by Eric Goudie

Created on: July 14, 2010

Choosing a play for high school performance is a delicate process, especially if your final decision is to be made through committee. There are several important things to consider:

Why you’re doing the play

A competitive 1-act festival requires a different sort of play than a school-wide major production, or an in-class scene study. Is this play being done to celebrate an occasion, make a statement, or showcase the individual talents of a group of teachers or students? Moral judgements about why you’re doing a play aside make sure the show you pick fits perfectly with the reasons for doing it.

What’s appropriate for your school

A public high school in Ontario, Canada recently cancelled a production of Some Like it Hot after the scripts had been paid for, the show had been cast and rehearsals had begun. The reason? The principal found the material too suggestive to be appropriate for that particular school. While this author went to a different public high school in Ontario, Canada that successfully produced the very same play (many years before he was a student, in fact) any play you would like to do should be cleared as being acceptable for your students by the principal, or even by a higher authority at the school board level if necessary. If the PTA, other schools or community organizations are being asked to assist with the show it should be cleared with them as well. Obviously this should all be done months before the casting call is announced.

So what is and is not “suitable’ for a high school play? There are absolutely no easy answers, and each school’s situation is unique. In some high schools a play with coarse language would be permitted on artistic grounds, where in others a single mild expletive would be a deal-breaker.

Violence is quite common in high school plays, if only because many high school drama teachers are eager to display their talents at fight choreography. But in a school that had recently see a shooting or other violent incident a student body might be less de-sensitised to violence that most average teens, and could be traumatized by watching or participating in violent stage business.

It’s almost impossible that nudity would ever being permitted in a high school play, but many high schools do plays that frankly tackle questions of body image, sexuality and the sexualizing of teenagers. Plays with any type of suggestive material are the most dangerous ones to produce, so be very thorough and careful in your preparations, and supremely confident that your staff and students (and parents) are capable of dealing appropriately with the subject matter. Be prepared to clearly explain exactly how you will treat the material in the play in a manner that’s appropriate for your school and your community.

Your abilities and those of your students

While you shouldn’t underestimate either yourself or your students it’s important to recognize the limits of your capabilities, as well as those of the rest of the school, and anyone else who will be helping with the show. You play should challenge everyone involved, and ideally force people to reach beyond themselves to achieve new heights, but you must be confident that you and your students will be successful (even if your kids or your colleagues have some doubts). For a lot of students, even those without the leading roles, this play could the biggest event of their high school lives, with emotions (and hormones) running at an all-time high. It should be their moment of triumph. When choosing a play for high school performance that may be the most important thing to keep in mind of all.

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