Schools and Universities Can Now Stage Mamma Mia! for the First Time in the Show's 27-Year History
Performance rights for the musical Mamma Mia! have been made available to schools and universities across the UK and Ireland for the first time since the show opened in the West End more than 27 years ago. Music Theatre International (MTI), the licensing agency that manages amateur and educational staging rights for the title, released the rights for educational groups with immediate effect on 2 September 2026 MTI.
That means a school drama department or a university musical society can now apply to licence Catherine Johnson's musical — built around the songs of ABBA — and mount its own full production. Until now, educational groups in the UK and Ireland had no route to stage the show legally.
Ryan Macaulay, MTI London's director of operations, education and development, said the organisation had received regular requests from schools wanting to stage Mamma Mia! WhatsOnStage. Judy Craymer, the show's creator and producer, said she is thrilled that the production is now available to be staged by schools and universities across the UK and Ireland.
Mamma Mia! has been seen by more than 70 million people worldwide, with productions in more than 50 countries and 16 languages. The show was adapted into two films whose 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.
The London production, which runs at the Novello Theatre, is designed by Mark Thompson, with lighting by Howard Harrison and sound by Andrew Bruce and Bobby Aitken. The production already offers a schools ticket scheme: Education Schools tickets for groups of 10 or more are reduced from up to £80.00 to £29.50, with one free teacher place per 10 students booked for Monday-to-Thursday evenings and Thursday matinees.
MTI had previously opened Mamma Mia! to amateur licensing in North America in 2018, making the UK and Ireland educational release the latest territory to gain access. The show opened on Broadway at the Winter Garden Theatre on 18 October 2001 and transferred to the Broadhurst Theatre on 2 November 2013, running for nearly fifteen years.
Schools and universities can now apply to licence Mamma Mia! for their own productions through MTI's School Editions catalogue.
