A new theatrical licensing company is on the scene, with shows both new and established and an all-digital model for materials. Uproar Theatricals was created to transform how regional, school, stock, and amateur groups license plays and musicals by offering works centering on characters in their teens through 30s and by streamlining the materials rentals process.
The company is founded by Broadway entertainment lawyer Nathan Sheffield, playwright and theatre educator Kyle Holmes, actor and director Laura Hall, and composer David Taylor Gomes.
"Uproar Theatrics was founded with a commitment to supporting and diversifying the next generation of theatre through the stories told, the writers who tell them, and the communities who bring them to life," said the founders in a joint statement. "By connecting forward-thinking theatre makers around the world to new plays and musicals, world class and up-and-coming writers alike can have their work produced, while regional, student, and amateur groups have the opportunity to explore challenging new work. It's a win-win for everybody. Uproar Theatrics is excited to disrupt the old licensing model and bring it forward to today."
The all-digital materials model for licensing eliminates shipping costs and additional fees associated with damaged and lost rentals. Each theatre will instead receive customized, watermarked PDFs for production members. Since materials are digital, writers can make updates and changes to works and have them be immediately available to users.
Works already available in Uproar's catalog include Analog and Vinyl by Tony nominee Paul Gordon (Jane Eyre, Daddy Long Legs), and Tony and Olivier Award nominee Michael Berresse ([title of show]; Being Earnest by Gordon and Emmy nominee Jay Gruska; Abortion Road Trip and He Did It, both by 2021 Yale Drama Prize recipient Rachel Lynett; The Hippest Wizard of Oz from the award-winning team of J Kyle Manzay, Ronvé O'Daniel, and Jevares C. Myrick; Sections by Tara Moses; and The Unfortunates, created by Jon Beavers, Casey Hurt, Ian Merrigan, and Ramiz Monsef, with additional material by Pulitzer Prize finalist Kristoffer Diaz. For more information on the company or titles available for licensing, visit UproarTheatrics.com.
