Broadway Licensing

Broadway Licensing is a theatrical licensing agency and publishing business headquartered in New York City. The company supplies performance rights and related licensing services for plays, musicals, and other stage works, serving both professional theatre organizations and non-professional producers such as schools, community theatres, and amateur companies. Its business sits between creators and producing organizations: it administers or represents dramatic works, makes titles available for production, and supports the legal and commercial process required to stage them. The company was established in 2017 by Sean Cercone and grew from a wider consolidation strategy in theatrical publishing and rights administration. That strategy was associated with Rebel Rebel Capital, which had acquired Playscripts, Inc. in 2014. Broadway Licensing subsequently became part of a broader operating group that included Playscripts and, later, Dramatists Play Service. In 2019, Cercone purchased Broadway Licensing and Playscripts, and the business adopted the Broadway Licensing Group name. A major expansion came in 2021, when the group acquired Dramatists Play Service. The transaction broadened the catalog and strengthened the company's position in the representation and licensing of established dramatic literature as well as contemporary plays and musicals. In 2023, the organization changed its name from Broadway Licensing Group to Broadway Licensing Global. The rebrand was intended to reflect a larger international orientation and the company's expanding reach beyond the United States. Broadway Licensing Global and its associated imprints have made more than 8,000 plays and musicals available for licensing, according to reference material about the company. The represented repertoire includes works by writers such as Arthur Miller, Lynn Nottage, Tom Stoppard, and John Leguizamo. The catalog therefore spans canonical twentieth-century drama, contemporary American theatre, new plays, musicals, and works suitable for different production scales and audience types. The business has also expanded through access to high-profile contemporary titles. Works identified as recently acquired or represented in the company's catalog include Jaja's African Hair Braiding by Jocelyn Bioh, Oh, Mary! by Cole Escola, and Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, which is based on an original story by J. K. Rowling, John Tiffany, and Jack Thorne. Availability and rights may vary by territory, production category, and title. On March 1, 2024, the company announced that Cercone would step down as chief executive officer. The available reference material does not identify his successor. In May 2025, Broadway Licensing was reported as having been acquired by Concord and becoming part of Concord Theatricals. This placed the company within a larger entertainment-rights group while preserving its role as a specialist theatrical licensing and publishing operation. Broadway Licensing's current public identity, leadership structure, and detailed corporate arrangements should be verified against current company disclosures.

Broadway Licensing was founded in 2017 by Sean Cercone as a theatrical licensing and publishing business based in New York City. Its formation followed activity by Rebel Rebel Capital in the theatrical publishing sector, including the acquisition of Playscripts, Inc. in 2014. The early development of Broadway Licensing was therefore connected to an effort to assemble and operate a substantial catalog of stage works under professional rights-management structures. In 2019, Sean Cercone purchased Broadway Licensing and Playscripts. The organization subsequently adopted the Broadway Licensing Group name, commonly abbreviated as BLG. The combination gave the group a broader catalog and a platform for licensing works to multiple types of producers. Its customers and users included professional theatres, schools, community theatre companies, and other organizations seeking lawful performance rights for plays and musicals. The group expanded further in 2021 through the acquisition of Dramatists Play Service. Dramatists Play Service had a substantial role in the licensing and publication of dramatic works, so the transaction strengthened Broadway Licensing's position in the theatrical-rights marketplace and increased the range of authors and titles accessible through its operations. The combined business was able to serve both contemporary creators and producers seeking established works. In 2023, Broadway Licensing Group rebranded as Broadway Licensing Global. The new name reflected the company's stated international growth and its ambition to operate across a wider geographic market. The catalog associated with Broadway Licensing Global and its imprints was described as containing more than 8,000 plays and musicals. The repertoire includes works by major and contemporary writers, among them Arthur Miller, Lynn Nottage, Tom Stoppard, and John Leguizamo. The company's catalog has also included newer and highly visible properties. Reference material identifies Jaja's African Hair Braiding by Jocelyn Bioh, Oh, Mary! by Cole Escola, and Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, based on an original story by J. K. Rowling, John Tiffany, and Jack Thorne, among recently acquired or represented titles. The precise licensing availability of individual works can differ according to territory, rights category, production type, and title-specific agreements. On March 1, 2024, Broadway Licensing announced that Cercone would step down as chief executive officer. The available source does not provide the name of a replacement or a complete account of the subsequent executive structure. In May 2025, the company was reported as acquired by Concord and made part of Concord Theatricals. This transaction placed Broadway Licensing within a larger music and theatrical-rights organization and marked the latest known phase in its development from an independent licensing venture into a component of a broader entertainment-rights group.

• 2025

  Acquisition by Concord

  [1]Broadway Licensingen.wikipedia.org

  Broadway Licensing was reported as acquired by Concord and integrated into Concord Theatricals.

• 2024

  CEO transition announced

  [1]Broadway Licensingen.wikipedia.org

  The company announced that founder Sean Cercone would step down as chief executive officer.

• 2023

  Rebrand to Broadway Licensing Global

  [1]Broadway Licensingen.wikipedia.org

  Broadway Licensing Group became Broadway Licensing Global as the company emphasized international growth.

