The Changing Room

by Chris Bush

Cast: totally flexible, any size or mix of genders

Synopsis: Set in and around a swimming pool, Chris Bush's play? The Changing Room follows a group of teenagers full of excitement, impatience and uncertainty. They know change is coming, but not what it'll look like.

Why it's great for any cast: Written specifically for young people, The Changing Room was part of the 2018 National Theatre Connections Festival and was premiered by youth theatres across the UK. Designed to be performed by groups of any size and makeup – with the mostly unassigned dialogue meaning that roles can be as big or small as desired – it also offers plenty of opportunities for chorus work, movement and music.

Second Person Narrative

by Jemma Kennedy

Cast: min. 7f or mixed cast, no max.

Synopsis: You're born a girl. You grow up. You grow old. You die. But who is in control of your life story? Can you actually choose your destiny? And how do you forge your own identity along the way?

Why it's great for any cast: Part of Platform, a series of plays with majority- or all-female casts commissioned by Tonic Theatre (and shortlisted for Outstanding Drama Initiative at this year's Music & Drama Education Awards), Second Person Narrative consists of a series of scenes charting the complete life of one woman, giving young actors the chance to perform a variety of different ages and characters. Originally written for an all-female cast, it can also be performed by a mixed company.

katzenmusik

by Tom Fowler

Cast: 10f 15m plus 53f/m (can be performed by a cast of 25)

Synopsis: A darkly comic story about social inequality and upheaval, told in reverse. A viral video, a company capitalising on fear, prank calls, class divide and a cat memorial. The increasing income gap between rich and poor has pushed the residents of Burnside Town to breaking point. [Note: this play contains very strong language, and references to violence and suicide.]

Why it's great for any cast: Part of Nick Hern Books’ Multiplay Drama series, katzenmusik was first performed by the Royal Court's Youth Theatre. Inspired by the chaos of recent global political events, and with an innovative and unusual narrative structure, it offers over 70 speaking roles, portraying a large and diverse range of the town's inhabitants – providing opportunities for a huge cast, or for lots of creative doubling and mixing of roles with fewer performers.

Brainstorm

by Ned Glasier, Emily Lim and Company Three

Cast: min. 6, no max.

Synopsis: A unique theatrical investigation into how teenagers’ brains work and why they're designed by evolution to be the way they are. Originally developed by acclaimed youth-theatre group Company Three (formerly Islington Community Theatre), in collaboration with neuroscientists, it was first performed at the Park Theatre and the National Theatre, London.

Why it's great for any cast: Brainstorm is designed to draw directly on the personal experiences of the group creating and performing the production, with your teenagers’ own experiences placed at the heart of the show. Groups who want to perform Brainstorm receive a blueprint of the script containing all the scientific content, as well exercises, resources and activities to help your group generate the personal material. No two productions are the same!

Girls Like That

by Evan Placey

Cast: 6–24f, 0–6m

Synopsis: An urgent and explosive play that explores the pressures on young people today in the wake of advancing technology. When a naked photograph of Scarlett goes viral, she becomes the centre of attention for all the wrong reasons. But while rumours run wild and everyone forms an opinion, Scarlett just stays silent…

Why it's great for any cast: Hugely popular with school and youth-theatre groups, Girls Like That – winner of Best Play for Young Audiences at The Writers’ Guild of Great Britain Awards – is perfect for any school, youth theatre or drama groups looking to tackle a contemporary subject in a theatrically exciting way. The unassigned dialogue means it offers roles for up to 30 and can also be performed by a smaller cast.

To see more and apply to perform these plays, visit www.nickhernbooks.co.uk/plays-to-perform