Mamma Mia! to be made available for performance in schools and universities for the first time

Performance rights for Mamma Mia! are being made available to schools and universities across the UK and Ireland for the first time since the musical opened in the West End more than 27 years ago.

Music Theatre International (MTI) has released the rights with immediate effect, allowing educational groups to stage Catherine Johnson’s musical featuring the songs of ABBA.

The musical opened at the Prince Edward Theatre in London in 1999, where it continues to run, and has since been produced in more than 50 productions and 16 languages. It has been seen by more than 70 million people worldwide.

The musical was adapted into two films, where the casts included Meryl Streep, Christine Baranski, Julie Walters, Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth, Stellan Skarsgård, Amanda Seyfried and Dominic Cooper, with Lily James, Andy Garcia and Cher joining the second film.

Judy Craymer, creator and producer, said: “I’m thrilled that Mamma Mia! is now available to be staged by schools and universities across the UK and Ireland. Theatre brings young people together, builds confidence and unlocks creativity, with every production offering opportunity to discover talent both on stage and behind the scenes.”

Ryan Macaulay, MTI London’s director of operations, education and development, said that the organisation had received regular requests from schools wanting to stage the musical.

“We’re thrilled that the time has finally come to make that possible,” he said. “The school musical plays such an important role in inspiring the next generation of performers, musicians and theatre lovers, and we can’t wait to see how students across the UK and Ireland make this extraordinary show their own.”

The release means that schools and universities can now apply to license the musical for their own productions.