Playwrights Guild of Canada uses the Play Distribution Program to distribute scripts on behalf of our members and the publishers of their work. This distribution occurs through our online store, the Canadian Play Outlet. Through this program, we seek to make published and unpublished plays by Canadian playwrights available to interested producers, schools, actors and more, both nationally and internationally.
If you are ready to submit a script to our Play Distribution Program, please begin the submission process below.
If you have questions about PGC’s Play Distribution Program, please see the FAQs below, or email orders@playwrightsguild.ca
Take a look at recommended Script Formatting.
Please note this program is only available to PGC members in good standing. For more information about PGC membership, visit playwrightsguild.ca/membership.
Begin the Submission Process Here!
Select the button below for new submissions as well as revisions to plays that are already in our collection.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is eligible for the Play Distribution Program?
All PGC members in good standing can submit their plays to the Play Distribution Program.
I have self-published a paperback book. Can I distribute it through this program?
Reach out to orders@playwrightsguild.ca for more information about how to sell self-published books through the Canadian Play Outlet on a consignment basis.
How are royalties handled for plays in the program?
Digital Copyscripts: Current PGC members receive 25% of each sale of each of their digital scripts through the Canadian Play Outlet. Playwrights whose memberships have lapsed receive a 10% royalty.
Consignment: For paperback books that have been self-published, PGC will sell these books through the CPO website and in-person store with the playwright receiving 60% of the sale, and PGC retaining 40%.
For all script sales, PGC pays royalties to creators when the creator has reached a minimum of $20 in earnings by the end of a fiscal year. If the creator has not reached the minimum $20 in earnings by that time, the earned amount “rolls over” to the next fiscal year. This continues until the playwright has earned at least $20 in royalties or after three (3) fiscal years, at which time any royalties held by PGC are paid out, regardless of dollar amount. PGC’s Program Manager will be in touch to let you know when a royalty payment will be paid out to you.
What makes a production professional vs. amateur?
Generally speaking, a production is considered professional if the involved artists were contracted and paid according to industry rates (as set by CAEA, PGC, ADC, and so forth). Community theatre and school productions are considered amateur and/or semi-professional, but not professional. Theatre companies that are members of the Professional Association of Canadian Theatres (PACT) are considered professional.
Beyond that, what is considered professional can be slippery and difficult to grasp, as with Fringe Festival scenarios, so if in doubt, please call the office.
Questions to ask for further clarity: Was the playwright paid with royalties (rather than an honorarium)? Were CAEA performers contracted? Was there a charge for admission? If the answer to these three questions is yes, then chances are, you are describing a professional production.
Does submitting my script to the copyscript program provide copyright protection?
Copyright is automatically bestowed as soon as a creator fixes their work in a tangible form (meaning it is saved on a hard drive, etc. which provides proof of date of creation).
Enrolling plays in this program provides an extra layer of protection. If the script has been professionally produced, it receives an ISBN, so it is registered with Library and Archives Canada (which is one method of proving date of ownership).
For those seeking absolute proof of copyright, you can have your work registered with the Canadian Intellectual Property Office (CIPO) for a $50 fee. A certificate of ownership is issued, and it can be used in a court of law to prove copyright. To do that, and to read up on copyright, visit: http://www.cipo.gc.ca
How do I remove a script that is currently being distributed through the program?
Playwrights must email the Program Manager at orders@playwrightsguild.ca if they would like their script removed from the Canadian Play Outlet. In general, digital scripts are not removed when a playwright’s membership lapses.
What does PGC do to sell scripts?
We are always looking for new ways to increase your script’s visibility. When a script is newly submitted to the CPO, we feature it on the home page of the website, on social media and in our community and member newsletters. We include plays in curated collections on the CPO website for individuals searching for specific themes, and have employed an advanced search function on the website to make plays searchable by cast size, run time, genre, etc.
In 2020, we also introduced a Sample Script Program, which allows producers and teachers to request sample copies of digital scripts that they are considering for classroom use or for a production. You can read more about that program here.
You can help by sharing the link to your play with your own friends, family and followers. It really does make a difference!
Sell your play at the Canadian Play Outlet!
The Canadian Play Outlet is PGC’s book store that sells published and unpublished plays by our members online and in store.
