Advertising restrictions are applied to manage the timing and scope of public promotion.
They are usually required when:
• A title is heavily booked within a region
• Multiple groups are producing the same show around the same time
These measures protect a show’s public image, prevent audience confusion, and help ensure that all productions are promoted in a fair and balanced way.
While commercial film releases are sometimes assumed to cause these restrictions, this is generally not the case — film versions rarely affect advertising permissions for live performances.
For most school and community groups, internal promotion — such as newsletters, parent portals, school apps, and closed social-media groups — remains completely acceptable and encouraged.
At times, Music Theatre International (Australasia) issues performance licences that include specific advertising restrictions. These are not designed to limit your creativity, but to help us manage multiple bookings fairly and consistently.
Because our licences are non-exclusive, we can authorise more than one production of the same show, even within the same region. While this flexibility benefits many groups, unrestricted simultaneous promotion is often not in the best interest of the show itself or of the producing groups. Advertising restrictions help maintain clarity, protect the show’s image, and ensure fairness for everyone involved.