K-12 Theatre: Consider These Plays & Musicals, 2026-27

The Mad Ones by Kait Kerrigan and Bree Lowdermilk (US/UK)
(Full-Length Musical, Dramatic Comedy / 3w, 1m)
Samantha Brown balances on the edge of her future, car keys in hand. Will she follow in her mother’s footsteps… or take the dare of her impetuous best friend and chart a new path? This dynamic contemporary musical explores themes of friendship, loss and redemption with passion and heart.

The Marvelous Wonderettes ’58 by Roger Bean (US/UK)
(Short Musical, Comedy / 4w)
Wonderettes ’58 invites you to meet four girls with hopes and dreams as big as their crinoline skirts! Plus, make it home by curfew in this one-act, prom-only version of the smash off-Broadway hit. For more adventures with the Wonderettes, visit The Wonderettes Collection (US/UK).

PLAYS

[REDACTED] Jr. by Alyssa Haddad-Chin (US/UK)
(Short Play, Comedy / 3w, 3m, 4 any gender)
This world premiere one-act written specifically for today’s students explores authentic storytelling and theatre kid culture as a high school program prepares their spring musical. Published as part of The Keen Collection: Volume 12 (US/UK).

13 Ways to Screw Up Your College Interview by Ian McWethy (US)
(Short Play, Comedy / 7w, 6m, 3 any gender)
When two college recruiters at a prestigious college need to fill one last spot to keep their jobs, thirteen eccentric, dimwitted and slightly-insane high school seniors are eager to interview.

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. For more great plays for schools by Agatha Christie, consider The Mousetrap (US/UK).

Alice in Wonderland by Brainerd Duffield and Lewis Carroll (US/UK)
(Full-Length Play, Dramatic Comedy / 20 any gender youth)
Alice plunges down the rabbit hole and becomes involved in a madcap and deliciously satiric series of adventures in Brainerd Duffield’s adaptation of the Lewis Carroll classic. A kaleidoscope of action and madness ensues. 

Appropriate Audience Behavior by Ian McWethy (US)
(Short Play, Comedy / 9w, 8m, 3 any gender)
Carol and Ashley are expecting a tale of woe as they take their seats to watch Hamlet, but the real tragedy is that they’re sitting next to the world’s noisiest weirdos.

August Wilson’s Gem of the Ocean by August Wilson (US/UK)
(Full-Length Play, Drama / 2w, 5m)
Wilson’s drama blends naturalism and mysticism to explore the experience of a Black community at the turn of the 20th century. When a young man asks her for asylum, matriarch Aunt Ester sends him on a spiritual journey to the City of Bones, home of their ancestors.

By Candlelight by Claudia Haas (US)
(Full-Length Play, Drama / 7w, 3m)
Taking place in 1963 and 2001, this powerful drama shows how youth deal with the aftermath of terror: from making chocolate truffles to painting murals to exploring other religions.

Fairy Tale Courtroom by Dana Proulx (US/UK)
(Full-Length Play, Comedy / 4w, 2m, 21 any gender)
This extremely adaptable comedy shows the other side of several familiar fairy tales, when two of their biggest villains – the Big Bad Wolf and the Wicked Witch – are brought to trial. The audience is the jury, so each trial has two endings, depending on the verdict. 

Fast Food by Tracy Wells (US/UK)
(Short Play, Comedy / 6 any gender + ensemble, flexible casting)
When you’re hungry for hilarity but short on time and tight on budget, where do you turn? Why, the one-act play Fast Food, of course! From crazy customers to screwy staff, this vignette-style collection of scenes will satisfy your cravings.

Fools by Neil Simon (US/UK)
(Full-Length Play, Comedy / 3w, 7m)
Leon Tolchinsky has landed a terrific teaching job in an idyllic Russian hamlet. When he arrives, he finds that the town has been cursed with Chronic Stupidity for 200 years – and it’s his job to break the curse. 

From the Mouths of Monsters by Idris Goodwin (US)
(Full-Length Play, Drama / 1w, 1 any gender)
In this imaginative, two-actor slam-poetry fable inspired by Frankenstein, a teenage poet is nervous about performing at a poetry slam, until she is offered a mask with the power to remove the wearer’s doubts. 

Game of Tiaras (One-Act) by Don Zolidis (US/UK)
(Short Play, Comedy / 4w, 24 any gender)
Combining the gut-wrenching plot twists of Game of Thrones and the soul-numbing despair of Shakespearean tragedy, this adaptation of King Lear will leave you dying with laughter as the body count mounts. Also available in a Full-Length Version (US).

