LAHORE: In a move aimed to tighten state oversight over public entertainment and replace colonial-era legislation, the Punjab Assembly’s Standing Committee on Information and Culture has passed the Punjab Dramatic and Theatrical Performances Bill 2026, carrying stringent penalties of up to six-month jail term and fines reaching Rs1 million for unauthorised stage productions.

The newly approved legislative framework repeals, nearly 150-year-old, the Dramatic Performances Act of 1876. Under the provisions of the 2026 bill, no theatrical or dramatic performance can take place at any public venue without an official licence issued by the information and culture secretary.

The organisers are legally barred from staging any play unless its script has been formally examined by a designated Script Review Committee and approved by the executive director of the Punjab Council of the Arts.

The legislation establishes a strict mandatory registration regime for all artists, directors, crew members, and makeup professionals, stipulating that no unregistered individual will be permitted to take part in theatrical productions.

To curb “vulgarity, defamation, and anti-state or sectarian content,” the framework empowers district monitoring teams and censoring committees to inspect full-dress rehearsals, oversee live or recorded electronic feeds, and mandates that organisers preserve unedited audio and video recordings of every show for at least 30 days.

Violations of the script guidelines, performance by unregistered personnel, or the use of premises for unauthorised activities will attract heavy administrative penalties, alongside penal action adjudicated summarily by a first class judicial magistrate.

The bill also introduces mandatory licencing fees, script scrutiny charges, and artist registration fees, while ensuring that affected parties retain a structured right of appeal through the administrative hierarchy up to the Punjab chief secretary.

Published in Dawn, November 5th, 2026