Playbill Distribution

[seahag2]

Posted: 4/14/15 at 11:31pm

I've been searching the internet for the past hour trying to figure this out but am not really sure what to look for so bear with me here

How does a theatre become 'registered' (is this the right word?) with Playbill so that it can provide Playbill approved programs (with the monthly articles/quizzes/ads)  at their show? Do you pay a certain amount? Do you have to be a certain type of theatre?

Just some examples that have confused me in the past

1. Playbill vs Showbill: What's the difference and why does it matter?
2. One theatre in my area has Playbills for all the productions that they host (some are tours some are local) and another venue provides their own version of a playbill. However the latter specifically has a Broadway series. Not sure if that makes a difference as I'm guessing it's based on the theatre itself, not the shows they produce.
3. My city's symphony orchestra obviously doesn't produce plays. The programs don't have the box of yellow at the top that says Playbill but instead a small yellow box in the bottom corner. Is it unusual for symphony orchestras to have Playbills?

Any information/links on the ins and outs of Playbill would be appreciated!

Updated On: 4/15/15 at 11:31 PM

[Wilmingtom]

Posted: 4/15/15 at 1:12am

Playbill and Showbill are just different companies that provide programs.  Either call the theater in your area that uses Palybill and ask them about it or visit PlaybillVIP.com.

[AEA AGMA SM]

Posted: 4/15/15 at 1:24am

Here's a good explanation from Playbill itself.

Playbill vs. Showbill

Updated On: 4/15/15 at 01:24 AM

[HogansHero]

Posted: 4/15/15 at 1:32am

Playbill provides playbills to Broadway and other large volume customers and some smaller customers at no charge (other than color covers and a few other add-ons). The combination of demographic and volume makes this economically possible in light of the advertising it supports. The smaller shows and venues are on a case by case basis. Beyond that, they print playbills for anyone who is willing to pay them to do so. The masthead is used for theatre-related playbills; anyone else (such as concert venues) gets the logo down near the bottom, but whether they are free has to do with the quality of the venue. They use Showbill in certain circumstances, and also now own Stagebill. Showbill began, I believe, with Disney, who would not use Playbill because it has advertisers that violate Disney business practices. 

[seahag2]

Posted: 4/15/15 at 1:53am

Ah thanks everyone! Makes a lot of sense now.