Good Cop Bad Cop by Ian McWethy and Jason Pizzarello (US)
(Short Play, Comedy / 5w, 5m, 5 any gender)
A catastrophic street sign switcheroo has two rookie detectives grilling a motley crew of suspects and witnesses, including the high school mascot and a guy who may be Super Mario. Can they find a suspect before it’s too late?

Hazelwood Jr. High by Rob Urbinati (US/UK)
(Full-Length Play, Drama / 6w)
At first, Hazelwood Jr. High is like any other middle school – cliques and crushes, dances and detention. But when a new girl unwittingly steps into a “love triangle,” a revenge plot is hatched, and events spin out of control, escalating into a shocking and unimaginable climax.

Hidden Inside by Daniel Carlton and Nambi E. Kelley (US/UK)
(Short Play, Drama / 1w, 9 any gender youth)
In work commissioned specially for teen actors by the Keen Company, a novice student teacher is put in charge of Saturday school for chronically late kids. But when a standard drill goes awry, the students are forced to connect and reckon with their true identities.

Horse Girls by Jenny Rachel Weiner (US/UK)
(Full-Length Play, Dark Comedy / 7w)
Twelve-year-old Ashleigh rules the Lady Jean Ladies, South Florida’s most exclusive horse club. News that her family’s stables are being sold and their horses killed for meat throws the Ladies into crisis in this dark comedy about pre-teens: their obsessions, their insecurities and their desperate need to find a place in the world.

Journey to the West by Mary Zimmerman and Anthony C. Yu (US/UK)
(Full-Length Play, Comedy / 5w, 9m plus ensemble)
Based on Anthony C. Yu’s translation of the classic Chinese novel, this adaptation tells of a 7th-century monk and his fabled pilgrimage from China to India in search of sacred texts. Zimmerman’s version mixes whimsy with spiritual weight, combining comedy, adventure and satire in a moving allegory of human perseverance.

Ken Ludwig’s The Three Musketeers (US/UK)
(Full-Length Play, Dramatic Comedy / 4w, 8m)
This celebrated adaptation of the timeless swashbuckler is a tale of heroism, treachery, close escapes and – above all – honor. In 1625, D’Artagnan and his sister Sabine, disguised as a man, set off for Paris in search of adventure. They soon join forces with the famous musketeers to defend the honor of the Queen of France. For more plays that are great for schools, consider Ken Ludwig’s Moriarty (US/UK) or Ken Ludwig’s Treasure Island (US/UK).

Middletown by Will Eno (US/UK)
(Full-Length Play, Dramatic Comedy / 6w, 6m)
This deeply moving and funny play explores the universe of a small American town. As a friendship develops between longtime resident John Dodge and new arrival Mary Swanson, the lives of the inhabitants of Middletown intersect in strange and poignant ways. 

Mr. Burns, a post-electric play by Anne Washburn and Michael Friedman (US/UK)
(Full-Length Play, Dark Comedy / 5w, 3m)
Anne Washburn’s imaginative dark comedy is an animated exploration of how the pop culture of one era might evolve into the mythology of another. After the collapse of civilization, a group of survivors begin to piece together the plot of The Simpsons episode “Cape Feare” entirely from memory. Seventy-five years later, these are the myths and legends from which new forms of performance are created.

2017 off-Broadway production of Puffs (Hunter Canning)

Puffs (Two Act Edition) by Matt Cox (US)
(Full-Length Play, Comedy / 5w, 5m, 1 any gender)
For seven years, a certain boy wizard went to a certain Wizard School and conquered evil. This, however, is not his story. This is the story of the Puffs… who just happened to be there too. A hilarious and inspiring tale for anyone who has never been destined to save the world. Also available as in a One Act Edition (US), a One Act for Young Wizards version (US) and a Two-Act for Young Wizards version (US).

Sense and Sensibility (Hamill) by Kate Hamill (US/UK)
(Full-Length Play, Dramatic Comedy / 9w, 6m)
Kate Hamill’s playful new adaptation of Jane Austen’s beloved novel follows the fortunes (and misfortunes) of the Dashwood sisters – sensible Elinor and hypersensitive Marianne. Set in gossipy late 18th-century England with a fresh female voice, the play is full of humor, emotional depth and bold theatricality.

Silent Sky by Lauren Gunderson (US/UK)
(Full-Length Play, Drama / 4w, 1m)
The true story of 19th-century astronomer Henrietta Leavitt explores a woman’s place in society during a time of immense scientific discoveries – in a women-led play whose narrative spans from the heavens to the earth.

