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!
- Recommended Plays and Musicals for Cultural Festivals, School Festivals, and School Performances
- Cultural Festival: Ranking of Popular Booth Ideas
- Classic plays performed by elementary school students: recommended works roundup
- [For High School Students] A roundup of recommended attractions for the 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
- Stage performance ideas to excite a cultural or school festival
- [Middle School] Cultural Festival Attractions: A roundup of popular exhibits, games, and stage performances
- [Short Movie] A collection of video project ideas you can use for cultural and school festivals
- [Cultural Festival / School Festival Theme] Carefully Selected High-Impact Recommended Phrases!
- I want to adapt these for the school festival! A roundup of comedians’ manzai, sketch comedy, and one-liner gags
- [Hilarious] One-Liner Gags That Kill at Parties and Events
- Ideas for exhibits recommended for school culture festivals. Film screenings, too.
Anime, Manga, Modern School Settings & Variety Works (21–30)
Kiki’s Delivery Service
Among Studio Ghibli works popular with elementary school students, I’d like to recommend Kiki’s Delivery Service for a play.
The protagonist Kiki is 13 years old, which might make her feel relatable to younger students.
Plus, distinctive characters like the cat Jiji and Tombo would be adorable and amusing when played by children.
Kiki’s Delivery Service also explores the theme of becoming independent in the transition from childhood to adulthood.
Through performing the play, the children may learn something or gain new insights.
Musicals • For Large Casts • Recommended Tearjerkers (1–10)
There Are Eleven People!
A story about ten examinees gathered aboard a spaceship—and a mysterious eleventh who slips among them—this script blends suspense with coming-of-age drama and is designed for the stage.
Because it unfolds with a limited setting and cast, it’s easy to produce for a school festival, giving every classmate a chance to shine.
Snappy banter between distinctive characters and a tense, escalating plot will hold the audience’s attention.
Though set in a sci-fi world, it explores universal themes like friendship, trust, and growth, making it a substantial, rewarding piece of serious theater that high school students will find well worth the challenge.
The Greatest Showman
A musical film depicting the achievements of P.T.
Barnum, who found success as a showman in the 19th century.
Its dramatic story evokes the phrase “truth is stranger than fiction,” and would likely convey a palpable, realistic energy even on a school festival stage.
Though it’s a biographical film, the inclusion of song and dance keeps it from feeling too heavy while still allowing for depth—easy to imagine as a compelling piece.
It’s the kind of performance that will particularly resonate with high school students on the verge of adulthood, and its basis in a true story is sure to move their hearts.
orange
Orange depicts high school students taking action to change the future.
It’s a piece we especially hope will be performed by students currently living their own high school years.
Since the story is set at school, it’s also nice that costumes and props are easy to prepare.
Many will be moved by its story of friendship and romance.
Another feature is the rapid scene changes, giving lighting and sound crews plenty of chances to shine.
Try playing high school roles just as you are in everyday life! How about creating this emotional coming-of-age story together with your entire class?
High School Musical
Released in the United States in 2006, High School Musical is a work that strongly blends comedy, music, and coming-of-age elements.
Since it’s set in a high school, the scenario fits perfectly with a school cultural festival.
The story begins at a New Year’s party, so one of the strengths is that students can perform as their authentic selves without focusing too much on age.
Because the characters’ songs and musical numbers are pivotal scenes, it’s also important to cast people who can sing well.
While the characters are all high school students, some aspects of American high school culture may feel unfamiliar.
If you find certain parts hard to portray, try adapting the lines and performances to reflect your own daily life.
That approach might make it more relatable and allow for a more relaxed, natural performance.
West Side Story
This work, which could be called a modern-day Romeo and Juliet, is a powerful musical that portrays the love and conflict of young people from different backgrounds.
If staged at a school festival, it can showcase class unity through dance and song and captivate the audience with dynamic direction.
The structure depicting two rival groups allows many students to enjoy their respective roles, which is another appeal.
Despite its serious themes, it is infused with familiar emotions such as friendship and love, making it a piece where the natural, true-to-life acting of high school students can shine.
Depending on the direction, it can be easily adapted to a contemporary style, and its high degree of flexibility is also a major attraction.
Spirited Away
An animated feature film by Studio Ghibli that, since its 2001 release, held the top spot in Japan’s all-time box office for about 20 years.
Because it features many distinctive characters with non-human appearances, the production stage offers plenty of opportunities to showcase skill.
With its striking setting and rapidly unfolding story, it’s the kind of piece that both performers and audiences would enjoy presenting at a school festival.
In 2022, a stage adaptation—the first ever—was performed to commemorate Toho’s 90th anniversary, a testament to this masterpiece’s enduring appeal across generations.