45+ Great Musicals for High School Productions – The Full List
Last Updated: May 6, 2025
Are you looking for the perfect musical for your high school’s theatre season? One that will also excite your students to perform? For many young thespians, musicals are a highlight of their high school experience, so choosing the right show is essential. Here is a list of some of the best musicals for high school productions, all with licensing options available.
Post Contents:
Best Fit Musicals for High School
Best Fit Musicals for High School
These musicals are very suitable for high school productions, featuring a cast of mostly (or all) teen characters and minimal adult roles.
Music/Lyrics: Lin-Manuel Miranda
Musical Type: Contemporary (2014)
Cast Type: Mostly Teen Roles
Music/Lyrics/Book: The Heather Brothers
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1989)
Cast Type: Mostly Teen Roles
Music: Mark Allen Music/Lyrics: Gaby Alter Music/Lyrics/Book: Tommy Newman Book: Gordon Greenberg
Musical Type: Contemporary (2010)
Cast Type: Mostly Teen Roles
Music/Book: Damon Intrabartolo Lyrics/Book: Jon Hartmere
Musical Type: Contemporary (2000)
Cast Type: Mostly Teen Roles
Music/Lyrics: Joe Iconis Book: Joe Tracz
Musical Type: Contemporary (2015)
Cast Type: Mostly Teen Roles
Music/Lyrics: Hugh Martin, Ralph Blane Book: John Cecil Holm
Musical Type: Golden Age (1941)
Cast Type: Mostly Teen Roles
Music: Tom Kitt Music/Lyrics: Lin-Manuel Miranda Lyrics: Amanda Green Book: Jeff Whitty
Musical Type: Contemporary (2011)
Cast Type: All Teen Roles
Music/Lyrics/Book: Barry Wyner
Musical Type: Contemporary (2006)
Cast Type: All Teen Roles
Music: Michael Gore Lyrics: Dean Pitchford Book: Lawrence D. Cohen
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1988)
Cast Type: Mostly Teen Roles
Music/Lyrics: Various Book: Roger Kumble, Lindsey Rosin, Jordan Ross
Musical Type: Contemporary (2015)
Cast Type: All Teen Roles
Music/Lyrics: Benj Pasek, Justin Paul Book: Steven Levenson
Musical Type: Contemporary (2015)
Cast Type: Mostly Teen Roles
Everybody’s Talking About Jamie
Music: Dan Gillespie Sells Lyrics/Book: Tom MacRae
Musical Type: Contemporary (2017)
Cast Type: Mostly Teen Roles
Music: Steve Margoshes Lyrics: Jacques Levy Book: José Fernandez
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1988)
Cast Type: Mostly Teen Roles
Music: Tom Kitt Lyrics: Brian Yorkey Book: Bridget Carpenter
Musical Type: Contemporary (2016)
Cast Type: Mostly Teen Roles
Music/Lyrics/Book: Jim Jacobs, Warren Casey
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1971)
Cast Type: Mostly Teen Roles
Music/Lyrics: Paul Williams Book: Garry Marshall
Musical Type: Contemporary (2007)
Cast Type: Mostly Teen Roles
Music/Lyrics/Book: Laurence O’Keefe, Kevin Murphy
Musical Type: Contemporary (2010)
Cast Type: Mostly Teen Roles
Music/Lyrics: Various Book: David Simpatico
Musical Type: Contemporary (2007)
Cast Type: Mostly Teen Roles
Music: Jeff Richmond Lyrics: Nell Benjamin Book: Tina Fey
Musical Type: Contemporary (2017)
Cast Type: Mostly Teen Roles
Music/Lyrics/Book: Brooke Maxwell, Jacob Richmond
Musical Type: Contemporary (2015)
Cast Type: Mostly Teen Roles
Music: Walter Kent Lyrics: Kim Gannon Book: Sally Benson
Musical Type: Golden Age (1951)
Cast Type: Mostly Teen Roles
Music: Marvin Hamlisch Lyrics/Book: Howard Ashman
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1986)
Cast Type: Mostly Teen Roles
Music: Duncan Sheik Lyrics/Book: Steven Sater
Musical Type: Contemporary (2006)
Cast Type: Mostly Teen Roles
Music/Lyrics/Book: Kait Kerrigan, Bree Lowdermilk
Musical Type: Contemporary (2017)
Cast Type: Mostly Teen Roles
Music/Lyrics/Book: Preston Max Allen
Musical Type: Contemporary (2015)
Cast Type: All Teen Roles
Music: Dana P. Rowe Lyrics/Book: John Dempsey
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1993)
Cast Type: Mostly Teen Roles
High School-Friendly Musicals
These musicals are doable for high school productions, including either a solid number of teen or young adult roles or flexible characters that can be played by performers of any age.
