College Theatre: Consider These Plays & Musicals, Fall 2026

Successful college theatre can run the gamut from incisive political dramas to charming romantic comedies to cutting-edge musicals. In this companion piece to College Theatre: Picks for Your 2026/27 Season, we’re offering a wide selection of plays and musicals for colleges and universities.

PLAYS

53% Of by Steph Del Rosso (US/UK)
(Full-Length Play, Dark Comedy / 6w)
This biting satire explores the beliefs of white women on each side of the American political spectrum, exposing both those whose activism empowered the politics of the far-right conservative party as well as those whose performative liberal allyship has problematic limits. 

An Octoroon by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins (US)
(Full-Length Play, Melodrama / 5w, 10m)
In 1859, a famous Irishman wrote this play about slavery in America. Now, an American tries to write his own. Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’ imaginative interplay with Dion Boucicault’s 19th-century melodrama is a funny, disturbing and provocative reckoning with America’s – and the theatre’s – depiction of race.

And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie (US/UK)
(Full-Length Play, Drama / 3w, 8m)
Ten strangers are summoned to a remote island. All that the guests have in common is a wicked past they’re unwilling to reveal and a secret that will seal their fate – for each has been marked for murder. As the weather turns and the group is cut off from the mainland, the bloodbath begins and one by one they are brutally murdered in accordance with the lines of a sinister nursery rhyme.  

Bleachers by Noah Haidle (US/UK)
(Full-Length Play, Dramatic Comedy / 2w, 2m + ensemble)
It’s high school football season in America! While the team plays under the bright lights, four tuba players stuck in the back row wrestle with everything that doesn’t fit into a halftime show: ambition, grief, friendship, faith, love and the strange cruelty of small-town “normal.” Equal parts marching band comedy and raw confession, this funny, ferocious and flexible play is built for schools and young actors to adapt, using your own school’s name, mascot, fight song and rivals.

Cephianne’s Reflection by Mallory Raven-Ellen Backstrom (US/UK)
(Full-Length Play, Drama / 5w, 4m)
For hundreds of years, the inhabitants of the invisible Ma Isle have journeyed into the wilderness when they come of age and emerged with special abilities… Until Cephianne, the youngest child of their immortal matriarch, fails her seeking ritual, emerging from the woods unchanged and finding an enthralling man in her mirror. This contemporary fairy tale is penned in homage to the Gullah dialect and the colorful culture found off the coast of Georgia, where the descendants of enslaved peoples turn pain into power.

Clue: The British Invasion by Maurice Gran, Laurence Marks and Yoni Weiss (US) 
(Full-Length Play, Comedy / 3w, 6m) 
The thrilling dinner party you love, back with a British rock ’n’ roll flair! Set in London in the swinging ’60s, Clue: The British Invasion is a brand-new twist on the iconic board game. This time, a rock star named Rick Black is found dead at the listening party for his new album, leading to a mod, madcap whodunit. 

Collective Rage: A Play in Five Betties by Jen Silverman (US/UK)
(Full-Length Play, Dark Comedy / 5w)
Jen Silverman’s hilarious play, which The New York Times called “a full-tilt lesbian/bi-curious/genderqueer/Shakespearean comedy for everyone,” explores anger, sex, love and the “thea-tah” through the experiences of five women named Betty. 

2015 Manhattan Theatre Club production of Constellations (Joan Marcus)

Constellations by Nick Payne (US/UK)
(Full-Length Play, Drama / 1w, 1m)
One relationship. Infinite possibilities. In how many universes would you love someone? Nick Payne’s Olivier award-winning play isn’t just about free will and friendship; it’s also about quantum multiverse theory, love and honey. 

