FAQ

What kind of publisher is Heartland Plays, Inc.?
Are your plays and drama products sold in bookstores?
Do you publish printed copies of plays in your catalog?
What kinds of plays do you publish?
How do I know I want to perform/produce one of your plays?
I’ve read the online script sample but what about the ending?
Can I print out the online script samples?
What is Copyright?
What is a “Single-Use Copyright Fee”?
What does “Purchase Performance Rights” mean?
How do I obtain Performance Rights to a play?
What does “Purchase Download Only” mean?
What is a Royalty?
Do I have to pay royalties?
Can I download a personal copy of the play?
How do I get permission to perform an excerpt from one of your plays at a festival or competition?
Are we Professional or Amateur?
Am I required to pay a percentage of the box office revenues?
As a Professional/Stock theatre, how are my royalties calculated?
What is in a “Music Package?”
What is a Music Package Fee?
How do I purchase a Music Package?
Do you offer any royalty-free plays?
How do I purchase more than one title?
Do I need to set-up an account with you to begin a purchase?
What are my payment options?
Can I purchase a play or drama product by phone or fax?
Is my credit card information secure?
What is your refund policy?
How do I obtain other Licensing Rights such as for film or television?
What kind of drama products do you carry?
What is a Plot Party Play?
How can I find out more about the playwrights?
How do I submit a play for consideration for publishing?
What kinds of plays do you accept?
Is there a fee to submit a play?
How long does it take to get a response?
Can I submit my play to other publishers while I’m waiting?

Heartland Plays, Inc. publishes and licenses the performance rights and other authorized uses of quality plays, musicals and drama products through the convenience of on-line services. It is our mission to promote exceptional works for the benefit of theaters and playwrights alike. Heartland Plays, Inc. provides free online perusal of plays and musicals (minus the ending). Customers can calculate royalties, Purchase Performance Rights, pay appropriate fees and instantly download digital files of scripts and materials directly from our website. Our innovative Single-Use Copyright authorizes customers to print the files and make as many copies as needed for the purposes stated in their Purchase Application. Heartland Plays, Inc. permits customers to purchase the single download of most plays without paying royalties for specific purposes (See Exceptions to Paying Royalties). Our “Green” publishing model benefits the environment as well as the producing organization saving valuable time and resources. Heartland Plays, Inc. also publishes online non-royalty plays, monologue and scene collections along with drama products such as study guides and acting books. Periodically, Heartland Plays, Inc. publishes plays, collections and other literary materials in traditional book print which are made available for purchase on select Internet sites and in small traditional bookstores. Generally, it is not our practice to publish printed (book) copies of plays in our catalog.

Heartland Plays, Inc. publishes online a wide variety of plays including, but not limited to, full-length comedies and dramas, one-acts, short play collections, and musicals. We strive to find plays that have the quality and diversity to meet the needs and interests of most theatres and producing organizations; Professional, Community, Summer Stock, College, High School, and Theatre for Children and Youth.

Heartland Plays, Inc. provides free online perusal (reading) of all the plays in our catalog (minus the ending) as well as scripts and musical selections from musicals. The ability to read the majority of the script and listen to musical selections provides customers the opportunity to make an informed decision to purchase the rights to perform/produce one of our plays or musicals. This is essential since royalties are non-refundable except in the event of the cancellation of your production. If you have read the online perusal script and are still uncertain or you want to know the ending of the play before making your decision, you may purchase a “Download Only” of the complete script for the price of the “Single-Use Copyright Fee”. A Purchase Application is required whether purchasing the Performance Rights to a play or musical or the right to a Download Only of a complete play script. In the Purchase Application you must declare that you are purchasing the “Download Only” for personal reading or to assist with the play selection process. Any other use is strictly prohibited and a violation of Copyright. We regret that, at this time, we do not permit the “Download Only” of musicals.

No. The work published on our website is Copyright protected. We encrypt the text to help protect the work against piracy.

Copyright is a form of protection grounded in the U.S. Constitution and granted by law for original works of authorship fixed in a tangible medium of expression. Copyright covers both published and unpublished works. A form of intellectual property law, Copyright protects original works of authorship including literary, dramatic, musical, and artistic works, such as poetry, novels, movies, songs, computer software, and architecture. For further information visit www.copyright.gov.

Our innovative “Single-Use Copyright Fee” is the price you pay for the right to download the files of the copyrighted play or product directly from our website and to print and make as many copies as needed for the sole purpose stated in your Purchase Application. Single-Use Copyright Fees are non-refundable.

If you want to perform or produce one of the plays or musicals in our catalog, you must first purchase the right to do so, paying the applicable royalties based on the number of performances planned. From either the product description of the play or from the online perusal copy, hit the “Purchase Performance Rights” button. This will take you to the Purchase Application. Complete all the required information for you and your organization. When you submit the Purchase Application, you will be directed to Check-out where you will see the calculated Pre-paid Royalties and Single-Use Copyright fees, and in the case of a musical, the Music Package Fee. At Check-out, you will complete the billing and payment information. You will be given the opportunity to review the information before purchasing. Once you have purchased the rights, you will be instructed to download the files required for your production. The Single-Use Copyright grants authorization to print the files and make as many copies as needed for the sole purpose stated in the Purchase Application without violating Copyright.

