Playbill and PLAYBILLder are pleased to announce a new partnership with Samuel French, Inc. Samuel French is the world’s leading publisher and licensor of plays and musicals. The company’s catalog features some of the most acclaimed work ever written for the stage and titles by writers at the forefront of contemporary drama. Samuel French has served as a leader in theatrical publishing and licensing for over 180 years and is committed to the future by championing for playwrights, innovating the industry, and celebrating all those who make theatre around the world.
Through this new partnership, 200 Samuel French titles will now be featured on PLAYBILLder through our Express feature. Each featured title will be pre-populated with show information—billing information, character names, and song lists (if applicable)—ready for customization. The first 25 shows added to PLAYBILLder Express include: A Raisin in the Sun, And Then There Were None, Anne of Green Gables, Blithe Spirit, Chicago, Clue the Musical, Eurydice, Grease, Happy Days: A New Musical, Heathers the Musical (High School Edition), How to Eat Like a Child, Lend Me a Tenor, Noises Off, Nunsense, Our Town, Rock of Ages (High School Edition), Rumors, She Kills Monsters, The 39 Steps, The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, The Diviners, The Miracle Worker, The Secret Garden, The Wiz, and Zombie Prom.
Samuel French President Nate Collins remarked, “Samuel French is proud to partner with Playbill on this terrific service, and expand the PLAYBILLder catalog with our plays and musicals that are most popular with the educational market. Nothing delights us more than offering resources for our customers to make theatre happen. We can't wait to see their playbills!”
PLAYBILLder officially launched in 2013 as a service that helps people build and print professional-quality Playbills for their productions and events. In the three years it has been active, PLAYBILLder has grown exponentially and is now represented in all 50 states, as well as internationally. The service boasts over 47,000 unique users with over 1 million PLAYBILLders being created every year. Most importantly, PLAYBILLder is a fundraising tool for schools to help defray the cost of their productions. Teachers, parents and students may now market to their local supporters and families with opportunities to advertise in their PLAYBILLders both online and in the theatre.
Playbill President and CEO Phillip Birsh, on the addition of Samuel French to PLAYBILLder.com, says, “Playbill is proud to have Samuel French join our significant roster of licensing company partners featured on PLAYBILLder.com. The addition of Samuel French’s large and prestigious catalogue allows our customers and schools even more customizable opportunities for their Playbill programs. We are thrilled to join forces with a company considered a legend within our community, and like Playbill, Inc. with over a hundred years of celebrated history.”
The PLAYBILLder rollout of the Samuel French titles will take place over the course of the Fall semester with the first 25 titles added to PLAYBILLder Express by the end of October 2017.
To learn more about Samuel French, please visit www.samuelfrench.com. To learn more about how to build your own Playbill, please visit www.playbillder.com.
