The Miracle Worker Archives

It’s May and theater teachers are chatting about high school plays they are thinking of directing in the next school. Oh, gosh. I remember those times. Today let’s discuss timeless triumphs: 8 unforgettable high school plays.

As much as you consider and make predictions concerning your student body (how many males, how many females) for future productions, it’s still a crap shoot. For instance, students who have always been ardent theater lovers suddenly decide they want to play soccer in the fall and track in the spring. Sometimes it is difficult to keep a balanced perspective concerning our students’ choices. It is my opinion that a teacher must remind themself that primarily our job is to introduce theater to students who may not have ever considered it before. Hopefully those theater loving students will return to participate in the near future. Looking for the Stella Adler Acting Unit? Go here.

Timeless Triumphs: 8 Unforgettable High School Plays

Every high school drama department seeks that perfect play: the one that captivates audiences, challenges actors, and leaves a lasting impression long after the final curtain call. In the realm of high school theater, certain plays have stood the test of time, earning their place as perennial favorites. Let’s explore eight such masterpieces that continue to enchant audiences and inspire young actors around the world.

1. The Crucible by Arthur Miller:

Drama
Two hours
10 M, 10 F (plus extras)

Set during the Salem witch trials, The Crucible explores themes of hysteria, suspicion, and the consequences of unchecked power. This play tells the story of a village that becomes embroiled in a witch hunt. The people of Salem live in a constant state of fear as more and more people are accused of witchcraft. It is my belief that The Crucible is a perfect high school play, primarily because it offers many students an opportunity to participate. High school productions of Miller’s masterpiece often resonate deeply with audiences, sparking discussions about morality, justice, and the dangers of groupthink.

2. A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare:

Comedy
Two hours
20 characters, equally male and female

Credit: Aquinas Academy of Pittsburgh

Timeless Triumphs: 8 Unforgettable High School Plays

3. Our Town by Thornton Wilder:

Drama
Full-Length Play
7w, 17m

This Pulitzer Prize-winning play offers a poignant exploration of small-town life and the passage of time. Narrated by a stage manager, the production is performed with minimal props and sets. However, don’t be swayed by its simplicity. The play depicts the simple daily lives of the Webb and Gibbs families as their children fall in love, marry. The most poignant moment is eventually – in one of the most famous scenes in American theatre – death.

Thornton Wilder’s final word on how he wanted his play performed is an invaluable addition to the American stage and to the libraries of theatre lovers internationally. With its minimalist staging and universal themes, Our Town provides high school students with a profound theatrical experience that resonates with audiences of all ages.

How about a comedy?

4. The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde:

Full-length Play
Comedy
5m., 4w. (1 extra.)

Wilde’s razor-sharp wit and biting satire take center stage in this delightful comedy of manners. Set in England during the late 19th century, the play follows the lives of two young men, Jack Worthing and Algernon Moncrieff, who adopt fictional identities to escape social obligations. Jack invents a brother named Ernest, while Algernon creates an invalid friend named Bunbury.

Not surprisingly, high school productions of The Importance of Being Earnest allow students to revel in the absurdities of Victorian society while honing their comedic timing and delivery. Note: This is a costume heavy show, but I still recommend it to directors because it’s worth the extra money to costume the students appropriately.

Dramatic Play, Anyone?

5. Inherit the Wind by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee:

Drama
Two Hours
21 men, 6 women, 2 boys, 1 girl, extras Many of the parts can be doubled

Inspired by the Scopes Monkey Trial, Inherit the Wind is a powerful courtroom drama that explores the clash between science and religion, freedom of thought, and the pursuit of truth. This story centers around a Tennessee teacher was tried for teaching the theory of evolution. As you might expect, two persuasive attorneys argue the case in an effort to determine the balance of church and state. High school productions of this play encourage critical thinking and foster discussions about education, censorship, and intellectual freedom.