Corners Grove by Kaela Mei-Shing Garvin (US/UK)
(Full-Length Play, Drama / 16 any gender)
A nod to Our Town (US/UK), this new play shifts Thornton Wilder’s masterpiece into the 21st century, to a small town about 40 miles south of San Francisco. George, Emily and their friends are determined to live their lives on their own terms and to shed versions of themselves they’ve outgrown, whether that be their high school sweetheart or their gender identity. Life has only spun forward, and the only way for the residents of Corners Grove to keep up is to embrace the unknown and commit to their own truths in this refreshing new play that centers the young adult experience.

Dakar 2000 by Rajiv Joseph (US/UK)
(Full-Length Play, Drama / 1w, 1m)
In Senegal on the eve of the new millennium, a Peace Corps volunteer named Boubs and a State Department operative named Dina form an unlikely relationship after a mysterious car accident. When Dina forces Boubs to choose between a one-way ticket back to the States or a make-good mission, a smitten and desperate-to-make-an-impact Boubs jumps at the chance to redeem himself. This gripping drama filled with duplicity, intrigue and collateral damage asks: How far is one willing go to do what is right? 

Dance Nation by Clare Barron (US/UK)
(Full-Length Play, Dramatic Comedy / 9w, 2m)
Somewhere in America, an army of pre-teen competitive dancers plots to take over the world. And if their new routine is good enough, they’ll claw their way to the top at Nationals in Tampa Bay. A play about ambition, growing up, and how to find our souls in the heat of it all. 

Danny and the Deep Blue Sea by John Patrick Shanley (US)
(Full-Length Play, Dramatic Comedy / 1w, 1m)
In a rundown bar in the Bronx, two of society’s rejects strike up a halting conversation over their beer. As their initial reserve melts, they decide to spend the night together, and the possibility of a genuine and meaningful relationship begins to emerge – a first for both of them. 

Eurydice by Sarah Ruhl (US/UK)
(Full-Length Play, Dramatic Comedy / 2w, 5m)
Sarah Ruhl reimagines the classic myth of Orpheus through the eyes of its heroine. Dying too young on her wedding day, Eurydice must journey to the underworld, where she reunites with her father and struggles to remember her lost love. With contemporary characters, ingenious plot twists, and breathtaking visual effects, the play is a fresh look at a timeless love story. 

Everybody by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins (US)
(Full-Length Play, Comedy / 9 any gender)
This modern riff on the 15th-century morality play Everyman follows “Everybody” (chosen from amongst the cast by lottery) as they travel through life’s greatest mystery – the meaning of living. Guided by Friendship, Kinship, Stuff, Mind, Five Senses and Understanding, the title character passes through life towards death on a surprising and absurdly funny journey.

Extremities by William Mastrosimone (US/UK)
(Full-Length Play, Drama / 3w, 1m)
This gripping suspense thriller dramatizes rape and its aftermath as a victim turns the tables on her attacker, reaching a climax of fever pitch. After Raul attempts to attack and rape her in her home, Marjorie turns the tables and ties him up. When her roommates come home, they frantically consider their options: Do they call the police or take matters into their own hands? 

Furlough’s Paradise by a.k. payne (US/UK)
(Full-Length Play, Drama / 2w)
In this radiant, nuanced two-hander – a staggering plea for empathy and connection – previously inseparable cousins Sade and Mina struggle to reconnect after returning home for the funeral of Sade’s mother. While Sade is on a three-day furlough from prison and Mina experiences a brief reprieve from her career and life on the West Coast, the two try to make sense of grief, home, love and kinship.

2017 Signature Theatre Company production of Everybody (Monique Carboni)

I’m Gonna Marry You Tobey Maguire by Samantha Hurley (US/UK)
(Full-Length Play, Dark Comedy / 1w, 1m, 1any gender)
To cope with the absence of her father, neglect from her mother, and ridicule by her classmates, eighth grader Shelby Hinkley has put all of her time and energy into the only thing that matters in 2004: Spider-Man. When leading a devout online fan club proves insufficient to her needs, Shelby decides to risk it all for love, kidnap famous actor Tobey Maguire, and marry him in her basement. Her fantasies of happily ever after start to crumble as she realizes Tobey may not be the charismatic heartthrob she thinks she knows.