Music: Marvin Hamlisch Lyrics: Edward Kleban Book: James Kirkwood, Nicholas Dante
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1975)
Cast Size: 26
Music: Alan Menken Lyrics/Book: Lynn Ahrens Book: Mike Ockrent
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1994)
Cast Size: 18+
Music: Stephen Flaherty Lyrics: Lynn Ahrens Book: Terrence McNally
Musical Type: Contemporary (2016)
Cast Size: 21+
Music/Book: Richard Rodgers Lyrics/Book: Lorenz Hart
Musical Type: Jazz Age (1937)
Cast Size: 20+
Music: Alan Menken Lyrics: Howard Ashman, Tim Rice Book: Linda Woolverton
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1994)
Cast Size: 20+
Music/Lyrics: Elyssa Samsel, Kate Anderson Book: Timothy Allen McDonald
Musical Type: Contemporary (2017)
Cast Size: 13+
Music: Charles Strouse Lyrics: Lee Adams Book: Michael Stewart
Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1960)
Cast Size: 40+
Music/Lyrics: Various Book: Jack Plotnick, Seth Rudetsky
Musical Type: Contemporary (2011)
Cast Size: 15+
Music/Lyrics/Book: Chris Miller, Nathan Tysen
Musical Type: Contemporary (2020)
Cast Size: 20+
Music: Tom Snow Lyrics/Book: Dean Pitchford Book: Walter Bobbie
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1998)
Cast Size: 25+
Music/Lyrics: Marc Shaiman Lyrics: Scott Wittman Book: Mark O’Donnell, Thomas Meehan
Musical Type: Contemporary (2002)
Cast Size: 18+
High Fidelity (High School Edition)
Music: Tom Kitt Lyrics: Amanda Green Book: David Lindsay-Abaire
Musical Type: Contemporary (2006)
Cast Size: 20+
Music: Alan Menken Lyrics/Book: Howard Ashman
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1982)
Cast Size: 8
Music: Stephen Flaherty Lyrics/Book: Lynn Ahrens
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1988)
Cast Size: 10
Music: Alan Menken Lyrics: Jack Feldman Book: Harvey Fierstein
Musical Type: 1992 Film/Contemporary Musical (2011)
Cast Size: 30+
Music: Richard Rodgers Lyrics/Book: Oscar Hammerstein II
Musical Type: Golden Age (1943)
Cast Size: 23+
Music: Mary Rodgers Lyrics/Book: Marshall Barer Book: Jay Thompson, Dean Fuller
Musical Type: Golden Age (1959)
Cast Size: 25+
Music/Lyrics: Bee Gees Adaptation: Nan Knighton, Arlene Phillips, Paul Nicholas, Robert Stigwood
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1998)
Cast Size: 15+
See Rock City and Other Destinations
Music: Brad Alexander Lyrics/Book: Adam Mathias
Musical Type: Contemporary (2010)
Cast Size: 7+
Music: Jeanine Tesori Lyrics/Book: David Lindsay-Abaire
Musical Type: Contemporary (2008)
Cast Size: 20+
Music/Lyrics: Andrew Lippa Book: Marshall Brickman, Rick Elice
Musical Type: Contemporary (2009)
Cast Size: 20+
Music: Andrew Lloyd Webber Lyrics/Book: Ben Elton
Musical Type: Contemporary (2000)
Cast Size: 20+
Music/Lyrics: Rob Rokicki Book: Joe Tracz
Musical Type: Contemporary (2014)
Cast Size: 7+
Music: Alan Menken Lyrics: Howard Ashman, Glenn Slater Book: Doug Wright
Musical Type: 1989 Film/Contemporary Musical (2007)
Cast Size: 20+
Music/Lyrics: Various Book: Roger Bean
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1999)
Cast Size: 4
The Marvelous Wonderettes: Caps and Gowns
Music/Lyrics: Various Book: Roger Bean
Musical Type: Contemporary (2013)
Cast Size: 4
Music: Matthew Sklar Lyrics/Book: Chad Beguelin Book: Bob Martin
Musical Type: Contemporary (2016)
Cast Size: 20+
Music: Robert Waldman Lyrics/Book: Alfred Uhry
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1975)
Cast Size: 13+
Music/Lyrics: Various Book: Kyle Jarrow
Musical Type: Contemporary (2016)
Cast Size: 40+
Music/Lyrics: Harold Arlen, Yip Harburg Music: Herbert Stothart Book: L. Frank Baum, John Kane
Musical Type: 1939 Film/Pre-Contemporary Musical (1987)
Cast Size: 24+
Music: Leonard Bernstein Lyrics: Stephen Sondheim Book: Arthur Laurents
Musical Type: Golden Age (1957)
Cast Size: 20+
You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown
Music/Lyrics/Book: Clark Gesner Additional Songs: Andrew Lippa
Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1967)
Cast Size: 6
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Author: Stacy Karyn
Stacy Karyn is the founder of Theatre Trip, author of The Thespian’s Bucket List, and creator of The Cast Album List. She holds a BA in theatre and a TESOL drama certificate, with experience working and interning in Broadway and Off-Broadway theaters.
