed so everything’s received digitally (and quickly). Additional royalties are only $45/performance. Also, Stephanie Shultze Miller who is the companies playwright, gives permission up front to edit the script as needed as well as record performances. When emailed asking questions, I was actually able to converse with the playwright herself! How cool is that! I’ve produced her plays of Aladdin and Alice in Wonderland and wouldn’t hesitate producing another of her plays in the future. This publisher has the best overall price (inclusive of the scripts, accompaniment, and royalty fees) for full length productions.
Affordable, Mid-Range Cost Script Sources ($100-$500)
3. Playscripts is a tried and true publishing company when it comes to finding affordable plays and musicals. They
4. Dramatist Play Service (DPS) is another publishing company similar to Playscripts in terms of affordability and selection. Plus, they offer a 10% discount to educators on the purchase of 20+ Acting Editions. Like Playscripts, if you set up an account, DPS will send you monthly updates of newly published scripts. I’m not crazy about the lack of access to past invoices on my online account (which I like to look at occasionally with other companies as a record of which of their plays I’ve produced), but every time I’ve called, DPS customer service has been very helpful.
5. Heuer offers a free weekly perusal escript via email. They also have very helpful customer service that is just a phone call away. Like Playscripts and DPS, their scripts and royalties are very reasonable. By far the most successful play that I’ve produced of theirs was Freak by Angela Hill. Another fun play from their catalog that I’ve also produced is Who’s Your Mummy.
6. Dramatic Publishing is another mid-range publisher that has a great selection of plays. The royalty cost, slightly pricier scripts, and lack of extras have me ranking them 6th in my list. They’re still a great publisher to work with because of their quality publications. I’ve produced several of their plays including Triangle, Cagebirds, Get Smart, The Outsiders, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
Larger Budget, Broadway Style
Script Sources (over $500)
Script Sources (over $500)6. If you’re looking for a classic Broadway style show, check out Rogers and Hammerstein (R&H). The selection is top-notch, and they’re on the lower end of the upper price range. I produced their show Oklahoma.
7. While not cheap, Music Theatre International (MTI) offers Broadway quality scripts. For student performances, Jr. versions are available for many of their musicals, which not only makes the productions more affordable, it allows for the actors to keep their scripts, thus taking script rental and return out of the equation. The Jr. version also provides accompaniment tracks, which is a major bonus! MTI has lots of extras available such as logo packs, show and stage manager software, and the option to purchase show shirts. I recently produced their show Schoolhouse Rock Live! Jr. for our Fall 2017 show. I’ve also produced their musicals The Adams Family and Seussical and would recommend them to anyone considering producing an outstanding musical.
In Conclusion
Regardless of your budget, there are a lot of great publishers out there from which to choose. I hope by sharing my top sources for scripts will help you find a script that is suitable for your needs. This is by no means an exhaustive list. Some other names that I’m familiar with, although not enough to give a review at this point include Pioneer Drama, Eldridge Publishing, Samuel French, Brooklyn Publishers and Theatrefolk. Theatrefolk is a publisher that I have not purchased from, however I’m on their mailing list. They have excellent materials that they send out regularly that are helpful for theatre teachers. They also send out helpful videos and podcasts on Facebook.
