A practical guide for producers on ‘upgrading’ a Glasgow Lunchtime Theatre licenced play to a full commission
For many playwrights, A Play, A Pie, and A Pint is where new work first meets an audience. It has grown to be a hugely valuable platform and test bed for short-form theatre in Scotland, and the Glasgow Lunchtime Theatre licence agreed between the Scottish Society of Playwrights and A Play, A Pie, and A Pint in the early 2000’s was designed to support exactly that: a limited run of a short play for production within that specific context.
Sometimes, a play clearly has a life beyond its original lunchtime slot.
A producer may want to remount it, tour it, transfer it, expand it, or develop it into a longer work. When that happens, it is important to understand that the original lunchtime licence does not automatically carry those rights. A further production cannot simply proceed under the original deal. In majority of cases, the play needs to be upgraded to a full commission.
This guide sets out the key principles producers should keep in mind.
The original lunchtime licence is limited
The Glasgow Lunchtime Theatre licence is a specific and exclusive agreement for a specific and exclusive purpose: the production of a short play at A Play, A Pie, and A Pint for a run of 6 performances at Òran Mór, Glasgow. The licence is occasionally extended, on purchase of additional rights, for a limited number of lunchtime performances at partner venues in consecutive weeks.
It is not a blanket assignment of future rights, nor is it intended to serve as an all-purpose commissioning contract for later use. The playwright has not received the full industry rate of pay for producing the play in a standard theatre setting. If a producer wishes to stage the play beyond its original run, they will need to negotiate a new agreement with the playwright.
That applies whether the next step is another production in Scotland, a tour, a festival presentation, a transfer to a different venue, or a redevelopment of the script into a longer piece.
In most cases, the original lunchtime licence leaves the playwright’s underlying rights intact, apart from the limited rights granted for the original production at A Play, A Pie, and A Pint.
That is a crucial consideration. The fact that the play was first staged under this licence does not usually mean Glasgow Lunchtime Theatre owns or controls its wider future. If the play is going on to a new production, the necessary rights must be agreed afresh.
That new agreement should clearly set out what rights are being licensed, for what production, for what duration, and on what terms.
A further life usually means a full commission
Where a lunchtime play is moving beyond its original production, the recommended route is to convert it into a full commission. This applies to remounts of the original production outside of A Play, A Pie, and a Pint context by the original teams, at new venues or with new producers, and to whole new stagings.
A new production is not simply an administrative extension of the original licence. It is a new stage in the life of the play, involving new rights, new value, and potentially new writing work. A producer who wants to benefit from that next staging should contract for it properly.
In practical terms, it means agreeing a new commission, setting out the rights being granted, and confirming the playwright’s royalty entitlement.
The original licence fee can be deducted
Under the existing arrangement agreed with SSP, a new producer has the right to deduct the original lunchtime licence fee from the first instalment/advance of the new commission fee on the first remount of the play. This acknowledges the original payment by treating it as initial development work undertaken by the playwright, and should be referenced in the new contract.
The current licence fee is £2,200. Before April 2025, it was £1,600. You should ask the playwright or their agent to confirm which fee applied in their original licence agreement.
The right fee depends on the play’s next form
One of the most important questions is what level the new commission should be set at.
That depends on what the producer is actually asking the playwright to deliver.
If the play is essentially remaining as it was – still around the same scale, still broadly sitting in the 45 minute play bracket – then the new commission may reasonably be pegged to the current 45 minute commissioning rate, with the original original licence fee deducted from the first instalment/advance.
If the playwright is being asked to do more substantial work, such as extending the script into a longer play, reworking its structure, adding new material, expanding character arcs, or reshaping it for a different format or running time, then it may fall into a different commissioning band altogether.
In other words, the deduction may remain the same, but the underlying commission rate may change depending on the scope of the rewrite and the eventual length and scale of the new production.
In some conditions, a complete rewrite of a script may be argued to be a whole new play, and should be commissioned as such with no licence fee deduction made.
Royalties still apply
Any new agreement should also provide for royalties at the going rate.
The original lunchtime arrangement is not a buyout. It is a limited licence for a limited run. So even where the producer deducts the original £2,200 from the new commission fee, the playwright is entitled to royalties for the new production in the normal way.
That principle should be built into negotiations from the outset.
Do not overlook co-writers or shared credits
Producers should take particular care where the original lunchtime play involved any form of shared authorship or credited creative contribution from collaborators.
That may include:
- a co-writer
- an adaptor
- a composer if a musical was created
- a writer working from underlying source material
- formally recognised devising or story contributions
- shared production or creative credits that carry contractual implications.
Where any such entitlements exist, they must be considered in the new deal. A transfer or remount should not proceed on the assumption that only one party needs to be consulted if that is not in fact the case.
These issues are best surfaced early, before plans are announced or development begins.
Common misunderstandings to avoid
The most common mistake is assuming that because a producer was involved in the original lunchtime production, they automatically have the right to take the play further. In most cases, they do not. New terms are required.
Another is treating the shift from lunchtime licence to wider production as an informality. It is not. It requires proper contractual attention. The original play was licensed with limitations, not fully commissioned.
A third is failing to ask whether the play is still the same piece of work. If it is being expanded or fundamentally rewritten, the fee band and commissioning basis may need to change accordingly.
A simple rule of thumb
If the play is going beyond its initial A Play, A Pie, and A Pint run in any meaningful way, stop and contract for the next stage properly.
That means:
- agreeing a new commission
- applying the correct fee band
- deducting the original licence fee where appropriate
- confirming royalties
- checking whether any co-writer or shared-credit entitlements need to be addressed.
Why recommissioning is necessary
The Glasgow Lunchtime Theatre model was agreed to support the creation and staging of new work in a unique setting at a time when there were fewer small-scale production opportunities for new writing. It gives plays a chance to be made, tested, and discovered in front of an audience. That is exactly what it should do.
But when a play succeeds in attracting further interest, that success should lead to a fair and professional next step for the playwright, without confusion about rights or assumptions about what was covered by the original licence.
Handled properly, an upgraded commission benefits everyone. The producer gets clarity and security. The playwright is fairly paid and credited. And the play can move into its next life on a solid contractual footing.
Kris Haddow
March 2026