Recommended plays for a high school cultural festival: popular, crowd-pleasing ideas
When it comes time to put on a play for your high school cultural festival, the choice of work can dramatically change the feel of the stage.
From moving fantasies to relatable comedies and heartfelt musicals, each has its own unique appeal and key directing points.
Because it’s a production everyone in the class creates together, you’ll want to pick something that’s fun for the cast to make and a joy for the audience to watch.
Here, we introduce a wide range of plays that are perfect for high school cultural festivals.
Find the one that fits your class!
Disney, Fairy Tales, and Fantasy Works Special (1–10)
Aladdin
Aladdin, Disney’s hugely popular animated film that was also adapted into live action.
It’s a love story between the poor Aladdin and Princess Jasmine of the palace, and it’s memorable for its dream-filled magical world with the magic lamp and flying carpet.
You might think you’d like to try it, but that the props would be a lot of work because the world is overflowing with magic, right? If you keep the props to a minimum and project imagery on a screen that evokes the world of Aladdin for the background, you can easily convey the atmosphere at a glance.
Also, for the magic carpet, which is central to the story, you can combine tables and place a carpet on top to create the illusion of it flying!
Peter Pan
A work by Scottish author James Matthew Barrie that has been adapted into films in various forms since 1924, including by Disney.
In Japan, not only the films but also the musical produced by Horipro is well-known.
With its fantastical setting, dramatic storyline, and tense battle scenes, the piece is full of highlights and would likely be a hit as a cultural festival performance.
Because it’s a story almost everyone has heard at least once, audiences can easily immerse themselves in its world together.
Toy Story
Toy Story, a Disney production and one of Pixar’s flagship works, portrays beloved toys and the worries they carry.
It’s a story in which toys with diverse personalities work together to accomplish something, conveying a strong sense of unity.
The costumes—with clear, vivid colors that reflect each toy’s individuality—are also key, as they help communicate the characters through movement.
While referencing the original in the script, it may be best to focus on bringing out the characters’ appeal.
Rapunzel on the Tower
Tangled, well known as a Disney movie, is based on a Grimm fairy tale.
Because the story hinges on the magical power contained in Rapunzel’s long hair, how that long hair is portrayed is crucial.
As a Disney work, it also firmly incorporates musical elements, so we should be careful to convey the songs well.
In particular, “Mother Knows Best,” which appears early in the story, is memorable for the way it gradually transitions from dialogue into song, making it a piece that showcases both acting and singing effectively.
Frozen
A story that portrays the bond between the elder sister Elsa, who can freely command ice magic, and her younger sister Anna is perfect for delivering emotion and impact at a high school cultural festival.
With creative touches in costumes and sets—such as dresses and ice effects—you can vividly express the world of the story and captivate the audience.
Incorporating dance and choral singing to the theme song will create a strong sense of unity across the stage.
Performers will find it easy to infuse emotion into songs and lines, and collaborating with peers adds the joy of raising the production’s overall quality.
Its themes of personal growth and family love are powerful and resonate across generations, making it an ideal piece for a cultural festival.
Momotaro: Another Story
Momotaro is a story about a boy born from a peach who defeats ogres together with a dog, a monkey, and a pheasant.
It’s one of Japan’s folktales that everyone has heard of.
Are you familiar with “Momotaro: another story,” which adds various twists to the original? It explores themes everyone wonders about, such as “a tale told from the ogres’ perspective” or “what if he never encountered the ogres?” It could be fun to come up with a story together with your classmates, too.
Try creating a play that leaves the audience on the edge of their seats, thinking, “What will happen next from here…?”
Descendant
The live-action film Descendants by Disney was released in the United States in 2015 and became a popular work that spawned sequels.
Its premise, which focuses on the so-called Disney Villains, and the appearances of characters from other Disney titles are particularly striking.
It also incorporates the musical elements that are essential to Disney productions, bringing a sense of dynamism to the performances.
When it comes to villains, their costumes and lines that convey a sense of menace are memorable, so keep that in mind when crafting your performance.
To clearly communicate each character, I think it’s best to use exaggerated acting to create a sense of approachability.