Community Theatre: Consider These Plays & Musicals, 2025-26

Need some new ideas for your community theatre? Here’s an assortment of shows for you to consider, including some spine-chilling thrillers, several side-splitting farces and a host of crowd-pleasing musicals.

PLAYS

A Murder Is Announced by Agatha Christie, adapted by Leslie Darbon (US/UK)
(Full-Length Play, Drama / 7w, 5m)
An announcement in the local paper states the time and place of an imminent murder. When an unknown visitor to Miss Blacklock’s Victorian home dies under the prescribed circumstances, Miss Marple turns up to solve the case.

Cyrano de Bergerac by Edmond Rostand, adapted by Martin Crimp (US/UK)
(Full-Length Play, Drama / 4w, 10m)
In Martin Crimp’s radical new adaptation of Edmond Rostand’s masterwork, Cyrano seduces in raps and rhymes, using his linguistic brilliance to help another man win the heart of his one true love. This theatrical tour-de-force captures timeless passion through spoken word, contemporary poetry and raw physicality.

Exhibit This! The Museum Comedies by Luigi Januzzi (US)
(Full-Length Play, Comedy / 3w, 2m, expandable to 30+)
The Metropolitan Museum of Art comes to life in this fast-paced series of seven comedic plays and six monologues based on more than 50 exhibits at the world-famous museum. Paintings, sculptures, antiquities and fertility gods emerge from their molds and frames. Mix in some artists, guards, critics, lovers, curators and one very special night, and you have this new comedic hit. In fact, even the artwork speaks to the audience!

Greater Tuna by Jaston Williams, Ed Howard and Joe Sears (US)
(Full-Length Play, Comedy / 2m or f)
What do Arles Struvie, Thurston Wheelis, Aunt Pearl, Petey Fisk, Phineas Blye, and Rev. Spikes have in common? In this hilarious send-up of small-town morals and mores, they are all among the upstanding citizens of Tuna, Texas’ third-smallest town. Also available: A Tuna Christmas (US).

Jennifer Who Is Leaving by Morgan Gould (US/UK)
(Full-Length Play, Dramatic Comedy / 3w, 1m)
Nan is working the night shift, fielding periodic calls from her retired husband. Jennifer is trying to tune out Joey, her nerve-rattling elderly patient. And Lili is stressing out about her upcoming SATs. Set in a Dunkin’ Donuts in Massachusetts, Jennifer, Who Is Leaving is a familiar and hilarious exploration of the expectations placed on women; the physical, mental and emotional labor of being a caregiver; and what happens when we reach our breaking point.

Ken Ludwig’s The Game’s Afoot (US/UK)
(Full-Length Play, Comedy / 5w, 3m)
It is December 1936, and Broadway star William Gillette, admired the world over for his leading role in the play Sherlock Holmes, has invited his fellow cast members to his Connecticut castle for a weekend of revelry. But when one of the guests is stabbed to death, the festivities in this isolated house of tricks and mirrors quickly turn dangerous.

My Big Gay Italian Christmas by (US/UK)
(Full-Length Play, Comedy / 8w, 2m)
Hold on to your cannolis and get ready for a snowy ride! Over-the-top characters, a bisexual love triangle and heated political conversations run amok all come to a head when a snowstorm forces the Pinnunziato family indoors this holiday season. Fan favorite characters Anthony Pinnunziato and Aunt Toniann are just a few of the ingredients in this Big Gay Italian Christmas lasagna.

Noises Off by Michael Frayn (US/UK)
(Full-Length Play, Comedy / 4w, 5m)
Called “the funniest farce ever written,” Noises Off presents a manic menagerie of itinerant actors rehearsing a flop called Nothing’s On. Slamming doors, on and offstage intrigue, and an errant herring all figure in the plot of Frayn’s hilarious and kinetic comedy.

One of the Good Ones by Gloria Calderón Kellett (US/UK)
(Full-Length Play, Dramatic Comedy / 2w, 3m)
This hilarious new comedy from the co-creator of the Emmy-winning sitcom One Day at a Time revels in the explosive reaction a Latina daughter sets off when she brings her very white-looking boyfriend home to meet the parents. As tensions run high and hilarity ensues, everyone must navigate the ins and outs of family dynamics and the boundaries of acceptance – all while tackling the age-old question: What does it truly mean to be an American?