I’m Revolting by Gracie Gardner (US/UK)
(Full-Length Play, Drama / 5w, 4m)
Four patients go to a skin cancer hospital for treatment, but among the two doctors, the patients and the people supporting them, questions arise concerning who is sick, who is healing, and who has the power to decide. At a skin cancer clinic in NYC (not the famous one), patients wait to find out how much of themselves they’re about to lose. A play about doctors, and medicine, and the space in between the two. 

Jesus Hopped the ‘A’ Train by Stephen Adly Guirgis (US)
(Full-Length Play, Drama / 1w, 4m)
This intense and riveting drama poses questions about faith and religion through the experiences of an incarcerated 30-year-old bike messenger. Awaiting trial for shooting cult leader Reverend Kim, Angel Cruz struggles to survive in prison as he encounters a disillusion public defender, a brutally direct prison guard, and a sociopathic serial killer who claims to have found God.

JOB by Max Wolf Friedlich (US/UK)
(Full-Length Play, Drama / 1w, 1m)
Jane, an employee at the big tech company (you know the one), has been placed on leave after becoming the subject of a viral video. She arrives in the office of a crisis therapist – Loyd – determined to be reinstated to the job that gives her life meaning. This psychological thriller zooms in on two careerists of different generations, genders and political paradigms to examine what it means to be a citizen of the internet and our obligation to help the people who need it most.

Liberation by Bess Wohl (US/UK)
(Full-Length Play, Dramatic Comedy / 7w, 1m)
It’s 1970. Somewhere in Ohio, six women meet on a basement basketball court to form a consciousness-raising group, determined to shake up their lives and change the world. Fifty years later, one of their daughters tries to understand where things fell apart. A provocative, wildly theatrical play that poses vital questions about friendship, legacy and the true meaning of liberation, investigating what we inherit, what we forget and what we’re still fighting to understand.

Little Women by Kate Hamill from Louisa May Alcott (US/UK)
(Full-Length Play, Dramatic Comedy / 6w, 3m)
In classic Kate Hamill fashion, Alcott’s literary masterpiece is updated and refreshed for the modern age with a focus on the strong, seldom well-behaved women who make history. Bursting with humor and emotional intelligence, this Little Women speaks across centuries and generations.

Our Town (Bilingual) by Thornton Wilder with translated passages by Michel Hausmann (US)
(Full-Length Play, Drama / 7w, 10m)
Thornton Wilder’s iconic, Pulitzer Prize-winning play is reimagined for the 21st century in this new English/Spanish translation. In this bilingual version, Emily and the Webb family speak Spanish at home and English with their neighbors, some of whom also speak Spanish. The Stage Manager, the Gibbs family, and most other characters speak English only. The play’s stage directions are written in English, and an English translation is provided for all dialogue in Spanish.  

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead by Tom Stoppard (US/UK)
(Full-Length Play, Dramatic Comedy / 2w, 14m)
Acclaimed as a modern dramatic masterpiece, this stimulating play is Hamlet as told from the worm’s-eye view of the bewildered Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, two minor characters in Shakespeare’s play. In the great Tom Stoppard’s best-known work, this Shakespearean Laurel and Hardy finally get a chance to take the lead role, but do so in a world where reality and illusion are entwined and where fate leads our two heroes to a tragic but inevitable end. 

2017 Old Vic production of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead (Tristram Kenton)

Summer and Smoke by Tennessee Williams (US/UK)
(Full-Length Play, Drama / 6w, 8m)
This profoundly affecting play is the haunting love story between a spiritual Southern girl and the young doctor who entrances her and causes her to question her faith. Despite their mutual attraction, they realize their divergent worldviews prevent them from being together. Still, each of them is deeply affected and changed by their relationship.

