Dramatists Play Service

What Dramatists Play Service does

Dramatists Play Service is a publishing imprint within Concord Theatricals that licenses dramatic plays for theatrical performance, anchored historically by the brand's 1936 vintage and currently curated through The Richard Greenberg Collection, which features Tony and Pulitzer-winning works such as Take Me Out and Liberation. The imprint serves a horizontal customer base spanning professional theater companies, community theaters, school drama programs, and educational institutions that require legitimate performance rights; the broader Concord portfolio extends across Rodgers & Hammerstein, Tams-Witmark, Samuel French (Lorraine Hansberry), Andrew Lloyd Webber, and Playscripts collections, plus adjacent music publishing and cast recording lines.

Name

Dramatists Play Service

Legal name

Dramatists Play Service

Website

https://dramatists.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1936

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Dramatists Play Service is a theatrical licensing imprint under Concord Theatricals that licenses dramatic plays — including the Richard Greenberg Collection — to professional, community, and educational theaters via concordtheatricals.com.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Theatrical Licensing

NAICS

Music Publishers (51223), Other Performing Arts Companies (71119)

SIC

Services-Allied To Motion Picture Distribution (7829)

akta.pro primary industry

Theater, Musicals & Performing Arts (THAJAFAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Broadway & Commercial Theatre Productions (MPAGABAA), Sync Rights Representation (Pitching, Clearance, Negotiation) (MPAIABAF)

Keywords

• Theatrical licensing
• Performance rights
• Play publishing
• Script licensing
• Music publishing

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Theatrical Licensing: Licensing of play and musical performance rights to theaters, schools, and community groups. Customers pay licensing fees to obtain rights to perform published works.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Dramatists Play Service licenses performance rights for plays and musicals to professional, community, and educational theaters. Operating as an imprint within Concord Theatricals, it provides access to a catalog of established and contemporary dramatic works, including the Richard Greenberg Collection, alongside complementary music publishing and cast recording services.

Product overview

Concord Theatricals is a comprehensive theatrical licensing platform offering multiple brand collections and individual titles for theatrical productions. The portfolio includes major imprints and collections such as The Rodgers & Hammerstein Collection, The Tams-Witmark Collection, The Lorraine Hansberry Collection (Samuel French), The Andrew Lloyd Webber Collection, The Richard Greenberg Collection (Dramatists Play Service), and The Playscripts Collection. Individual titles include popular works like Hamilton, Hadestown: Teen Edition, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (High School Edition), The Outsiders, To Kill a Mockingbird, and Liberation. The company also offers music publishing services, cast recordings, and specialized Youth & Teen Editions. Dramatists Play Service operates as one of the collections/imprints under Concord Theatricals, focusing on dramatic plays for professional and educational theater licensing.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The Richard Greenberg Collection: The Richard Greenberg Collection featuring works published by Dramatists Play Service, including productions such as 'Take Me Out' (2022 Second Stage Theater).

Products and services

• The Rodgers & Hammerstein Collection A curated collection of theatrical titles from Rodgers & Hammerstein, offering licensing for productions including The Sound of Music and other classic musicals, marketed to professional and educational theaters.
• The Tams-Witmark Collection A collection of musical theater titles available for licensing, featuring productions such as Gypsy, marketed to professional and community theaters.
• The Lorraine Hansberry Collection (Samuel French) A collection dedicated to Lorraine Hansberry's works, including A Raisin in the Sun, available for licensing through the Samuel French imprint to professional and educational theaters.
• The Andrew Lloyd Webber Collection A collection of Andrew Lloyd Webber's theatrical works available for licensing, including productions such as CATS, marketed to professional and community theaters.
• The Richard Greenberg Collection (Dramatists Play Service) A collection of Richard Greenberg's plays available for licensing through the Dramatists Play Service imprint, including Take Me Out, targeting professional and educational theaters.
• The Playscripts Collection A collection of contemporary and classic play scripts available for theatrical licensing under the Playscripts imprint, for professional and educational theater use.
• Youth & Teen Editions Adapted theatrical works designed specifically for youth and teen performers and educational productions, including titles such as Hadestown: Teen Edition and Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (High School Edition).
• Concert Library A catalog of concert offerings available for licensing through Concord Theatricals, providing performance rights for concert-format theatrical events.
• Music Publishing Music publishing services for theatrical composers and lyricists, provided as part of Concord Theatricals' comprehensive theatrical offerings alongside licensing.
• Cast Recordings Production and distribution of cast recordings for licensed theatrical productions, supporting shows after their run.
• Theatrical Licensing Services Theatrical licensing services for plays, musicals, and dramatic works, granting performance rights to professional, educational, and community theaters for a licensing fee.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• BMG Rights Management: Global music publisher and rights administrator with theatrical and dramatic works in its catalog. Far larger and broader than Dramatists Play Service, but competes indirectly for theatrical publishing rights acquisition.
• Warner Chappell Music: Major global music publisher administering rights for theatrical and popular songwriters. Operates at a vastly larger scale across all music genres, with theatrical rights administration as a subset of its catalog.
• Hal Leonard Corporation: Largest music publishing and distribution company in the world, offering print music, Broadway vocal scores, and licensing for educational use. Broader portfolio than Dramatists Play Service but overlaps in theatrical music licensing for schools and churches.

Regional players

• Josef Weinberger Ltd: Long-established UK-based music and theatrical rights agency licensing musicals, plays, and concert works. Comparable in licensing model but primarily serving UK, European, and Commonwealth markets rather than directly competing in the US.

Direct peers

• Theatrical Rights Worldwide: Broadway and Off-Broadway licensing agency representing musical and dramatic works to professional, educational, and community theaters. Overlaps directly with Dramatists Play Service's licensing model and customer base.
• Music Theatre International: The largest theatrical licensing agency in the US, licensing musicals and plays to schools, community theaters, and professional productions. Directly competes with Dramatists Play Service across educational and amateur licensing segments.
• Broadway Licensing: Specializes in licensing plays and musicals for professional and amateur productions, with a sizable catalog spanning classic and contemporary titles. Direct competitor in the same theatrical rights licensing category.
• Playscripts, Inc. Theatrical licensing publisher focused on new and contemporary plays for educational and community theater. Competes with Dramatists Play Service for the same customer segments, particularly schools and small theaters.

Others

• Concord Music Publishing: Music publishing arm of Concord (Dramatists Play Service's parent group), administering songwriting and composition rights for theatrical composers. Sister business within the same corporate parent enabling bundled offerings.
• Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization: Longstanding theatrical rights organization whose catalog is now licensed through Concord Theatricals. Historically a parallel licensor of Broadway musicals; now sits within the same parent ecosystem as Dramatists Play Service.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/DramatistsPlayS

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Dramatists Play Service