The Punjab government has proposed stricter controls over theatre and stage performances. The plan would require venues to be licensed, scripts to be approved in advance and everyone involved in a production to be registered. Violations could be punished with jail terms of up to six months and fines of as much as Rs1 million.
The Punjab Assembly’s Standing Committee on Information and Culture has approved the Punjab Dramatic and Theatrical Performances Bill 2026. The draft law would replace the Dramatic Performances Act of 1876, which is described as nearly 150 years old, with a new regulatory framework covering theatrical activity across the province. The bill still needs the approval of the provincial assembly before it can become law.
Licence fees and script approval for stage shows
Under the proposal, anyone wishing to stage a drama or theatrical performance at a public venue would need a licence from the secretary of the Information and Culture Department. The bill sets a proposed licensing fee of Rs25,000. Organisers would also need prior approval for each production’s script.
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The full script, or details of the proposed performance, must be submitted to a designated Script Review Committee at least 15 days before the show. A script approval fee of Rs35,000 has been proposed. The Information and Culture Department secretary would notify the committees, and the executive director of the Punjab Council of the Arts would approve scripts after scrutiny. Staging a performance that departs from the approved script would be an offence.
Mandatory registration for artists and production staff
The bill would make registration compulsory for all professionals involved in theatrical productions, not only actors. The proposed definition of artists includes makeup artists, costume designers, choreographers, producers, directors and other people working on stage performances. Only registered individuals would be allowed to take part, with a proposed registration fee of Rs10,000.
The legislation also seeks to ban performances considered obscene, immoral, insulting or objectionable, as well as those deemed to hurt religious sentiments. Organisers would have to present rehearsals before a censoring committee at least one day before the actual performance, so that they can be scrutinised and approved.
Monitoring teams, fines and possible jail terms
District-level monitoring teams would oversee theatrical activities and report violations to the executive director. Authorities would be empowered to inspect performances and monitor them through live or recorded feeds. Theatre organisers would have to keep complete, unedited audio and video recordings of every performance for at least 30 days.
The proposed framework sets out administrative penalties, imposed after an inquiry and hearing. These include:
- A fine of up to Rs300,000 for a first violation
- A fine of up to Rs500,000 for repeat violations
- Suspension or cancellation of a theatre’s licence if three violations are recorded within a year
- Suspension or cancellation of the licence if an unregistered artist is allowed to perform, with the venue liable to be sealed for employing unregistered performers
The bill also provides for criminal proceedings. Offenders could face up to six months in prison, a fine of up to Rs1 million, or both. A first-class judicial magistrate would hear such cases under a summary procedure. Parties affected by official decisions would have an administrative appeals mechanism, which runs through the relevant authorities up to the Punjab chief secretary.
Bill would repeal the 1876 law
The proposed legislation would repeal the Dramatic Performances Act of 1876, which has governed theatrical performances for nearly a century and a half. The new framework aims to bring licensing, script scrutiny, artist registration and monitoring under a single, more comprehensive provincial system. The Information and Culture Department and the Punjab Council of the Arts would be responsible for implementing it.