The Democracy Project by Tanya Barfield, Lisa D’Amour, Larissa Fasthorse, Melissa James Gibson, Bruce Norris and Michael R. Jackson (US/UK)
(Full-Length Play, Drama / 2w, 3m, 2 any gender)
This dynamic, provocative play – co-created by six celebrated theatre makers to honor Federal Hall in New York City – asks big questions about the wisdom of the nation’s founders, key moments in the country’s history, and the land, inhabitants and ownership of the Americas. Democracy is like theatre: Sometimes the collaboration is smooth, sometimes messy, sometimes hilarious, sometimes unnerving – but you’ll get a show nonetheless.

The Grown-Ups by Simon Henriques and Skylar Fox (US/UK)
(Full-Length Play, Dark Comedy / 3w, 2m)
Following a group of camp counselors trying to mold the leaders of tomorrow when tomorrow is looking bleaker and bleaker, this apocalyptic comedy with all roles playing characters in their twenties explores the traditions that change us, what it takes for us to change them, and how to change yourself when you’re hopelessly, tragically not prepared for this. 

The Play That Goes Wrong by Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer & Henry Shields (US)
(Full-Length Play, Comedy / 2w, 2m, 4 any gender)
Welcome to opening night of the Cornley University Drama Society’s newest production, The Murder at Haversham Manor, where things quickly go from bad to utterly disastrous. This 1920s whodunit has everything you never wanted in a show: an unconscious leading lady, a corpse that can’t play dead, and actors who trip over everything (including their lines). Nevertheless, the accident-prone thespians battle against all odds to make it through to their final curtain call, with hilarious consequences.

The Revolutionists by Lauren Gunderson (US)
(Full-Length Play, Drama / 4w)
Four beautiful, badass women lose their heads in this irreverent, girl-powered comedy set during the French Revolution’s Reign of Terror. Playwright Olympe de Gouges, assassin Charlotte Corday, former queen (and fan of ribbons) Marie Antoinette, and Haitian rebel Marianne Angelle hang out, murder Marat and try to beat back the extremist insanity in 1793 Paris. This grand and dream-tweaked comedy is about violence and legacy, art and activism, feminism and terrorism, compatriots and chosen sisters and how we actually go about changing the world. 

The Vagina Monologues by Eve Ensler (US)
(Full-Length Play, Dark Comedy / 3w)
A whirlwind tour of a forbidden zone, this Obie Award-winning play features personal monologues from women of various ages, races and sexualities. With honesty, humor and pathos, The Vagina Monologues explores consensual and non-consensual sexual experiences, body image, genital mutilation, sexual reproduction, menstruation, prostitution and other topics to be brought to life by three women onstage.

Tiny Beautiful Things by Nia Vardalos and Cheryl Strayed (US/UK)
(Full-Length Play, Dramatic Comedy / 1w, 3 any gender)
When a struggling writer is asked to take over the unpaid, anonymous position of advice columnist, she uses empathy and her personal experiences to help those seeking guidance for obstacles both large and small. This inspiring play is about reaching when you’re stuck, healing when you’re broken, and finding the courage to take on the questions that have no answers. 

To Tell a Story About the Earth by Miranda Rose Hall (US/UK)
(Full-Length Play, Dramatic Comedy / 6 any gender)
After a disastrous first production, a fledgling theatre company wants to call it quits. But when the local librarian requests a new performance for Earth Day, the artists have a decision to make. Part scripted play, part guided introduction to devising methods, this unique work prompts ensembles everywhere to create and share an original show about the natural world close to home. 

Toros by Danny Tejera (US)
(Full-Length Play, Drama / 1w, 3m)
Toro is back in Madrid hanging out with his high school friends, Juan and Andrea (and Juan’s dying golden retriever, Tica). They spend their weekends exactly like they used to: chain-smoking pitis in Juan’s garage, listening to Juan’s latest DJ mix, and going out to pijo clubs around Madrid. But something’s not quite right. 

