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!
- Recommended plays for a high school cultural festival: popular, crowd-pleasing ideas
- Classic plays performed by elementary school students: recommended works roundup
- Stage performance ideas to excite a cultural or school festival
- Ideas for stage events and attractions that will liven up a school festival
- Ideas for Performances That Inspire Laughter and Tears: Perfect for Upper Grades at School Arts and Learning Showcases
- [For High School Students] A roundup of recommended attractions for the school festival
- Cultural Festival: Ranking of Popular Booth Ideas
- [For Elementary Schools] Recommended Exhibits and Recreational Activities for a Cultural Festival
- [Short Movie] A collection of video project ideas you can use for cultural and school festivals
- Recommended performance ideas for elementary school (middle grades) cultural festivals and learning presentations
- [By Genre] Cultural Festival / School Festival Booth Catalog [2026]
- A roundup of recreational activities to liven up cultural and school festivals
- Better than a theme park! Attractions perfect for school cultural festivals
Modern Anime and Manga Stage Adaptations (1–10)
Boys Over Flowers
Hana Yori Dango, which was adapted from a shoujo manga into a TV drama and then a film, has also been made into a musical! Using that as a reference, how about performing it at your school festival? A realistic story performed by students might be even more moving! You can use your school uniforms as costumes as they are, and it seems easy to adapt the story, so it’s highly recommended.
orange
We’re adapting Ichigo Takano’s popular manga Orange, which was serialized in Bessatsu Margaret, into a stage play! Since it’s a school-themed work, it’s something every student should be able to relate to.
The story has a somewhat heavy premise, so the key is how much focus you can give to that aspect.
You’ll need to perform with solid, heartfelt emotion.
It might be a good idea to record your performances and watch them together to find areas to improve.
There’s also an anime and a live-action film adaptation, so be sure to use those as references.
Bocchi the Rock!
If you can play guitar or are in a band, I highly recommend Bocchi the Rock! When it first aired on TV it seemed like a typical anime, but word of mouth snowballed with comments like “so hype!” and “so emo!”, and it quickly became a smash hit.
It’s actually a passionate Reiwa-era manga that only the initiated knew about—so much so that even the compilation film made from the TV broadcast was a success.
Of course, even if you don’t play an instrument, with the right sound system you can stage it as a proper play.
There’s even a stage adaptation of Bocchi, so why not start by watching it together?
Stage adaptations of modern anime and manga (11–20)
Sazae-san
Many people are probably familiar with the nationally beloved anime Sazae-san.
It’s perfect to perform at a school cultural festival.
It warmly portrays a traditional family, making it easy to assign roles and highly recommended.
Try performing it with some original episodes while keeping the lively atmosphere unique to cultural festivals.
Imitating the costumes and hairstyles might make the stage even more exciting.
It may also evoke a sense of nostalgia or leave everyone feeling warm and relaxed.
Darkness in Shangri-La
Based on the well-known folktale Momotaro, Togen Anki is a work that depicts the battle between the descendants of ogres and the descendants of Momotaro.
Since the story unfolds while incorporating elements of the original folktale, it gives the impression that a wide range of people can get into it.
The distinctive characters are also a major draw, so let’s carefully consider how to portray them in a way that makes them appealing.
As the narrative shifts into battles, it’s crucial to emphasize the action scenes and draw viewers into the world above all else.
GeGeGe no Kitaro
GeGeGe no Kitaro, based on Shigeru Mizuki’s manga, is a work that has been beloved for many years—not only as a TV anime and films, but even as a live-action drama! Featuring many characters with distinctive appearances—starting with the protagonist Kitaro and Medama-oyaji, and including the likes of Nezumi Otoko and Sunakake Baba—costume making can be creative and lots of fun.
Since it’s a series with broad popularity and recognition across generations, it’s sure to be enjoyed by many people.
SPY×FAMILY
SPY×FAMILY, with lines like “Anya loves peanuts” going viral, is also a hugely popular manga among students.
Its straightforward setup—a hitman and a cute girl—seems perfect for a stage adaptation.
Because the characters are widely known, it’s easy for audiences to get emotionally invested—also a big plus! It’s reassuring that there’s a template for a happy ending: a villain appears, they fight, and the heroes win.
I think creating an original script set at your own school would really hype up a school festival or class play.
If you include a famous teacher or one with a strong personality, it could be an even bigger hit!