Non-Royalty plays and products may be purchased for “Download Only” for the price of the Single-Use Copyright Fee. In some instances, royalty plays may also be purchased by Download Only if, and only if, you intend to use the play for a purpose that meets one of the “Exceptions to Paying Royalties.” Whichever the case, if you wish to purchase a “Download Only” of a play or product, you will click on the “Purchase Download Only” button from either the Product Description or the Perusal Copy which will take you to the Purchase Application. Minimal information is required on the Application for a Non-Royalty product and it will only take a few moments to complete the Application and proceed to check-out where you can complete the transaction and download the file. For Royalty plays, you will be required to supply additional information on your Purchase Application including a declaration of your “Exception to Paying Royalties” which determines your authorization to download the file. No refunds can be made for “Download Only” purchases.

A Royalty is the fee you pay for the right to use a copyrighted work. All the plays and products published by Heartland Plays, Inc. are protected by Copyright. Heartland Plays, Inc. collects royalties for these plays and products on behalf of the authors and pays a percentage of those royalties to the author by contract.

  • Do I have to pay royalties?
  • Can I download a personal copy of the play?
  • How do I get permission to perform an excerpt from one of your plays at a festival or competition?

In almost all cases, Performance Rights must be obtained and Royalties and Single-Use Copyright Fees paid to download any play in our catalog. However, we do offer Exceptions to Paying Royalties under a limited number of circumstances. To see if you are eligible to download a play for a Single-Use Copyright Fee only, you will click the “Purchase Download Only” button. This will take you to the Purchase Application where you will describe yourself or organization and how you intend to use the play. Current exceptions to paying royalties include:

Exceptions to Paying Royalties
  1. In-class use in schools, theatre training programs, and for other educational or theatre training purposes in which there is no audience outside the context of the students participating in the program. In-class does not include school assemblies, school performances, or training program performances whether or not admission is charged.
  2. Non-performance reading of a script; that is for purposes such as selection process for a season of plays by a producing organization or by inclusion for discussion in play reading groups.
  3. Personal reading pleasure
  4. Performance of an excerpt from a play lasting LESS THAN 15 MINUTES at adjudicated school theatrical festivals or competitions

If your Purchase Application meets the criteria for one of the Exceptions listed above, you will be directed to Check-out and permitted to pay the Single-Use Copyright Fee only which grants you permission to download and print the script file and copy it solely for the purpose declared in your Purchase Application. See Terms of Agreement to avoid violating Copyright.

Do you pay your actors? If the answer is “yes” then most likely you are a Professional organization. All Equity Theatres and Stock Companies are Professional. Professional productions include those performances given in any theatre by any group in which the majority of the actors and staff, (excluding apprentices and interns), are paid including, but not limited to, puppetry theatres, Council of Off Loop Theatres (COLT), Small Professional Theatres (SPT), Council of Stock Theatres (COST), the League of Resident Theatres (LORT), regional theatres, dinner theatres, outdoor dramas, playhouses and repertory theatres. Amateur performances include performances staged by such organizations as little theatres, community theatres, drama associations, colleges, universities, high schools, middle schools, elementary schools, theatre training programs, and churches and other religious groups. Amateur and Professional status is not determined by size of audience or whether or not admission is charged.

Amateur Organizations never pay a percentage of the box office revenues. Professional/Stock theatres pay a very small percentage. Both Amateur and Professional Organizations are required to pay the Amateur Royalty per performance plus the Single-Use Copyright Fee and Music Package Fee (if applicable) in order to obtain Performance Rights. These fees are published in the description of the play product in our catalog. Total fees due to authorize the download of the play files are calculated at Check-out based on the information provided in the Purchase Application. Professional Organizations only are also required to pay an additional 4% of the actual total receipts, including ticket sales and contracted services sales, for all performances. This additional 4% royalty on total actual receipts is due 30 days after the final performance date declared in the Purchase Application.

The “Music Package” varies according to the musical, but generally consists of files containing a Piano/Vocal Score and the fully produced/synthesized accompaniment music files, with and without vocals, needed for rehearsal and performance. The Music Package Fee is part of the total fees required to purchase the Performance Rights to a musical. By paying the fee, Heartland Plays, Inc. grants you the right to download the Music Package files and print and make as many copies of the Score and musical files as needed for the purpose stated in the Purchase Application. The Music Package Fee is non-refundable.

