Performance Rights for Audition Scenes and Monologues

Rights Information Page can be found at the national website:
http://www.kcactf.org
1. Click "Students" (at the bottom)
2. Click "Irene Ryan Scholarship Auditions" (on the left)
3. Click on "Royality Information (on the left)

There you will find all the major publishers' agreements with the Kennedy Center.

How to find who holds the rights to a play/musical, and whether or not you can use it in the festival?

1. Ascertain rights holding company:

To find the publisher of a particular play, go to the following website: www.findaplay.com

If not listed there, search it by AUTHOR. (often one company will represent all of one playwright's titles).

If not able to ascertain by author search, then look in the book intself (credits page, like what you would use to cite it on a research paper).

If not able to ascertain by credits page, Google it. Often, an older title will be included in an anthology, bought by a major house, etc. Many anothologies of plays, such as The Actors' Theatre of Louisville and the Off-Off Broadway Festival Plays series, will be available through a major house.

2. Verify that company's agreement with the Kennedy Center:

On the Rights Information Page (see the links to follow above), you will find specific instructions for that company.

If the play you have selected is handled by an agency not listed on the KCACTF website, you MUST contact that agent to secure written permission to perform your selections using the Rights Request form (again, this is ONLY if the show you are using is NOT covered already through the Kennedy Center):

• Download the Rights Request Form by clicking here.
• "Save" to your computer/disk
• Fill in the form as instructed
• "Save as" the name of the piece (so your information is saved)
• Print it out and fax it or mail it (slower); OR submit as an email attachment - you can research most of these companies online to find their permission contact info.
• Follow up with a phone call if you have not received a response in a reasonable amount of time

EUROPEAN TITLES: Methuem, Samuel French (Europe), etc.

Often, new works premiering in London have not yet been licensed in the United States, and hence you must send the RIGHTS REQUEST FORM to the company in Europe that holds the rights to secure written permission. You should check online at SamuelFrench.com first - sometimes they have already secured the property for release here in the States.

IF YOUR PIECE IS NOT COVERED BY THE KENNEDY CENTER BLANET AGREEMENTS, you CANNOT perform the piece in your audition WITHOUT submitting WRITTEN PERMISSION from the rights holding company PRIOR to using the piece in your audition. There will be no exceptions offered to this rule. You must bring a copy of the written permission from the publishing company or agent with you to the preliminary round check in.