Teen Favorites


While there are numerous plays on my Play Catalogue page that have been performed by teen actors at high schools, middle schools and youth theatres, the plays on this page were, by and large, written with them in mind.  In fact, many were specifically written for teen performers.  Why not consider them for possible production at your school, theatre, camp or other program?


Jump to  • Musicals    • Full-Length Plays    • One-Act Plays    • Ten-Minute Plays    

Musicals

 4 A.M. (the musical)
Musical. 75-80 minutes. Ensemble cast of 8-30+ (minimum of 4 males, 4 females).
Suitable for high school and older actors (possibly skilled middle school performers) and middle school or older audiences.

A world full of teen characters, ranging from a lonely short-wave radio DJ to a modern Romeo and Juliet to the writer of a most unusual letter, try to balance their fears and dreams and navigate that magical hour between night and morning.  Order it now from YouthPLAYS!

(more info)

 Day One
Musical. 90 minutes. 3 males, 5 females plus an ensemble of flexible size and gender.
High school and older.

Some people wish the high school years would last forever. Others would do anything to get them over with. What if they all had a chance to get their way?  Order it now from YouthPLAYS!

(more info)

Full-Length Plays

 Harry's Hotter at Twilight
Comedy. 90-100 minutes. 5-25+ males, 7-25+ females.
Suitable for middle school and older.

Everyone's favorite vampires, wizards and werewolves battle lots and lots of evil in this crazed mash-up parody of the two biggest megahits of recent years, Harry Potter and Twilight.  Order it from YouthPLAYS now!

(more info)

 High School (non) Musical
Comedy. 75-80 minutes. 6 males, 5 females plus a flexible ensemble (14-40+ actors possible).
Suitable for middle school and older.

In this parody of Disney's High School Musical, join Toy Boatin, Gaberella, Shitzu, Cryin and the rest of your favorites as the Roswell High bowling team goes for a state championship, students pursue their dreams of performing in the Winter Muse Cycle and surgical decathletes compete in real live surgery. But when Gaberella's singing voice turns out to be so bad it could cause mass casualties, what will win out--following your dreams, or preserving life as we know it?  Order it now from Playscripts!

(more info)

   The Locker Next to Mine
Dramedy. 90 minutes. 5-12+ males, 8-16+ females (14-40+ performers possible).
High school and older.

Alisa arrives at a new high school in the middle of the year to find her locker next to a shrine for a popular lacrosse player who's died in an auto accident, but as she digs deeper, she discovers another loss that no one talks about, even as it's left many of the school's students trying to pick up their own pieces.

(more info)

 Run Like the Dickens
Comedy. 90-100 minutes. 4 males, 8 females plus a flexible ensemble of 2-40+ actors.
Suitable for high school and older.

When Tiny Tim throws away his crutches and declares his intention to run the marathon, he could inspire millions--but with big business behind Oliver Twist as their inspirational figure of choice, Tiny Tim may never make it to the starting line...  Order it now from Playscripts!

(more info)

 War of the Buttons
Drama. 90-100 minutes. 10 males, 2 females.
Suitable for high school and older performers and audiences 10 and up.

The youth of a town on the brink of ruin battle the students of a local prep school that is gradually buying up their town, all the while protecting one of their own whose parents have abandoned him.  Order it now from YouthPLAYS!

(more info)

One-Act Plays

 4 A.M.
Dramedy. 30-35 minutes. 3+ males, 3+ females (6-30+ performers possible).
High school and older.

A world full of teen characters, ranging from a lonely short-wave radio DJ to a modern Romeo and Juliet to the writer of a most unusual letter, try to balance their fears and dreams and navigate that magical hour between night and morning.  Order it now from Playscripts!

(more info)

 After Math
Dramedy. 30-35 minutes. 2+ males, 3+ females (8-40+ performers possible).
Middle school and older.

A student mysteriously disappears in the middle of math class. What happened? Why? In a series of scenes and monologues, those left behind try to find some answers. Did anyone really know who he was? And why is it they've only noticed him now that he's gone? Order it from Playscripts now!

(more info)

 Dear Chuck
Dramedy. 35-55 minutes. 10-30+ performers (gender flexible).
Middle school and older.