6. The Giver adapted by Eric Coble from the novel by Lois Lowry:

Drama
4m., 4w., extras as desired or 4m., 2w. with doubling, extras as desired.
90 minutes

Based on Lois Lowry’s dystopian novel, The Giver offers a thought-provoking exploration of a society that suppresses individuality and emotion in pursuit of stability. To begin with, the story follows Jonas, a boy living in a community based on Sameness. During the Ceremony of Twelve, he is selected as the community’s new Receiver of Memory. The old Receiver, who Jonas calls The Giver, transmits generational memories to the young boy by placing his hands on Jonas’s bare back.

High school productions of The Giver allow students to delve into themes of identity, freedom, and the consequences of conformity, sparking important conversations about societal norms and individuality. I directed The Giver for a the Fine Arts Guild of the Rockies community theater in Colorado. It was sensational having a mixed age cast, but high school students can excel with it as well. For more information about The Giver, check out: The Reasons I Love The Giver Play

Historical Plays Worth Producing

7. The Diary of Anne Frank by Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett:

Drama
Full Length
5 men, 5 women (3 extras)

Based on the real-life diary of Anne Frank, this powerful play chronicles the experiences of a Jewish family hiding from the Nazis during World War II. High school productions of The Diary of Anne Frank offer students the opportunity to explore themes of resilience, hope, and the human spirit in the face of adversity. I directed The Diary of Anne Frank with a community theater. It was an unforgettable experience for everyone concerned. However, one challenge for us was that the stage was the shape of an octagon. Looking for more information about this high school play? Check out: The Most Important Play I’ve Directed in My 38 Year Career

8. The Miracle Worker by William Gibson:

Drama
Two hours
7 M, 7F (with extras)

Inspired by the true story of Helen Keller and her teacher Anne Sullivan, “The Miracle Worker” is a compelling exploration of perseverance, communication, and the triumph of the human spirit over adversity. William Gibson’s drama chronicles the relationship between the real-life Helen Keller, a young girl from Alabama who was blind and deaf, and her teacher, the Irish, headstrong Annie Sullivan from Boston. It’s sensational theater.

Without a doubt, high school plays such as The Miracle Worker provide students with the opportunity to portray iconic historical figures while delving into themes of empathy, determination, and the transformative power of education.

Why do I select older plays to direct?

When you are a purist as I am concerning high school plays, you stick close to tried and true material. That doesn’t mean I haven’t done my share of more modern plays. I’ve directed a few. However, I think it’s important that our students broaden their knowledge base and ultimately, their resume by participating in the classics. You simply can’t go wrong with them.

In the world of high school theater, these eight high school plays stand out as enduring classics or at the very least of the classic nature.. They continue to captivate audiences and inspire young actors. From thought-provoking dramas to poignant historical narratives, each play offers students the opportunity to delve into complex characters.

These Plays are Winners for High School

As I stated previously, by exploring universal themes students can learn what it takes to create unforgettable theatrical experiences. In short, these high school plays demand it of them. As high school drama departments continue to stage these masterpieces, they ensure that the magic of theater lives on for generations to come.

Do you have a high school play which you would add to this list? I’d love to know about it. Contact me at DhcBaldwin@gmail.com.

Directing students in Aladdin, Jr.

Stephens College Theatre Department

Let’s talk about the critical steps in choosing a play or musical stage properties next.

I have something to admit. I knew very little about the workings of a play production until I attended college, Stephens College to be exact. I was aware of this about myself, but you know, I had NO IDEA how much I didn’t know, you know? Enter required technical theater hours.

I very gleefully signed up for crew positions as I was expected to do. In the theater department, at least at the time, we were not allowed to audition for productions until our second year of school there. It was part of the process of this solid program that continues to be excellent.

A Christmas Story Performing Arts in Children’s Education December 2004

I’m an over achiever. It’s terrible how much of an over achiever I can be at times. Anyway, we were required to have 100 hours. I finished with 200. See? Truthfully, I found I loved crewing backstage.

