Visual art, comedy and performing arts
How to start a performing arts, visual arts or comedy business in Northern Ireland.
Whether you're a stand-up comedian, visual artist, actor, dancer or theatre producer, you'll need entertainment licences, strong marketing and solid business foundations alongside your creative skills.
Public performance regulations
You need a local council entertainment licence for any live event with a paying audience, covering:
- comedy nights, theatre and music performances
- dancing, circus or variety shows
- public contests, matches, exhibitions or martial arts displays
- billiards, pool, snooker, darts or similar sports competitions
There are exceptions to when the licence is required, such as performance that is part of religious worship, and private rehearsals without public admission. Your local council will be able to supply a list of the exceptions.
Find information on the Entertainment licence (Northern Ireland).
Search GOV.UK's Licence Finder for other licence requirements for your business.
If you are promoting or arranging a live event for an artist, you may have extra obligations such as venue fire safety and taking care of security arrangements. For more information, see venues and musical events.
One of the key considerations, whether you are just starting out as a performer or have been in the industry for a long time, is your marketing.
Even if you are represented by an agent, you can help yourself with self-promotion and marketing. For instance, you can set up a small business website or blog to help you interact directly with the public. You may also want to consider making your material available through other channels such as social networks or digital publications which are relevant to your specific area.
You will need to take into account copyright issues to protect yourself and to avoid infringing someone else's intellectual property rights.
Performers and artists automatically own copyright in their work, but may need contracts covering:
- commissioned artwork
- script rights for comedy/theatre
- choreography and performance recordings
- merchandise and name/likeness usage