Yes! Marvel Spotlight Plays are available for virtual and digital streaming rights. Please visit this page to learn more.
Marvel Spotlight is a collection of One-Act Plays developed for teenagers exploring the humans behind your favorite Super Heroes. These plays aim to create compelling plays with teenage protagonists who tackle real-world problems in a diverse society.
Follow the steps below to learn what it takes to license your own Marvel play.
Licensing is the process of acquiring the performance rights to a play, which is protected by copyright. A license is legally required to produce a Marvel play, whether you’re a school group or a professional theater.
When writers create a show, their work is considered intellectual property and is subject to copyright law. This allows the writers to control how their work is produced and by whom. An organization or producer needs to obtain the performance rights – in the form of a license – to a copyrighted show before it can be produced. Concord Theatricals is responsible for licensing Marvel plays.
Any performance of a work under copyright for an audience must be licensed, regardless of whether or not admission is charged, whether the performance is public or private, and whether or not it is for charity or profit.
Presenting a show without a performance license is both unethical and illegal and may result in criminal punishment under the law. Licensing representatives will guide you through every step of the process, including fees, contract terms, and script materials.
Please note that Marvel Spotlight Plays are now also available for virtual and digital streaming rights; these must be obtained if performing any of the plays via virtual or streaming platforms. You can learn more about those rights here.
Marvel Spotlight Plays are licensed exclusively through Samuel French, a Concord Theatricals company. For inquiries about these titles, visit the Concord Theatricals website.
You may apply online via any Marvel Spotlight title page. Please remember that your License Agreement is not executed until Concord Theatricals has received full payment of the licensing fees. Purchase Orders are not considered payment.
For a detailed walkthrough of the licensing process, visit the Concord Theatricals Help Site. Their team of Licensing Representatives are also available to assist every step of the way. Just call (866) 598-8449 or visit the Concord Theatricals website for assistance.
Yes. By licensing the rights to a show, you are paying for the privilege to use the intellectual property that the writers have created. Any free or benefit performances are considered when fees are quoted.
Of course! If you can’t decide which show you’d like to license, consider buying a single copy of each script you’d like to peruse. Make sure you have received a valid performance license before proceeding with any performances, announcements, advertising, or production plans.
Yes, copies of the scripts are available to purchase at the Marvel Spotlight Collection. Receiving a copy of the script doesn’t mean that you have performance rights to perform the plays. Make sure you have acquired a valid performance license before proceeding with any production plans, including announcements, advertising, rehearsals, or performances.
Yes. The only way to obtain a license to any Marvel Spotlight play is to pay for the rights to the entire show. Also, the material you license is covered by copyright law, which protects the integrity of the author’s work. Any proposed changes to the show need to be approved by your licensing representative before they are implemented in your production.
There are also a number of additional resources to help to maximize the success of your production:
Created by Marvel comic book artists
For virtual all-online productions, the cost is as follows:
Each Marvel Spotlight Play is a one-act with no intermission, with a running time of approximately 40-50 minutes.
Note: shorter versions of the Marvel Spotlight Plays may be licensed for festival and competitions or if you simply want to do produce a shorter version of the show. These are marked “Cuttings Approved for Competitions” on the Concord Theatricals website – these are 30-minute “Approved Competition Cuts” for you to perform. Ask your licensing representative for more information.
The cost of a performance license includes the royalty that is paid to the authors and the materials fee. Our prices are based on the number of performances you plan to present. The performance license does not include the cost of materials and scripts. You may order a set of scripts for your cast online at the Concord Theatricals website.
The sooner, the better! Licensing applications are accepted up to 18 months in advance. We recommend that you apply for a license as soon as you’re interested in doing a Marvel Spotlight play. Of course, the process of obtaining a license is expedited by your speedy return of the contract and payment.
No. When you obtain the rights to do a show, you are agreeing to mount the show according to the script you are provided with. Making unauthorized changes to the script violates copyright law, is illegal, and may result in the loss of your license and criminal punishment under the law.
