35+ Perfect Musicals for High School Productions
Are you searching for a musical that’s perfect for your high school’s theatre season? And something that they will get excited about performing too? For many young thespians, musicals are the best part of high school, so it’s important to pick a great show! So here are some of the best musicals for high school productions, sorted alphabetically.
The following list is broken down into four categories – “Musicals With a Full Cast of Teens”, “Musicals with a Cast of Mostly Teens”, “Musicals with Teenage Themes”, and “Doable Musicals for High School Actors”. Each category is sorted alphabetically.
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Musicals with a Full Cast of Teens
Music: Tom Kitt Music/Lyrics: Lin-Manuel Miranda Lyrics: Amanda Green Book: Jeff Whitty
Musical Type: Contemporary (2011)
Cast Size: 12+
Music/Lyrics/Book: Barry Wyner
Musical Type: Contemporary (2006)
Cast Size: 4+
Music/Lyrics: Various Book: Roger Kumble, Lindsey Rosin, Jordan Ross
Musical Type: Contemporary/Jukebox Musical (2015)
Cast Size: 10
Music/Lyrics/Book: Jim Jacobs, Warren Casey
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1971)
Cast Size: 20+
Music/Lyrics: David Taylor Gomes Book: Kyle Holmes
Musical Type: Contemporary (2019)
Cast Size: 15+
Music/Lyrics/Book: Tim Acito Book/Lyrics: Alexander Dinelaris
Musical Type: Contemporary (2003)
Cast Size: 8+
Musicals with a Cast of Mostly Teens
Music/Lyrics: Lin-Manuel Miranda
Musical Type: Contemporary (2014)
Cast Size: 6
Music: Mark Allen Music/Lyrics: Gaby Alter Music/Lyrics/Book: Tommy Newman Book: Gordon Greenberg
Musical Type: Contemporary (2010)
Cast Size: 9+
Music/Book: Damon Intrabartolo Lyrics/Book: Jon Hartmere
Musical Type: Contemporary (2000)
Cast Size: 15+
Music/Lyrics: Joe Iconis Book: Joe Tracz
Musical Type: Contemporary (2015)
Cast Size: 10+
Music/Lyrics: Hugh Martin, Ralph Blane Book: John Cecil Holm
Musical Type: Golden Age (1941)
Cast Size: 23+
Music: Michael Gore Lyrics: Dean Pitchford Book: Lawrence D. Cohen
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1988)
Cast Size: 14+
Music/Lyrics/Book: Chris Miller, Nathan Tysen
Musical Type: Contemporary (2020)
Cast Size: 26
Everybody’s Talking About Jamie
Music: Dan Gillespie Sells Lyrics/Book: Tom MacRae
Musical Type: Contemporary (2017)
Cast Size: 18+
Music: Tom Snow Lyrics/Book: Dean Pitchford Book: Walter Bobbie
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1998)
Cast Size: 24+
Music: Tom Kitt Lyrics: Brian Yorkey Book: Bridget Carpenter
Musical Type: Contemporary (2016)
Cast Size: 15+
Music/Lyrics: Paul Williams Book: Garry Marshall
Musical Type: Contemporary (2007)
Cast Size: 20+
Music/Lyrics/Book: Laurence O’Keefe, Kevin Murphy
Musical Type: Contemporary (2010)
Cast Size: 17+
Music/Lyrics: Various Book: David Simpatico
Musical Type: Contemporary (2007)
Cast Size: 14+
Music: Jeff Richmond Lyrics: Nell Benjamin Book: Tina Fey
Musical Type: Contemporary (2017)
Cast Size: 10+
Music/Lyrics/Book: Brooke Maxwell, Jacob Richmond
Musical Type: Contemporary (2015)
Cast Size: 7+
Music/Lyrics: Bee Gees Book: Nan Knighton, Arlene Phillips, Paul Nicholas, Robert Stigwood
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary/Jukebox (1998)
Cast Size: 15+
Music: Marvin Hamlisch Lyrics/Book: Howard Ashman
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1986)
Cast Size: 18+
Music: Duncan Sheik Lyrics/Book: Steven Sater
Musical Type: Contemporary (2006)
Cast Size: 13
Cast Size: 17
Music: Andrew Lloyd Webber Lyrics/Book: Ben Elton
Musical Type: Contemporary (2000)
Music: Dana P. Rowe Lyrics/Book: John Dempsey
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1993)
Cast Size: 10+
Musicals with Teenage Themes
Music: Charles Strouse Lyrics: Lee Adams Book: Michael Stewart
Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1960)
Cast Size: 40+
Music/Lyrics: Marc Shaiman Lyrics: Scott Wittman Book: Mark O’Donnell, Thomas Meehan
Musical Type: Contemporary (2002)
Cast Size: 15+
Music: Matthew Sklar Lyrics/Book: Chad Beguelin Book: Bob Martin
Musical Type: Contemporary (2016)
Cast Size: 15+
Doable Musicals for High School Actors
Although the following musicals don’t necessarily feature a large number of teenagers, a cast full of high schoolers can easily pull these shows off!
Music: Marvin Hamlisch Lyrics: Edward Kleban Book: James Kirkwood, Nicholas Dante
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1975)
Cast Size: 24+
Music: Alan Menken Lyrics: Howard Ashman, Tim Rice Book: Linda Woolverton
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1994)
Cast Size: 20+
Music/Lyrics: Various Book: Jack Plotnick, Seth Rudetsky
Musical Type: Contemporary/Jukebox (2011)
Cast Size: 13+
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/Lyrics: Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus Book: Catherine Johnson
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary/Jukebox (1999)
Cast Size: 15+
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: 10+
Music: Alan Menken Lyrics: Howard Ashman, Glenn Slater Book: Doug Wright
Musical Type: 1989 Film/Contemporary Musical (2007)
Cast Size: 20+
Music: Robert Waldman Lyrics/Book: Alfred Uhry
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1975)
Cast Size: 12+
Music/Lyrics: Harold Arlen, E.Y. 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: 15+
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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Or have you ever put on any of the above musicals for high school? How did it go? Feel free to share in the comments! And if you like these types of lists, check out the musical database. That’s where you’ll find musicals sorted by composer, theme, setting, and more!
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 has a TESOL drama certificate, a BA in theatre, and has worked and interned with Broadway and Off-Broadway theaters.