About two-thirds of the musicals put on by high school drama and music departments take place in the spring, but the fall brings a good share of drama to the musical stage.
- For musicals in Illinois, see our up-to-date database here.
As of the end of November, 57 musical theater productions will have been staged in Illinois high schools. Typically, about 300 to 350 productions are staged every school year, and our database will allow you to see some of the history we collected through the work, back in the 2010-11 school year, of one of our founding board members, Alicia Mills.
One of the most popular musicals this fall is Peter and the Starcatcher, being produced at at least five Illinois high schools and four Maryland high schools before the calendar even gets to December. This wild and fantasy-filled journey follows a young dreamer, a pirate, and a boy who would be Pan. The magazine Soiree described last year’s production of this musical by the Arkansas Repertory Theater as being “whimsical, comical and downright magical.”
November musicals in Maryland
- The Fantasticks, Siena, Silver Spring, Nov. 10–12
- Fiddler on the Roof, Sherwood, Sandy Spring, 10–18
- A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Col Richardson, Federalsburg, 10–12
- How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying, St Paul’s, Brooklandville, 3–11
- Into the Woods, Tuscarora, Frederick, 9–11
- Into the Woods, St Mary’s, Annapolis, 16–19
- James and the Giant Peach, Quince Orchard, Gaithersburg, 4–11
- Legally Blonde, Bethesda-Chevy Chase, Bethesda, 16–18
- Legally Blonde, Howard, Ellicott City, 2–4
- The Little Mermaid, Blake, Silver Spring, 10–18
- The Little Mermaid, Richard Montgomery, Rockville, 11–18
- Little Shop of Horrors, Baltimore School for the Arts, Baltimore, 17–18
- Little Shop of Horrors, Barbara Ingram School for the Arts, Hagerstown, 3–12
- Peter and the Starcatcher, Liberty, Eldersburg, 3–11
- Peter and the Starcatcher, Archbishop Curley, Baltimore, 17–19
- Peter and the Starcatcher, Oakland Mills, Columbia, 2–4
- Peter and the Starcatcher, McDonough, Pomfret, 9–11
- Sister Act, Bishop McNamara, Forestville, 10–19
- 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Albert Einstein, Kensington, 10–18
- 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Urbana, Ijamsville, 2–4
- West Side Story, Park School, Baltimore, 16–18
- Young Frankenstein, Carver Center for Arts & Tech, Towson, 9–11
Musical productions in high schools often include the hard work of hundreds of students, teachers, and other community members. We write about them in support of new federal legislation in the Every Student Succeeds Act, which directs schools to include music and the arts as part of a “well-rounded education” for students in the US.