The Diary of Anne Frank by Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett, adapted by Wendy Kesselman (US/UK)
(Full-Length Play, Drama / 5w, 5m)
In this gripping new adaptation of the original stage play, survivor accounts and newly discovered writings from the diary of Anne Frank are interwoven to create a contemporary, impassioned story of those persecuted under Nazi rule.

The Diviners by Jim Leonard Jr. (US)
(Full-Length Play, Drama / 5w, 6m)
This marvelously theatrical play is the story of a disturbed young man and his friendship with a disenchanted preacher in southern Indiana in the early 1930s, often performed with heart by high school theatre programs!

The Door by Amy E. Witting (US/UK)
(Short Play, Drama / 1w, 11 any gender)
This world premiere one-act written specifically for today’s students tells a story of hope under extraordinary circumstances. It’s an ordinary Thursday in a classroom in America, and a classroom of eleven students named for colors of the rainbow must grapple with surviving the “new imaginable” in the aftermath of a school tragedy.

The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams (US/UK)
(Full-Length Play, Drama / 2w, 2m)
Tennessee Williams’ celebrated autobiographical memory play – a drama of great tenderness, charm and beauty – is a moving portrait of a troubled American family led by a determined but delusional mother. 

2018 Atlantic Theater Company production of The Great Leap (Ahron R. Foster)

The Great Leap by Lauren Yee (US/UK)
(Full-Length Play, Dramatic Comedy / 1w, 3m)
When an American college basketball team travels to Beijing for a “friendship” game in the post-Cultural Revolution 1980s, both countries try to tease out the politics behind this newly popular sport. Cultures clash as the Chinese coach tries to pick up moves from the Americans and Chinese American player Manford spies on his opponents.

The Internet is Distract – OH LOOK A KITTEN! (Full-Length) by Ian McWethy (US/UK)
(Short Play, Comedy / 5w, 3m, 12 any gender)
Micah only has 20 minutes to finish her paper on The Great Gatsby. Unfortunately, the internet is a place where boxing cats, Facebook lurkers and pig-throwing games threaten to take over Micah’s schoolwork. Also available in a One-Act Version (US/UK).

The Laramie Project by Moisés Kaufman and The Tectonic Theater Project (US/UK)
(Full-Length Play, Drama / 4w, 4m)
Based on the tragic story of Matthew Shepard, this powerful docudrama remains a moving and genre-bending classic of American theatre. Also available: The Laramie Project: Ten Years Later (US/UK).

The Mystery of the Missing Letter by Don Zolidis (US/UK)
(Short Play, Comedy / 18 any gender)
Can hard-boiled detective Jack McCracken determine if Reginald the Grump, Zuzu the Little Witch or even the sugar-addicted Sweets Beast is responsible for Z’s disappearance in this hilarious one-act murder mystery parody?

The Odd Couple (Female Version) by Neil Simon (US/UK)
(Full-Length Play, Comedy / 6w, 2m)
Unger and Madison are at it again! Florence Unger and Olive Madison, that is, in the female version of Neil Simon’s hilarious contemporary comic classic, The Odd Couple. The original The Odd Couple (US/UK), featuring Felix and Oscar, is also available.

The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster and Susan Nanus (US/UK)
(Full-Length Play, Comedy / 19 any gender)
This stage adaptation of the bestselling novel follows Milo’s adventures in the Land of Wisdom, where he must rescue the princesses of Reason and Rhyme from the Land of Ignorance.

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 Marie Antoinette and Haitian rebel Marianne Angelle hang out, murder Marat and try to beat back the extremist insanity in 1793 Paris.

The Time Machine by Amiel Gladstone (US/UK)
(Full-Length Play, Drama / 9 any gender + ensemble)
Based on H.G. Wells’ classic novel, this theatrical adaptation follows The Traveler in their quest in creating a virtual reality so lifelike that it shows what the future holds. A fresh take on the original novel and a modern look at technology’s effect on society. 

Totally Murder! by Tracy Wells (US/UK)
(Full-Length Play, Comedy / 5w, 2m, 16 any gender)
It’s the 1980s, and the food court at the Valley View Mall is bustling. But when the owner of the new pizzeria falls dead, things get totally heinous! It’s up to an enthusiastic mall security guard to figure out who’s guilty before the killer wigs out and claims another victim! A large-cast whodunit with plenty of roles for teens.

You Make My Frame Shake by Luigi Januzzi (US/UK)
(Anthology, Comedy / 3w, 3m)
Twelve romances come to life at the Metropolitan Museum of Art! This fast-paced series of eight comedic love plays and four comedic monologues features more than 50 exhibits at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.

For more great ideas, check out K-12 Theatre: Your 2026 Guide to Season Planning or visit Concord Theatricals in the US or UK.