• 2021

  Acquisition of Dramatists Play Service

  [1]Broadway Licensingen.wikipedia.org

  Broadway Licensing Group acquired Dramatists Play Service, expanding its theatrical publishing and performance-rights catalog.

• 2019

  Sean Cercone purchases Broadway Licensing and Playscripts

  [1]Broadway Licensingen.wikipedia.org

  Cercone purchased Broadway Licensing and Playscripts, after which the organization adopted the Broadway Licensing Group name.

• 2017

  Broadway Licensing is established

  [1]Broadway Licensingen.wikipedia.org

  Sean Cercone founded Broadway Licensing as a theatrical licensing agency and publisher in New York City.

• 2014

  Rebel Rebel Capital acquires Playscripts

  [1]Broadway Licensingen.wikipedia.org

  Rebel Rebel Capital acquired Playscripts, Inc., a transaction that preceded the creation and later consolidation of the Broadway Licensing platform.

A specialist theatrical rights and publishing platform connecting playwrights, producers, schools, community theatres, and professional theatre companies with licensed stage works. Its positioning combines a large catalog, rights administration, and access to both established dramatic literature and contemporary plays and musicals.

• Theatrical performance rights · 2017

  Broadway Licensing theatrical catalog

  The company's central offering is a catalog of plays and musicals available for licensed production. Rights are supplied to professional and non-professional producers, including theatre companies, schools, and community organizations. The catalog spans established dramatic works, contemporary plays, and musicals, with authorization and availability determined by the rights held for each title and territory.

• Play publishing and licensing

  Playscripts

  Playscripts is a theatrical publishing and licensing catalog associated with the Broadway Licensing group. It provides access to dramatic works and performance rights for organizations seeking scripts and permissions for stage productions. Its inclusion in the broader group helped extend Broadway Licensing's reach across educational, community, and professional theatre users.

• Theatrical publishing and licensing

  Dramatists Play Service

  Dramatists Play Service became part of Broadway Licensing Group through the 2021 acquisition. The imprint contributes a substantial body of dramatic literature and rights-administration capabilities, helping the group license plays and related stage works to producing organizations.

• Play

  Jaja's African Hair Braiding

  Jaja's African Hair Braiding is a play by Jocelyn Bioh identified in reference material as a recently acquired or represented title in the Broadway Licensing catalog. It illustrates the company's role in bringing contemporary dramatic works into a licensing and publishing platform for future productions.

• Play

  Oh, Mary!

  Oh, Mary! is a play by Cole Escola identified among Broadway Licensing's recently acquired or represented properties. Its inclusion reflects the company's expansion into prominent contemporary theatre titles. Specific production rights and territorial availability are not detailed in the supplied material.

• Play

  Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

  Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is a stage work based on an original story by J. K. Rowling, John Tiffany, and Jack Thorne. It is identified as a recently acquired or represented title associated with Broadway Licensing. The supplied material does not specify the territories or categories in which the company administers rights.

• 2025

  Acquisition by ConcordM&A

  Background

  Broadway Licensing had developed a large theatrical catalog and international licensing operation.

  Action taken

  Concord acquired Broadway Licensing and placed it within Concord Theatricals.

  Aftermath

  The acquisition made Broadway Licensing part of a larger entertainment-rights group. Detailed transaction terms were not provided in the available material.

  Source

• 2023

  Rebrand to Broadway Licensing GlobalStrategy

  Background

  The company described the name change as a response to its international growth.

  Action taken

  Broadway Licensing Group changed its public identity to Broadway Licensing Global.

  Aftermath

  The new name positioned the organization as an international theatrical licensing and publishing business.

  Source

• 2021

  Acquisition of Dramatists Play ServiceM&A

  Background

  Broadway Licensing Group sought to broaden its theatrical publishing and performance-rights operations.

  Action taken

  The group acquired Dramatists Play Service and added its catalog and rights-administration operations.

  Aftermath

  The acquisition increased the scale and breadth of the company's theatrical repertoire.

  Source

• 2019

  Consolidation under Broadway Licensing GroupStrategy

  Background

  The business combined Broadway Licensing and Playscripts under Sean Cercone's ownership after his purchase of both operations.

  Action taken

  The organization adopted the Broadway Licensing Group identity and operated the catalogs as a broader theatrical licensing platform.

  Aftermath

  The consolidation created the foundation for later catalog expansion, including the acquisition of Dramatists Play Service.

  Source

• 2021.03.23

  Reported2021.03.23

  Broadway Licensing announces acquisition of Dramatists Play Service[2]百老汇授权公司宣布收购剧作家剧务社playbill.com

  Broadway Licensing announced that it would add Dramatists Play Service to its slate of brands. The companies said both brands would continue to exist, with the Dramatists Play Service musical library moving under the Broadway Licensing header and Dramatists Play Service becoming a licensing house for plays.

Read more

1. 1Broadway Licensingen.wikipedia.org
2. 2百老汇授权公司宣布收购剧作家剧务社playbill.com