The Music Package can only be purchased as part of the Performance Rights to a musical. To purchase Performance Rights, from either the product description of the musical you want to produce or from the online perusal copy, hit the “Purchase Performance Rights” button. This will take you to the Purchase Application. Complete all the required information for you and your organization. When you submit the Purchase Application, you will be directed to Check-out where you will see the calculated Royalties, Single-Use Copyright fees and Music Package fee required to download the script, score and music files. At this point you will complete the billing and payment information. You will be given the opportunity to review the information before purchasing. Once you have purchased the rights, you will be instructed to download the files required for your production. The Music Package Fee is non-refundable.

Yes. These plays are listed under “Non-Royalty Plays, Scenes and Monologues.” You pay only the “Single-Use Copyright Fee” for the right to download and copy the file. When purchasing the right to download a Non-Royalty play or product, you will still be asked to complete a minimal amount of information on the Purchase Application before being directed to Check-out.

You may add titles to your Shopping Cart at any time. However, you must complete a Purchase Application for each title to determine the correct royalties (if applicable) and fees for that title. At Check-out, all your titles will be listed with the corresponding fees and you will be given the opportunity to review the fees and remove or add additional titles before completing the transaction.

No. You may begin a purchase by hitting a “Purchase Performance Rights” or “Purchase Download Only” button from either the product description or the perusal copy of the play or musical you wish to perform. This will take you to the Purchase Application where you will complete the required information and be directed to Check-out where you can review and complete your transaction.

We accept most major credit cards through our secure online Check-out. Your credit card number is encrypted and we do not store your credit card number anywhere in our database. You may also use your PayPal account to make a purchase. All purchases must be made through our online Purchase Application process. Purchase Orders from Schools and Educational facilities are only accepted through our Customer Service Department by calling 937-902-4194. Organizations using Purchase Orders must first receive permission to make Application by calling Customer Service and submitting their Purchase Order by fax for review.

Refunds of Royalties paid are only available in the case of a cancellation of the production for which Performance Rights were granted. The request for refund must be made in writing no later than two days preceding the first date of performance as stated in the Purchase Application. This request must include acceptable proof of cancellation such as an original copy of an announcement in a newspaper or other print media which displays the name of the newspaper or publisher, the date of the publication, the title and author of the play, and the name of the producing organization with a statement that all performances have been cancelled. Other acceptable proof includes an announcement via the Organization website made no later than one week preceding the first date of performance. Announcements by e-mail are not considered acceptable proof. Please be aware that the Single-Use Copyright Fee is never refunded as this fee is required for the right to download and copy play and product files. Music Package Fees for musicals are also non-refundable as these fees are required to download scores and music. However, in the case of a cancellation of a Musical production, the Music Package fee will be waived for a subsequent Application for Performance Rights made within two years of the cancellation if requested by the identical organization for the identical musical to be performed at the same venue named in the original Purchase Application.

Inquires regarding licensing agreements other than Performance Rights such as, but not limited to film, television, audio, video or print reproduction, should be addressed to Heartland Plays, Inc.

Primarily our drama products include Study and Activity Guides to compliment some of our plays for young audiences, Theatre Training books, and other publications that assist actors, directors and production staff in developing their crafts.

Plot Party Plays are fun plays to perform at private parties or fundraising event. At a Plot Party, each guest dresses as a character and becomes part of the plot. As guests RSVP, the Host assigns each a character and provides that guest with secret information about that character, such as hidden identities, personal agendas and love interests. The information will include the character‘s lines and actions along with a detailed description of the event immediately preceding those lines and actions. No other information is given so that no guest knows the plot other than that part that contains his or her own actions and that which happens just prior. The Host of the party holds a copy of the Sequence of Events, which provides all the characters lines and actions and is ready to prompt or cue guests if necessary. At a designated point, the Host will temporarily stop the action for a short intermission during which time guests complete a survey (questionnaire) about the plot and then the action resumes. At the end, the Host reveals which guest had the most right answers to the survey and guessed the ending to the play. When you purchase a Plot Party Play, you‘ll get the right to download and copy everything you need for your party or fundraising event including invitation, the Host‘s Sequence of Events, Individual Character Plot Party Guides, a seating chart, and the secret survey.

Click on the “Browse” button on the homepage. There you can access a photo and bio of most of our authors. Some playwrights include personal information as well as links to author websites or social networking sites.

The process for submitting a play for consideration for publishing is found under the Submissions tab on our home page. It involves completing several questions about your work as a playwright and the content of the play. You will then be directed to upload your submission. Heartland Plays, Inc. publishes online a wide variety of plays and drama products including, but not limited to, full-length comedies and dramas, one-acts, short play collections, and musicals. We strive to find plays that have the quality and diversity to meet the needs and interests of most theatres and producing organizations; Professional, Community, Summer Stock, College, High School, and Theatre for Children and Youth. There is no fee required to submit a play, musical or drama product for consideration for publication. Response time varies but under normal conditions, response time is 3-6 months. You may submit your play to other publishers while you are waiting but you must notify us immediately if you enter into a contract to publish your work so that we remove your play from our reading queue.