2019 West End production of Cyrano de Bergerac (Marc Brenner)

Pictures from Home by Sharr White (US/UK)
(Full-Length Play, Drama / 1w, 2m)
This slyly poignant and theatrically inventive Broadway play explores the family dynamic when photographer Larry Sultan decides to turn the lens on his parents, exposing darker truths beneath their sunny veneer. In the 1980s, Sultan spent a decade photographing and interviewing his parents. The result is a deeply intimate and comic portrait of a mother, a father and their son. Set in the recent past, the play is both of-the-moment and timeless.

Play On! by Rick Abbot (US/UK)
(Full-Length Play, Comedy / 7w, 3m)
Perfect for any performing group, this dynamic farce is the hilarious story of a local theatre group trying desperately to put on a play, despite a number of comic obstacles – including the maddening interference of the play’s haughty author, who keeps revising the script.

Popcorn Falls by James Hindman (US)
(Full-Length Play, Dramatic Comedy / 2 any gender)
The sleepy town of Popcorn Falls is forced into bankruptcy when a neighboring town threatens to turn them into a sewage treatment plant. Their only hope – open a theater! Two actors play over 20 roles in a world of farce, love and desperation, proving once and for all that art can save the world.

Prayer for the French Republic by Joshua Harmon (US/UK)
(Full-Length Play, Drama / 6w, 10m)
This brilliant multigenerational drama explores one family’s relationship to faith, history and safety from a global perspective. In 1944, a Jewish couple in Paris desperately await news of their missing family. More than 70 years later, the couple’s great-grandchildren find themselves facing the same question their ancestors asked: “Are we safe?”

Quiz by James Graham (US/UK)
(Full-Length Play, Dramatic Comedy / 4w, 7m)
James Graham’s kinetic, thrilling play combines the tension of a courtroom with the energy of a game show as a winning contestant on Britain’s Who Wants to Be A Millionaire? television game show stands trial for cheating.

Shakespeare in Love by Lee Hall, Marc Norman & Tom Stoppard (US/UK)
(Full-Length Play, Dramatic Comedy / 6w, 18m)
Based on the Academy Award-winning film, this enchanting, hilarious, romantic stage play reimagines William Shakespeare’s creative process – and explores his inspiration – as he writes Romeo and Juliet. A special edition for high school performers and audiences is also available. (US/UK)

The Cemetery Club by Ivan Menchell (US/UK)
(Full-Length Play, Dramatic Comedy / 4w, 1m)
Three Jewish widows meet once a month for tea before going to visit their husbands’ graves. Ida is sweet tempered and ready to begin a new life; Lucille is a feisty embodiment of the girl who just wants to have fun; and Doris is priggish and judgmental, particularly when Sam the butcher enters the scene. He meets the widows while visiting his wife’s grave. Doris and Lucille squash the budding romance between Sam and Ida. They are guilt-stricken when this nearly breaks Ida’s heart.

The Lights Are On by Owen Panettieri (US/UK)
(Full-Length Play, Drama / 2w, 1m)
In Owen Panettieri’s contemporary psychological thriller, a middle-aged woman seeks refuge in the home of her estranged neighbors, raising haunting questions about identity and safety in the face of looming danger. When Trish arrives home one night to find the lights on and a stranger waiting at her bedroom window, she runs straight to her neighbor Liz’s house for help. Though they haven’t spoken in years, Liz invites her inside, but Trish immediately feels something is wrong. The more Trish learns about how Liz and her son Nathan have been living, the more certain she becomes that a threat to all their safety is quickly closing in around them.

The Old Man and the Pool by Mike Birbiglia (US/UK)
(Full-Length Play, Dramatic Comedy / 1m)
A tale of life, death and a highly chlorinated YMCA pool. Award-winning comedian and storyteller Mike Birbiglia’s “coming-of-middle-age story” is a hilarious reminder for all of us recovering from failing bodies and a flailing world that laughter is indeed the best medicine. The play asks the big questions: Why are we here? What’s next? What happens when the items at the doctor’s office that you thought were decorative become functional? For other Birbigs titles, check out The Mike Birbiglia Collection (US/UK)

The Whale by Samuel D. Hunter (US/UK)
(Full-Length Play, Drama / 3w, 2m)
On the outskirts of Mormon Country, Idaho, a 600-pound recluse hides away in his apartment and slowly eats himself to death. Desperate to reconnect with his long-estranged daughter, he reaches out to her, only to find a viciously sharp-tongued and wildly unhappy teen. Big-hearted and fiercely funny, The Whale tells the story of a man’s last chance at redemption, and of finding beauty in the most unexpected places.

