school musicals

Auditorium stage performances

School musicals are theatrical productions staged by students, typically at middle schools and high schools.

They combine acting, singing, and dancing, often adapting Broadway shows or original scripts suited to younger performers.

For many students, they're a first experience with live theater: She got the lead in the school musical.

The term evokes both the excitement of performance and the amateur charm of teenage productions.

Related

choreography · set designer · costume fitting · stage makeup · stage design · director · blocking · stage manager · parental involvement · producer · fundraising events · orchestra conductor · student engagement · opening night · curtain call · break a leg · audience participation · cast party

Opposites
production level/professionalism

school musicalsBroadway musicals

Sung theatrical productions

professional theater · Broadway shows · dinner theater · community theater · summer stock

theatrical format

school musicalsschool plays

Theatrical performances by pupils

straight plays · recitals · concerts · talent shows

educational vs commercial purpose

school musicalscommercial theater

Profit-motivated live performance venue

Broadway · West End · nightclub acts

Family

school, schools, schooled, schooling, schooler, scholar, scholarly, scholarship, scholastic

Familiarity
Top 200,000
Profile
Known to kids · Used worldwide · Timeless · Concrete · Positive · Everyday, not technical · Rated G