Ugly Lies the Bone by Lindsey Ferrentino (US/UK)
(Full-Length Play, Drama / 3w, 2m)
In Lindsey Ferrentino’s honest, theatrical and compelling drama, a wounded war veteran uses virtual reality game therapy to build a breathtaking new world where she can escape her pain. As she advances farther in the game, she begins to restore her relationships, her life and, slowly, herself. This transformative play was inspired by a real video game therapy called “Snow World,” used to treat burn survivor veterans living in a state of perpetual pain.

MUSICALS

2017 Theatre Royal Stratford East Production of The Bubbly Black Girl Sheds Her Chameleon Skin (Tristram Kenton)

Alanis Morissette’s Jagged Little Pill: The Musical by Diablo Cody, Alanis Morissette and Glen Ballard (US/UK)
(Full-Length Musical, Drama / 7w, 5m + ensemble)
Based on Alanis Morissette’s world-changing music, this Tony and Grammy Award-winning new musical about a perfectly imperfect American family is brimming with joy, strength, love, courage and life. 

Bat Boy: The Musical by Keythe Farley, Brian Flemming and Laurence O’Keefe (US)
(Full-Length Musical, Dark Comedy / 2w, 6m + ensemble)
This smart, hilarious and tuneful off-Broadway hit is an uproarious, high-energy parable about prejudice, community, love… and blood-sucking bats. Based on a ridiculous tabloid story, the comedy/horror musical concerns a half-boy/half-bat creature discovered in a West Virginia cave.

Be More Chill by Joe Iconis, Joe Tracz and Ned Vizzini (US/UK)
(Full Length Musical, Comedy / 4w, 6m + ensemble)
Based on the contemporary bestselling novel, Be More Chill is the story of Jeremy Heere, an average teenager. That is, until he finds out about “The Squip,” a tiny supercomputer that promises to bring him everything he desires most: a date with Christine, an invite to the raddest party of the year, and a chance to survive high school. But is being the most popular guy in school worth the risk? 

Cannibal! The Musical by Trey Parker (US/UK)
(Full-Length Musical, Comedy / 2w, 10m)
This wacky and subversive musical originated as a 1993 film based on the true story of the only person convicted of cannibalism in America – Alfred Packer. The sole survivor of an ill-fated trip to the Colorado Territory, Alfred tells his side of the harrowing tale to news reporter Polly Pry as he awaits his execution. 

Chess by Richard Nelson, Tim Rice, Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson (US)
(Full-Length Musical, Drama / 2w, 9m, 1 youth + ensemble)
In this groundbreaking rock musical, the ancient game becomes a metaphor for romantic rivalries, competitive gamesmanship, super-power politics and international intrigue. From Bangkok to Budapest, the players, lovers, politicians and spies manipulate and are manipulated to the pulse of a monumental score that includes “One Night in Bangkok” and “Heaven Help My Heart.”

Cruel Intentions: The ’90s Musical by Jordan Ross, Lindsey Rosin and Roger Kumble (US)
(Full-Length Musical, Dramatic Comedy / 5w, 5m + ensemble)
As rulers of their elite Manhattan prep school, Sebastian and Kathryn have placed a mischievous bet: Can Sebastian successfully deflower the innocent Annette Hargrove, the headmaster’s daughter? Two devilish step-siblings become entangled in their own web of deception and unexpected romance in this raucous jukebox throwback set to the soundtrack of hits from the 1990s.

First Date by Austin Winsberg, Alan Zachary & Michael Weiner (US/UK)
(Full-Length Musical, Comedy / 4w, 3m)
When blind date newbie Aaron is set up with serial-dater Casey, a casual drink at a busy New York restaurant turns into a hilarious high-stakes dinner. As the date unfolds in real time, the couple quickly finds that they are not alone on this unpredictable evening. Also available in a 5-actor version (US/UK). 