Through a series of scenes and monologues--everything from taking over the kiddie pool at the local swim club to dealing with a skinhead classmate--the play's eclectic assortment of teen characters, caught between being children and adults, search for their "Chuck," that elusive moment of knowing who you are.

(more info)

 From Shakespeare with Love?
Comedy. 35-40 minutes. 2-8 males, 2-6 females.
Middle school and older.

Four of the Bard's characters wait for an overdue flight to London. When Romeo reveals that he plans to revenge himself upon Shakespeare by killing him in a duel, it's up to the others—Titania, Viola and Antipholus—to save Shakespeare by convincing Romeo that Shakespeare “does indeed love love.”

(more info)

 Harry's Hotter at Twilight (one-act version)
Comedy. 35-40 minutes. 4-20+ males, 4-20+ females (10-40+ performers possible).
Middle school and older.

Everyone's favorite vampires, wizards and werewolves battle lots and lots of evil in this crazed mash-up parody of the two biggest megahits of recent years, Harry Potter and TwilightOrder it now from Playscripts!

(more info)

   Just Add Zombies
Comedy. 35-45 minutes. 3+ males, 8+ females.
Middle school and older.

When a desperate high school drama troupe gambles that adding a zombie or two to the cast will bring them enough audience to save their program, their hungry new actors threaten to change forever the meaning of "live theatre."

(more info)

 Now You See Me
Dramedy. 30-35 minutes. 3+ males, 5+ females (8-22+ performers possible).
Middle school and older.

A play about what happens when young people slip through the cracks, and what drives them to violence. Order it now from Brooklyn Publishers!

(more info)

 Rumors of Polar Bears
Drama. 30-35 minutes. 3-4 males, 8+ females.
Suitable for middle school and older.

A band of teenagers struggles for survival and to find the little moments of joy in the wake of a global warming disaster.  Order it now from Playscripts!

(more info)

 Supermodels in Jeopardy
Comedy. 30-35 minutes. 1-2 males, 4-5 females, 4-24 either (4-30 actors possible).
High school and older.

When a convention center collapses and all of the world's supermodels are trapped in their dressing rooms beneath the rubble, will the "regular folks" ride to their rescue? No supermodels required to cast this play.  Order it now from Brooklyn Publishers.

(more info)

 Thank You for Flushing My Head in the Toilet and other rarely used expressions
Dramedy. 30-35 minutes. Flexible cast of 8-30+.
Middle school and older.

Using scenes and monologues and a combination of wild theatricality and quiet, thoughtful moments, the play explores one of the toughest issues facing teens today: bullying. As two bullied students try to survive their daily lives, they wrestle with a terrible question: is the only way out to become the people they hate?  Order it now from Playscripts!

(more info)

 Twisting Carol
Comedy. 30 minutes. Flexible cast of 8-30+,.
Suitable for middle school and older.

Young Ebenezer Scrooge dancing with a popsicle stick, a ghost named Bob, another ghost who thinks his name is Bob and a Tiny Tim who considers himself short but not tiny.  Order it now from Playscripts!

(more info)

 You're Next
Drama. 15-20 minutes. 2 males.
Suitable for high school and older.

A teenager brings a gun to school for a friend to defend against a school bully.  Order it now from YouthPLAYS!

(more info)

Ten-Minute Plays

 The Cooking Gene
Dramedy. 10 minutes. 2 males.
Suitable for high school and older.

When a high school home economics family budgeting assignment requires each student to choose a pretend husband or wife, a gay teen chooses his boyfriend to be his husband.  Order it now from YouthPLAYS!

(more info)

 Newt Gingrich Visits a Residential Youth Facility Not Near Omaha
Dramedy. 10 minutes. 2 males.
High school and older.

A pair of residents at a home for troubled teens wait for a photo op with Newt Gingrich.  Order it now from Brooklyn Publishers!

(more info)

 Stealing Saxophones from Homeless People
Dark Comedy. 10 minutes. 1 either.
Middle school and older.

When your mother tells you at the age of three that you're going to end up stealing saxophones from homeless people, it's all downhill from there.  Order it now from Brooklyn Publishers!

(more info)

 Sudden Death Debating League
Dark Comedy. 10 minutes. 1 male, 1 female.
Middle school and older.