2024 New York City Center production of Jelly’s Last Jam (Joan Marcus)

MUSICALS

A Taste of Things to Come by Debra Barsha and Hollye Levin (US/UK)
(Full-Length Musical, Dramatic Comedy / 4w)
A laugh-out-loud, fabulously fun romp exploring women’s history and celebrating the friendships of four very different women from middle America. In 1957, four friends enter a Betty Crocker Cooking Contest in hopes of changing their lives. When they meet up again in 1967, they get more than what they bargained for. The show’s original score reflects the chart-topping songs from the 50s & 60s, incorporating the pop, soul, folk and R&B grooves of the era.

Jelly’s Last Jam by George C. Wolfe, Susan Birkenhead, Jelly Roll Morton and Luther Henderson (US/UK)
(Full-Length Musical, Dramatic Comedy / 8w, 10m)
A dynamic investigation of the life and work of composer/musician Jelly Roll Morton, Jelly’s Last Jam is a vital piece of African American history set to a splashy, vibrant score from one of America’s greatest composers. Take your seat at the legendary Jungle Inn nightclub for an electrifying musical telling the story of jazz through one of its most notorious entertainers: Jelly Roll Morton.

Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill by Lanie Robertson (US)
(Full-Length Musical, Drama / 1w, 1m)
The time is 1959. The place is a seedy bar in Philadelphia. The audience is about to witness one of Billie Holiday’s last performances, given four months before her death. More than a dozen musical numbers are interlaced with salty, often humorous reminiscences to project a riveting portrait of the lady and her music.

Mid-Life! The Crisis Musical by Bob Walton and Jim Walton (US/UK)
(Full-Length Musical, Comedy / 3w, 3m)
A series of scenes and sketches poke fun at the frustrations of mammograms, love handles, weekend warriors and proctology exams. The cleverly crafted songs celebrate forgetfulness, reading glasses and menopause, but also touch on the sentimental wisdom that the later years afford us. Mid-Life! is a hilarious romp with an honest humor about the trials and tribulations of the unavoidable aging process. Welcome to Mid-Life!

Mystic Pizza by Sandy Rustin, Amy Holden Jones & Carmel Dean (US/UK)
(Full-Length Musical, Dramatic Comedy / 8w, 8m)
Based on the beloved 1988 MGM rom com, this high-spirited new musical is about three working-class girls who navigate the complexities of life, love and family in a small-town pizza joint. The infectious score features megahits of the 80s and 90s, from “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” to “Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now.”

Nice Work If You Can Get It by George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin and Joe DiPietro (US/UK)
(Full-Length Musical, Comedy / 5w, 5m +Ensemble)
This screwball comedy is a surefire crowd-pleaser, with classic Gershwin tunes, romance, exuberant production numbers, and a hilarious script poking fun at class snobbery in the Prohibition era.

The Boomer Boys by Billy Van Zandt, Jane Milmore and Wayland Pickard (US/UK)
(Full-Length Musical, Comedy / 4m)
A fun-loving “fat pack” of middle-aged men who realize the best way to deal with getting older is to laugh about it with your friends. They navigate everything from the depths of expanding waistlines to the heights of Viagra in this hilarious evening of songs. Whether you relate to snoring, hair loss, weight gain, or lost car keys, this mid-life quartet will surely bring you a laugh!

This Is My Family by Tim Firth (US/UK)
(Full-Length Musical, Comedy / 3w, 1m, 1 girl, 1 boy)
Winner of the 2013 UK Theatre Award for Best Musical, this hilarious musical comedy, which moves seamlessly between speech and song, is a celebration of the lifelong adventure that is family love. Imagine you’re a spirited 13-year-old and you’ve won – actually won – a magazine competition to describe your family. The prize is a dream holiday for the lot of you, anywhere in the world. Except Nicky’s family isn’t the blissfully happy bunch she’s described. More like the contestants in a gladiatorial arena, in fact. Where on earth can she take them that might make her wishful thinking a reality?

Vanities: The Musical by Jack Heifner and David Kirshenbaum (US/UK)
(Full-Length Musical, Dramatic Comedy / 3w)
Vanities: The Musical chronicles the life-affirming journey of three vivacious Texas teens from cheerleaders to sorority sisters to housewives to liberated women and beyond. This musical captures a snapshot-sharp portrait of the lives, loves, disappointments, and dreams of these young women growing up during the turbulent sixties and seventies and reconnecting in the late 1980s.

For more great suggestions, check out Community Theatre: Your 2025 Guide to Season Planning or visit Concord Theatricals in the US or UK.