In the Green by Grace McLean (US)
(Full-Length Musical, Drama / 5w)
As a young girl, medieval saint, healer, visionary, exorcist and composer Hildegard von Bingen was locked in a cloister’s cell after demonstrating a preternatural sensitivity to the world around her. Sequestered with Hildegard is Jutta, a woman who has spent her life secluded in an effort to recover a whole self after deepest trauma. Under Jutta’s guidance, Hildegard attempts to reassemble her own fragmented self while her mentor proselytizes a rejection of brokenness. This pop opera for five women is a musical unlike any you’ve seen; an astonishing, sonically sophisticated saga of two exceptional women broken by the world and their journey of healing that changed history.

Island Song (Large Cast Edition) by Sam Carner, Derek Gregor and Marlo Hunter (US/UK)
(Full-Length Musical, Dramatic Comedy / 9w, 6m)
The energy and passions of New York City explode with a percussive, soaring pop score in this show about 20- and 30-somethings navigating city life. As the city spins around them, they get lost, fight back, fall in love, face setbacks, and, most importantly, come alive with the strength that comes with conquering the Big Apple. Also available for 5 actors in Island Song (Small Cast Edition) (US/UK) or 10 actors in Island Song (Medium Cast Edition) (US/UK).

Monstersongs by Rob Rokicki (US/UK)
(Full-Length Musical, Drama / 7 any gender, expandable)
Something wicked this way rocks! Monstersongs puts audiences in a synthesized world of graphic novels, rock musicals, live performance and new technology. Following the journey of a child who opens a portal into the psyches of often misunderstood creatures, this unique song cycle flips the switch on the monster narrative, inviting audiences to explore the humanity that binds us all. 

Octet by Dave Malloy (US/UK)
(Full-Length Musical, Dramatic Comedy / 4w, 4m)
Inspired by internet comment boards, scientific debates, religious texts and Sufi poetry, this a cappella chamber musical from the author of Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812 explores addiction and nihilism within the messy context of 21st-century technology. Eight internet addicts gather in a support group in a church basement to share their stories in a series of hymns and solo confessionals where they explain their relationship to technology, each of which corresponds to one of the Major Arcana cards in a tarot deck. With moments of both rawness and also levity, it discusses the many ways in which technology and phones have affected people.

Ordinary Days by Adam Gwon (US/UK)
(Full-Length Musical, Dramatic Comedy / 2w, 2m)
A refreshingly honest and funny musical about making real connections in the city that never sleeps (but probably should at some point), Ordinary Days celebrates how 8.3 million individual stories combine in unexpected ways to make New York City a unique and extraordinary home. 

Passing Strange by Stew Stewart, Heidi Rodewald and Annie Dorsen (US)
(Full-Length Musical, Comedy / 3w, 4m)
From singer-songwriter and performance artist Stew comes a daring musical that takes you on a journey across boundaries of place, identity and theatrical convention. Stew brings us the story of a young bohemian who charts a course for “the real” through sex, drugs and rock ’ roll. Loaded with soulful lyrics and overflowing with passion, the show takes us from black middle-class America to Amsterdam, Berlin and beyond.

Reefer Madness by Kevin Murphy and Dan Studney (US/UK)
(Full-Length Musical, Satire / 4w, 4m)
Inspired by the original 1936 film of the same name, this raucous musical comedy takes a tongue-in-cheek look at the hysteria caused when clean-cut kids fall prey to marijuana, leading them on a hysterical downward spiral filled with evil jazz music, sex and violence. With addictive musical numbers, this hilarious political commentary will leave you wanting more.

The Bubbly Black Girl Sheds Her Chameleon Skin by Kirsten Childs (US)
(Full-Length Musical, Drama / 6w, 5m + ensemble)
What’s a black girl from sunny Southern California to do? Viveca Stanton’s answer: Slap on a bubbly smile and be as white as you can be! In a pointed coming-of-age story, Viveca blithely sails through the worlds of racism, sexism and Broadway showbiz until she’s forced to face the devastating effect self-denial has had on her life.

For more great ideas, check out College Theatre: Picks for Your 2026/27 Season or visit Concord Theatricals in the US or UK.