When a high school debate tournament's sudden death round turns out to be exactly that, losing is no longer an option...  Order it now from Brooklyn Publishers!

(more info)

 Ten Minutes
Drama. 10 minutes. 1 male, 1 female.
High school and older.

After two of their classmates stage a Columbine-style massacre at their high school, a pair of students hiding in a custodian's closet must decide whether ten minutes of silence means it's safe to come out, or something else entirely...  Order it now from Brooklyn Publishers!

(more info)

 
Co-Chair of the Alliance of Los Angeles
Playwrights
, member of The Dramatists Guild of America, and life member of the Philadelphia Dramatists Center.

Final Draft Resident Playwriting Expert and author of Playwriting101.com.

Resident Playwriting Expert of The Writers Store.





Recent News
Study with Me in Ojai, CA from June 18-22
I'm excited to be teaching an intensive week-long course from June 18-22 in scenic Ojai, California (30 minutes from Santa Barbara and just over an hour from LA) as part of the Ojai Writers Conference. For more info, go here:
http://ojaiwritersconference.wordpress.com/workshops/weeklong-workshops/write-a-play-in-a-week/
Enter the code WRITE when you register and save $50!
Online Playwriting Class Starts on May 21st!
I will be teaching a month-long online playwriting class through Writers University beginning on May 21.
Festivals, Festivals, Festivals
I am excited to be attending a number of national conferences in the coming months.  First up, the International Thespian Festival in Lincoln, Nebraska in late June, where I'll be teaching a quartet of writing workshops and hanging out at the Playscripts booth!
The Locker Next to Mine Now Available
My new play, The Locker Next to Mine, is now available.  It's a full-length drama, though spiked with humor, about teen suicide and dealing with loss.  I'm looking for a group to stage the world premiere.  Could that be you?


Upcoming Productions
Harry's Hotter at Twilight (one-act version)
East High School (Cheyenne, WY), May 2012

Harry's Hotter at Twilight (one-act version)
Hutchinson High School (Hutchinson, KS), May 2012

Thank You for Flushing My Head in the Toilet and other rarely used expressions
Fremont High School (Sunnyvale, CA), May 2012

Thank You for Flushing My Head in the Toilet and other rarely used expressions
Bay Theatrix: Dover Bay Secondary (Nanaimo, BC, Canada), May 2012

Harry's Hotter at Twilight (one-act version)
Fernley High School (Fernley, NV), May 2012

Harry's Hotter at Twilight (one-act version)
Kellam High School (Virginia Beach, VA), May 2012

Harry's Hotter at Twilight (one-act version)
Sequoia Middle School (Pleasant Hill, CA), June 2012

Pepperoni Apocalypse
University of Tasmania (Launceston, TAS, Australia)

Harry's Hotter at Twilight (one-act version)
Tuckahoe Middle School (Richmond, VA), June 2012

Thank You for Flushing My Head in the Toilet and other rarely used expressions
Jane Addams K8 (Seattle, WA), June 2012

Harry's Hotter at Twilight (one-act version)
Luton Players (Rochester, United Kingdom), June 2012

Harry's Hotter at Twilight (one-act version)
Topeka Civic Theatre & Academy (Topeka, KS), June 2012

Harry's Hotter at Twilight (one-act version)
St. Mary's Anglican Girls' School (Perth, WA, Australia), July 2012

Harry's Hotter at Twilight (one-act version)
Fort Myers High School (Ft. Myers, FL), August 2012

Thank You for Flushing My Head in the Toilet and other rarely used expressions
Lyndale Secondary College (Dandenong North, VIC, Australia), August 2012

Harry's Hotter at Twilight (one-act version)
Yokohama International School (Yokohama, Japan), October 2012

Harry's Hotter at Twilight
Drama With a Difference (Melbourne, VIC, Australia), December 2012

Thank You for Flushing My Head in the Toilet and other rarely used expressions
Westwood High School (Palestine, TX), January 2013

 
Rumors of Polar Bears: 

Though the one-act version, available from Playscripts, stands on its own (and is perfect for competition!), this play was always intended to be a full-length composed of three acts:  Rumors of Polar Bears, Ursa Major and Northern Lights.  Look for the other two plays in the cycle sometime in 2012.


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