Broadway Licensing Global Leads Theatrical Publishers in Opposing Book and Theatre Bans

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Nov 16, 2023, 09:15 ET

NEW YORK, Nov. 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- In support of a diversity of voices, themes and storytelling, Broadway Licensing Global has expressed its support of No Book Bans, a coalition of theatres for young people opposing bans on books, plays, and musicals with a mission to preserve these stories in libraries and on stages across the United States.

In many communities across the country, high-profile book bans have targeted books with LGBTQ+ themes, stories with main characters who are people of color, and books for young adult audiences. The same patterns are occurring in theatres, particularly in high school theatre programs . In 2022, 21 Florida school districts banned 566 books, including "The Hill We Climb" by presidential inaugural poet Amanda Gorman. In 2023, Duval County Public School officials closed down a production of Indecent by Paula Vogel at Douglas Anderson School of the Arts – a play that is itself about censorship. Indecent is represented by Dramatists Play Service, an imprint of Broadway Licensing Global.

"The vital actions Broadway Licensing Global is taking to show its support in protecting artists and connecting them with resources to resist bans demonstrates their leadership on this critical issue. By taking these steps, they are standing up for free speech and advocating for BLG playwrights, the artists who license their work, and the diverse communities they represent. No Book Bans is proud to have BLG's support and grateful to have them as a partner in this fight," Troy Scheid from No Book Bans said.

According to PEN America, during the 2022-2023 school year, cases of book bans were "most prevalent in Texas, Florida, Missouri, Utah, and South Carolina." Moreover, according to PEN America Index of School Book Bans, "during the first half of the 2022-23 school year [there were] 1,477 instances of individual books banned, affecting 874 unique titles, an increase of 28 percent compared to the prior six months."

Founded in 2017, Broadway Licensing Global has quickly scaled. As of 2022, the company represents eight of the Top 10 most produced plays in professional theatres and nine of the Top 10 most-produced plays in High Schools. With respect to schools in particular, "we are aware that a growing number of educational theatre directors, in particular, are encountering increased pressure from various directions to produce shows that would best position their programs to avoid community backlash," says Sean Cercone, Founder and CEO of Broadway Licensing Global. "We stand in support of theatre teachers and producers who wish to consider any range of titles they feel best suits a diverse student body, their programming goals and their wider communities."

For support and to be connected to resources to fight book and theatre bans, visit: https://broadwaylicensing.com/stop-the-ban/.

ABOUT BROADWAY LICENSING GLOBAL

Broadway Licensing Global and its family of imprints (Dramatists Play Service, Playscripts, and Stage Rights) is the global leader in theatrical licensing and distribution. Representing an astonishing 38 Tony Awards^® and 49 Pulitzer Prize-winning iconic works, BLG titles epitomize the greatest collection of authors, composers, lyricists, and underlying rights holders across the globe, including Arthur Miller, Tennessee Williams, Lynn Nottage, Alan Menken, Stephen King, Elvis, the Bee-Gees, the Beatles, and Harry Potter Theatrical Productions.

MEDIA CONTACT & ASSETS

For Broadway Licensing Global:
Hannah Thulin & Danielle Colletti | Account Directors, Interdependence | [email protected]

SOURCE Broadway Licensing Global