Good plays for high schoolers to perform?

Question

Hey. I am fifteen and next summer will be directing for the second time with my friends. This past summer we performed The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde and it was a HUGE success(We got told it was better than any production they had seen of it), and we are excited to bring our theatre loving community something even more exciting next summer. The actors we have are extremely versatile so comedy or drama or whatever. We would also like an established play that will draw audiences. Nothing inappropriate(We are prep students.lol) Straight plays ONLY! We would prefer a full length but you can suggest one acts. Also, we like period pieces because we get really into the period(We researched the period like crazy and borrowed this really old antique furniture for Earnest and made our costumes from scratch) Anyway, please and thank you!

Additional Details

No musicals please! We don't have any band or the facility. We have a superb church that is great for straight plays(Great sound, stage, lights) but will not work for a musical. Plus, it's student run!

Oh, and we do not want to do Shakespeare!

Answer 1

A Midsummer Night's Dream is a good play for students!

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Answer 2

dr.jeckle and mr.hyde... i don't know spelling but its a good one and its a period piece.

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Answer 3

The Elephant Man won my senior year. Grease was a good one, Lady Precious Stream, and the Outsiders. All great ones when I was in one act play.

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Answer 4

Arsenic and Old Lace could be a brilliant choice for you - it's a period piece, very funny, very fast, very clever with lots of great parts - plus it's a well-recognised play which will draw audiences. Plus it's in the public domain so you don't have to worry about getting rights or paying royalties or anything. I worked on a production of it 18 months ago and had a brilliant time!

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