Top High School Musicals and Plays
As the leading organization for educational theatre — we’re present in roughly 5,000 schools — EdTA member schools set the standard for what’s popular in high school theatre. Since 1938, our annual Play Survey has identified the most-produced musicals and plays on high school stages.
Over the decades, the Play Survey has both highlighted the enduring popularity of classic works and reflected issues in the wider world. That’s been especially evident during the pandemic, as health protocols affected which productions got staged – and schools drove demand for virtual productions.
Explore Play Survey results from the most recent school year and beyond.
Top 10 High School Musicals, 2020-21
Credits:
- book by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice
- music and lyrics by Andrew Lippa
Licensing: TRW
Credits:
- based on the comic strip Peanuts by Charles M. Schulz
- book, music, and lyrics by Clark Gesner
- additional dialogue by Michael Mayer; additional music and lyrics by Andrew Lippa
Licensing: Concord Theatricals
Credits:
- conceived by Rebecca Feldman, additional material by Jay Reiss
- music and lyrics by William Finn
- book by Rachel Sheinkin
Licensing: MTI
Credits:
- music by Jason Howland
- lyrics by Mindi Dickstein
- book by Allan Knee
- based on the novel by Louisa May Alcott
Licensing: MTI
Credits:
- book by John Michael Tebelak
- music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz
- conceived by John Michael Tebelak
- based on The Gospel According to St. Matthew
Licensing: MTI
Credits:
- book by David Simpatico
- songs by Bryan Louiselle, Faye Greenberg, David N. Lawrence, Greg Cham, Matthew Gerrard, Robbie Nevil, Ray Cham, Andrew Seeley, Randy Petersen, Kevin Quinn, Adam Watts, Jamie Houston, and Andy Dodd
- music adapted, arranged, and produced by Bryan Louiselle
- based on a Disney Channel Original Movie written by Peter Barsocchini
Licensing: MTI
Credits:
- book by Howard Ashman, music by Alan Menken
- lyrics by Howard Ashman
- based on the film by Roger Corman
- screenplay by Charles Griffith
Licensing: MTI
Credits:
- music, book, and story by Steve Martin
- music, lyrics, and story by Edie Brickell
Licensing: TRW
Credits:
- music by Alan Menken
- lyrics by Howard Ashman and Glenn Slater
- book by Doug Wright
- based on the Hans Christian Andersen story and the Disney film produced by Howard Ashman and John Musker and written and directed by John Musker and Ron Clements
Licensing: MTI
Top 10 High School Full-Length Plays, 2020-21
Credits:
- adapted from the screenplay by Jonathan Lynn
- written by Sandy Rusti,
- additional material by Hunter Foster and Eric Price
- based on the Paramount Pictures motion picture based on the Hasbro board game Clue
Licensing: Broadway Licensing
Credits:
- based on the story The Greatest Gift by Philip Van Doren Stern
- adapted by Joe Landry
Licensing: Playscripts
Credits:
- by William Shakespeare
Licensing: public domain
Credits:
- various authors
Licensing: various licensing agencies
Credits:
- by Moises Kaufman and the members of Tectonic Theater Project
Licensing: DPS
Credits:
- various authors
Licensing: various licensing agencies
Credits:
- play by Rick Elice
- music by Wayne Barker
- based on the novel by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson
Licensing: MTI
Credits:
- by William Shakespeare
Licensing: public domain
Top 10 High School Short Plays, 2020-21
More Play Survey Results
The High School Theatre Market
Based on pre-COVID Play Survey data, high school productions attract roughly the same size audience as Broadway touring companies and regional theatres combined.
Decades of Data
Want to dig deeper? NPR analyzed and compiled decades of EdTA’s Play Survey results originally published in Dramatics magazine.
Play Survey News
Saving School Theatre – Easy as 1-2-3
ETF launched the Thespian Relief Fund in 2020 to address the pandemic’s
2020 Play Survey
According to the annual school play survey conducted by EdTA, The Addams Family, Clue, and Check