My first backstage crewing experience occurred when I worked on the stage properties crew and I’ll never forget it. I enjoyed it so much that one summer I served as prop mistress at the Okoboji Summer Theater, Stephens’ summer theater venue.

Now, I’m virtually an expert (because I’ve been around since dirt was invented) on stage properties. A combination of art and theater, using one’s imagination and ingenuity, stage properties are important to the overall effect of the production. Think about it. What is an important prop used in Into the Woods? The milk cow. How about in Seussical? The clover!

Critical Steps in a Play or Musical: Stage Properties

In my very long career in theater, I have:

found two identical Afghan dogs
discovered and was loaned Venetian glass in the middle of Iowa
borrowed a baby grand piano
needlepointed an alphabet sampler (I didn’t know how to needle point when I began)
made a fake cheese ball complete with Mickey Mouse ears plopped on top for a chip bowl (I know you are impressed!)

and a gazillion more cool things…

The Giver Fine Arts Guild of the Rockies 2013

Properties Master

If it’s your job to fill out your staff, then look for a volunteer who is very crafty and clever and draft them to be in charge of your props. Or, if you are working for a theater, they should provide you with someone. I would advise you to stay out of their way and merely accept what they bring in if at all possible.

Volunteers do become very possessive of their things, especially when they “searched all weekend to find a pair of wooden knitting needles”. I rarely decline props, because I held a very specific discussion at my prop meeting and preplanned for my needs (including a LIST). Yet, even with the preparation, I need props that I hadn’t thought of or my actors require personally as they develop their characters or we discover spontaneously as we rehearse.

Into the Woods Performing Arts in Children’s Education 2004

(The cow was created by a volunteer–wow!)

Back to Budget

Again, you will want to check and see what was allotted in your budget for props. Props can be created –Gandalf’s staff for The Hobbit, a smoking cauldron for Macbeth, fake meat pies for Sweeney Todd or…a really inexpensive smoke machine you can create with dry ice and a plastic garbage can. No joke!

You can purchase props on line from theatre supply companies such as RubiesCostumes.com. They have an excellent inventory, broad and detailed, so if you are looking something historically accurate, I’d start there. Of course, there are other suppliers, but I usually go to them first. I have been a customer of theirs for over thirty years.

Many props can be borrowed–a Victorian love seat for Arsenic and Old Lace, a hand water pump for The Miracle Worker, a Tesla coil for a mad scientist or even the smoke machine I mentioned previously.

I’ve asked many people if I could borrow a particular prop for them. Usually, people are happy to loan something to you. You should sweeten the request by offering a pair of complimentary tickets and a listing in the program in exchange for their loan. It’s standard protocol. Or place a sign in the lobby that acknowledges the business or person who helped you out. That’s nice, too!

Balance of Production Value

I do have one gripe, however. It just really annoys me when the props in a production are uneven, for lack of a better phrase. I mean, some are authentic looking, but others in the show are not. I like for my entire “production package” to be equal from the set design to the lights, the costumes to the program.

If one piece is lacking (for instance, the sound equipment is inadequate and unable to amplify the actor’s voices over the orchestra who is full and loud), then the whole thing feels odd.

Perhaps it’s the director in me, but that’s what I notice when I attending a production–whether the show is comprehensive, balanced components. I like to be a good role model and representative of the arts. Anything I can do to attract a person to attend or participate in another production is my primary goal. To me, it is lifeblood of the art.

People laugh when I say, “When I direct in any theater, I think of myself as a cruise director. I want the people to have such a wonderful, meaningful evening that they will be overcome with emotion and tell everyone they know about the experience. Then I smile and nod.” (An old teaching technique to persuade people to agree with you…)

If you are looking for particular lessons about stage properties, I have several available in my Teacherspayteachers.com store. You can find them here:

Stage Properties Lesson