Please remember that when you acquire a license, you are agreeing to use your artistic vision to bring the script, as written, to life. Any proposed changes to the show need to be approved by your licensing representative before they are implemented in your production.
If you are performing a copyrighted work, in whole or in part, at a festival or competition, you are still required to obtain a performance license. The Marvel Spotlight Plays may be licensed for festival and competition, and are marked “Cuttings Approved for Competitions” on the Concord Theatricals website – these are 30-minute “Approved Competition Cuts” for you to perform. Ask your licensing representative for more information.
Whenever possible, cuttings of plays will be licensed at a reduced rate of $55 per performance.
Monologues and brief excerpts of less than ten minutes do not require a license or other permission from Concord Theatricals when performed for audition purposes or for a limited audience of adjudicators at festivals and competitions.
Performances of excerpts in the final round of national competitions (such as the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival or International Thespian Festival) may be subject to a license fee payable at the competition. Please consult your competition’s rules and regulations for more information.
For more information about licensing for competitions, contact your licensing representative by calling (866) 598-8449 or visiting the Concord Theatricals website.
As with theatrical licensing, artists require a royalty for the use of their design. Logo Packs are available for purchase and are the only legal way to use the official Marvel Spotlight artwork created for the show. Brand guidelines are included with the logo and cover art so you know how to properly use the artwork to promote your show the way the designer intended. Contact your licensing representative for more information.
Logo packs start at $50 for one (1) title and $75 for two (2) or more titles.
As with theatrical licensing, artists require a royalty for the use of their design. Logo Packs are available for purchase and are the only legal way to use the official Marvel Spotlight artwork created for the show. Brand guidelines are included with the logo and cover art so you know how to properly use the artwork to promote your show the way the designer intended. Contact your licensing representative for more information.
Logo packs start at $50 for one (1) title and $75 for two (2) or more titles.
An organization must obtain a Video License before recording the production. Otherwise, video recording under all circumstances is prohibited. A Video License allows you to film an official archival or souvenir recording and also allows parents to record a performance. Contact your licensing representative for more information, including rules and restrictions. Video Licenses start at $75 for accredited schools, and $125 for all other producers and organizations.
You may make a single photocopy of a playscript for classroom/study/research purposes. This is a personal copy that falls under the “fair use” provision of the copyright law.
Scripts are not included with your license unless otherwise noted. You may order a set of scripts online for your cast. As script orders are non-returnable, we suggest that you wait to purchase your cast’s scripts until after your licensing request has been approved.
If you already own sufficient copies of the script, you are not required to purchase more.
In the theater, all you need to put on a show is a story to tell, actors to tell it, and an audience to hear it. In this spirit, the Marvel Spotlight Plays can be successfully produced with minimal production elements. Click here to download Making Marvel Theatrical, a free resource with simple, time-tested staging concepts and practices designed to ignite your audience’s imagination and bring the Marvel Universe to life. There are no costumes provided with licenses for Marvel Spotlight Plays. Scenic Projections created by Marvel comic book artists are available to purchase with your performance license. Scenic projections for one (1) play start at $300, while two (2) or more start at $500.
On screen and in publications the Marvel Universe is brought to life through elaborate special effects. However, like theater, Marvel all is about storytelling. Marvel is inherently theatrical, and we have resources available to help you learn more about bringing Marvel stories to your stage. Download Here.
Visit our Support Materials page to download FREE resources that will help you discover the world of Marvel Spotlight.
Marvel Spotlight aims to create compelling plays with teenage protagonists who tackle real-world problems in a diverse society. Licensees are encouraged to approach casting in a way that values equal representation and inclusion while promoting conversation and respect. Characters designated “any gender” should be costumed to reflect the gender identity of the performers.
For more specific casting requirements, see the character descriptions and author’s note for each play.