Recommended Plays and Musicals for Cultural Festivals, School Festivals, and School Performances
Want to make unforgettable memories with your school festival play? We’ve got you covered with a variety of works, from fairy tales and musicals to anime and trending hits.
Disney titles, Studio Ghibli films, and beloved classic stories—each one is full of charm that will captivate your audience.
There are plenty that are fun to perform, too, so bring your class together to create a moving stage filled with acting, dance, and music.
It’s sure to become a memory you’ll cherish for life.
You’re bound to find the perfect piece for your class!
Modern Anime and Manga Stage Adaptations (1–10)
Harry Potter
If you can create the world of Harry Potter through a play, you’ll definitely set your class apart from the others.
Since there are many works in the Harry Potter series, it’s hard to decide which one to adapt, isn’t it? The production begins with discussing it as a class or taking a vote.
By the time the performance day arrives, I think your class will be united as one.
Costumes, lighting, and sound are also very important to capture Harry Potter’s unique atmosphere.
Working together to create a single production will become a lifelong memory.
From today, I am…
The manga ‘Kyou Kara Ore Wa!!’ ran in a boys’ magazine from 1988 to 1990.
It was adapted into a live-action film by Toei V-Cinema at the time, but starting in 2018 it was adapted again, gaining attention with a feature film in 2020 and a special drama broadcast.
It’s interesting to see how the Yankii (delinquent) culture that was hugely popular back then looks to today’s generation, and it seems really fun to dramatize the now-rare yankii and the fiery battles between students.
The costumes and hairstyles have an unbelievable impact when you think about them now!
Detective Conan
Detective Conan, created by Gosho Aoyama, is widely known since both the manga and the anime have been running for a long time.
Its story—solving the trick behind a case and identifying the culprit—is classic detective fare, so it should be relatively straightforward to develop a script.
The distinctive characters are a major draw as well, so let’s focus on that and let audiences enjoy the light, lively deduction.
Exaggerating the characters’ lines, behavior, and reactions tends to convey the mood more clearly to viewers, so it’s highly recommended.
Oshi no Ko
The story featuring idols, “Oshi no Ko,” is a very famous manga.
When performing it at a school or cultural festival, fully get into character while expressing the characters’ complex emotions.
By understanding their feelings, you’ll be able to enjoy the play more deeply.
It’s also important to be creative with the idols’ glamorous costumes and the outfits used on stage.
Using lighting and sound to add sparkle is another key point.
Work together as one to create a wonderful, memorable performance!
Nintama Rantarō
A popular NHK anime that has been on the air since 1993.
You could say it’s one of those national favorites that Japanese kids grew up with.
The biggest strength of Nintama Rantarō is its sheer number of characters—it absolutely won’t lose to any other anime in that regard.
It will surely make for a wonderful stage where everyone in the class can become a character.
From Isaku Hōzenji, whose unlucky nature always gets laughs, to Kihachirō Ayabe, who loves digging holes, to the universally beloved teacher Hansuke Doi, and the dependable Heisuke Kogyoku—each and every one is a charming character.
For those who know Nintama Rantarō, this might be an irresistible stage!
Demon Slayer
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba is a popular TV anime based on the manga by Koyoharu Gotouge.
It tells the story of Tanjiro Kamado, the protagonist, who grows through his journey as he searches for a way to turn his sister—who has become a demon—back into a human.
Since the story is set in the Taisho era, many of the costumes are traditional Japanese clothing, which would make the production visually enjoyable.
However, there are many sword-fighting (tate) scenes, so it might be necessary to find ways to make those look as cool as possible.
Because it’s a long-form story, I think it would be good to focus on one part and adapt that for the stage!
Spirited Away
Spirited Away is a popular animated film produced by Studio Ghibli.
It tells the story of a girl named Chihiro who wanders into the world of the gods through a tunnel, and if she forgets her real name, she can no longer return to her original world.
In this story, a series of mysterious and striking characters appear, so it would be good to get creative with how you represent those characters.
If the performance time is short, you could narrate the synopsis and stage only selected parts as a play.