THE ADDAMS FAMILY, CLUE & More Rank Among Most Popular High School Shows for 2023

Educational Theatre Association has revealed the most popular high school shows for 2023. 

Categories include Full-Length Musicals, Full-Length Plays, Short Musicals, and Short Plays. 

The Addams Family ranks number 1 for full-length musical, Disney’s Frozen JR. ranks number 1 for short musical, Clue ranks number 1 for full-length play and 10 Ways to Survive the Zombie Apocalypse and Check Please tie for the number one for short play.

See the full lists below!

Top 10 Full-Length Musicals

1. The Addams Family – by Marshall Brickman, Rick Elice, and Andrew Lippa (TRW) (TRW)

2. Mamma Mia! – by Catherine Johnson, Benny Andersson, and Björn Ulvaeus (MTI)

3. Into the Woods – by Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine (MTI)

4. Little Shop of Horrors – by Alan Menken and Howard Ashman (MTI)

5. (tie) Disney’s Beauty and the Beast – by Alan Menken, Howard Ashman, Tim Rice, and Linda Woolverton (MTI)

5. (tie) Disney’s The Little Mermaid – by Alan Menken, Howard Ashman, Glenn Slater, and Doug Wright (MTI)

7. The SpongeBob Musical – by Kyle Jarrow, Tina Landau, and various composers (Concord Theatricals)

8. Chicago: Teen Edition – by John Kander, Fred Ebb, and Bob Fosse (Concord Theatricals)

9. Legally Blonde: The Musical – by Heather Hach, Laurence O’Keefe, and Nell Benjamin (MTI)

10. Mean Girls: High School Version – by Tina Fey, Jeff Richmond, and Nell Benjamin (MTI)

Top 10 Full-Length Plays

1. Clue – by Jonathan Lynn, Hunter Foster, Eric Price, and Sandy Rustin (Broadway Licensing)

2. Puffs – by Matt cox (Concord Theatricals)

3. A Midsummer Night’s Dream – by William Shakespeare (public domain)

4. (tie) The Play That Goes Wrong – by Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer, and Henry Shields (Broadway Licensing)

4. (tie) Radium Girls – by D.W. Gregory (Dramatic Publishing)

6. Almost, Maine – by John Cariani (Broadway Licensing)

7. (tie) Peter and the Starcatcher – by Rick Elice and Wayne Barker (MTI)

7. (tie) She Kills Monsters: Young Adventurers Edition – by Qui Nguyen (Concord Theatricals)

9. Alice in Wonderland – by Lewis Carroll (various licencing agencies)

10. 12 Angry Jurors – by Reginald Rose, adapted by Sherman L. Sergel (Dramatic Publishing)

Top 10 Short Musicals

1. Disney’s Frozen JR. – by Kristin Anderson-Lopez, Robert Lopez, and Jennifer Lee (MTI)

2. Roald Dahl’s Matilda: The Musical JR. – by Dennis Kelly and Tim Minchin (MTI)

3. Disney’s Newsies JR. – by Harvey Fierstein, Alan Menken, and Jack Feldman (MTI)

4. Roald Dahl’s Willy Wonka JR. – by Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley (MTI)

5. Annie JR. – by Charles Strouse, Martin Charnin, and Thomas Meehan (MTI)

6. Disney’s High School Musical JR. – by David Simpatico and various composers (MTI)

7. (tie) Disney’s The Little Mermaid JR. – by Howard Ashman, Glenn Slater, Alan Menken, and Doug Wright (MTI)

7. (tie) Shrek: The Musical JR. – by David Lindsay-Abaire and Jeanine Tesori (MTI)

9. The Addams Family Young@Part – by Marshall Brickman, Rick Elice, and Andrew Lippa (TRW)

10. (tie) Disney’s The Lion King JR. – by Elton John, Tim Rice, Will Van Dyke, Lebo M, Mark Mancina, Jay Rifkin, Roger Allers, and Irene Mecchi (MTI)

10. (tie) Seussical JR. – Lynn Ahrens, Stephen Flaherty, and Eric Idle (MTI)

Top 10 Short Plays

1. (tie) 10 Ways to Survive the Zombie Apocalypse – by Don Zolidis (Broadway Licensing)

1. (tie) Check Please – by Jonathan Rand (Broadway Licensing)

3. The Brothers Grimm Spectaculathon (One-Act) – by Don Zolidis (Broadway Licensing)

4. Bad Auditions by Bad Actors – by Ian McWethy (Broadway Licensing)

5. The One-Act Play Disaster – by Don Zolidis (Broadway Licensing)

6. Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind – by Greg Allen (Broadway Licensing)

7. 13 Ways to Screw Up Your College Interview – by Ian McWethy (Broadway Licensing)

8. (tie) Our Place – by Terry Wayne Gabbard (Dramatic Publishing)

8. (tie) Tracks – by Peter Tarsi (Dramatic Publishing)

10. (tie) 15 Reasons Not to Be in a Play – by Alan Haehnel (Broadway Licensing)

10. (tie) Game of Tiaras (One-Act) – by Don Zolidis (Broadway Licensing)

10. (tie) The Greek Mythology Olympiaganza (One-Act) – by Don Zolidis (Broadway Licensing)

10. (tie) The 9 Worst Breakups of All Time – by Ian McWethy (Broadway Licensing)

For more information visit: https://schooltheatre.org/2023-play-survey-reveals-most-popular-high-school-shows/