Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS’ Spring Fundraising Competition, which saw 45 Broadway, Off-Broadway, and national touring shows raise funds through audience appeals over a six-week period, brought in a whopping $4,702,394.

April 24 was National High School Theatre Day. In honor of that, we join young theatre nerds across the country in wondering one of life’s most burning questions: What play are we doing next year?

Ever eager to stand out from the crowd, we’ve picked 10 popular plays and musicals at high schools around the country and paired them with 10 counterparts that are perhaps off the beaten path but equally worth consideration as students eagerly await their chance in the spotlight. Read more for our picks below.

Regional News

World Premiere Musical Little Miss Perfect, Frozen, Waitress, More in 2024-2025 Olney Theatre Season Awa Sal Secka and Alex De Bard will be Elsa and Anna in the new staging of the Disney musical Frozen.

Maryland’s Olney Theatre Center has unveiled its 2024-2025 season, which will include a world premiere musical from a viral TikTok creator.

Heathers the Musical opened Off-Broadway at New World Stages March 31, 2014, and 10 years later, love for the show is still going strong.

Based on the 1989 cult favorite film, Heathers follows Westerberg High student Veronica Sawyer, who’s on track to become one of the most popular girls in school after befriending the beautiful but cruel Heathers, only to meet a mysterious teen rebel who changes everything.

When librettist-lyricist Chad Beguelin was asked by Disney to look through their animated catalog and pick a title to adapt, he was never under the assumption that it would one day be a Broadway show. The company was just inviting several writers to do script adaptations that could be licensed for performances (like the currently available Kids and Broadway Junior versions of Jungle Book, 101 Dalmations, and Aristocats). 

I want to dedicate this week to Chita Rivera! There is no way I can cover all the incredible aspects of her in one column, so I’m just going to give a soupçon of her remarkable life and add stories in future columns.

Written By Michelle F. Solomon

Originally published on artburstmiami.com

Ask playwright Aurin Squire how the Louis Armstrong musical “A Wonderful World” went from a dream to a reality and he’ll tell you it began with a quick lunch meeting on Lincoln Road and then a “very long lunch” at a steakhouse with an ocean view on Miami Beach.

National News

Rachel Bloom’s Death, Let Me Do My Show, Sara Porkalob’s Dragon Mama, More in Williamstown Theatre Festival Summer Season. The upcoming season marks the festival’s return to fully staged productions.