What are in Playbills?

The basics of a playbill are: the main title of the performance, a subtitle, often the current date, future or past dates of performances, the cast and characters, scenery, short or long summaries of the scenes to be acted, whether the performance is to benefit anyone, and where tickets can be bought from.

What playbills look like?

A playbill usually includes a list of the cast and production crew. If you attend a Broadway play, you’ll get a thick playbill with a lot of information about the play, the actors, and the venue—as well as a lot of advertising. A community theater or school production usually provides smaller, simpler playbills.

Can I use the playbill logo?

Can I pay the $70.00 licensing fee and still use the Playbill logo for my program? Playbill does not allow you to use the Playbill logo if you’re not using the PLAYBILLder site to create your program.

Are playbills worth anything?

Valuable Historic Playbills A common collector’s item for theatre enthusiasts, playbills are a great way to keep a little piece of history in your home and, depending on the play and actors involved, they can be worth a fair bit of money as well.

Are playbills free?

Playbills are provided free of charge and are funded by the advertisements inside which means there are a lot of adverts within the thin booklet. The positive thing about Broadway’s playbills is that it gives the chance for all audience members to find out who is on stage.

What type of paper are playbills printed on?

glossy paper
Traditionally, playbills are printed on glossy paper and are folded and stitched together like magazines.

When did show titles first start to appear on the cover of playbills?

1937
Show titles begin appearing on Playbill covers as early as 1937, as in this cover from The Masque of Kings. This script Playbill logo, seen here on the cover for 1937’s Yes, My Darling Daughter, is one of the more popular variants of the font.

How many pages are in a Playbill?

For most off-Broadway plays, a simple playbill can be designed. Common sizes include a 4-page layout (usually 4 pages of design fitted onto 1 piece of paper) or an 8-page design (two full sheets of paper each folded in half).

Is PLAYBILLder free?

PLAYBILLder is available to all of you creative producers, directors, actors, and theater lovers for FREE!

How many pages are in a playbill?