There are a number of works by the YouthPLAYS founders that are excellent, widely-produced plays for teen actors and audiences in particular, but they're published by traditional bricks and mortar publishers.  No, they're not quite as green as ordering from the YouthPLAYS list, but go buy a carbon offset and produce one of these plays anyway.

The fear dance in 4 A.M. at Edwin Parr High School (Athabasca, AB, Canada; photo by Karon Friesen).

4 A.M. by Jonathan Dorf
Dramedy.  30-35 minutes.  3+ males, 3+ females (6-40+ actors possible).  Middle school and older.

What's it like to be awake when the rest of your world is asleep?  Meet an early-morning jogger, a lonely short-wave radio DJ, the author of a most unusual letter, a modern Romeo and Juliet, and even the monster under the bed—among many others—as they search for connection in the magic hour.  Read an excerpt and order it from Playscripts.


After Math by Jonathan Dorf
Dramedy.  30-35 minutes.  2 males, 3 females, 6+ either (8-40+ actors possible).  Middle school and older.

When a student mysteriously disappears in the middle of math class, those left behind try to find some answers. Did anyone really know who he was? And why is it they've only noticed him now that he's gone?  Read an excerpt and order it from Playscripts.

Accusations fly in After Math at Thurston High School (Springfield, OR; photo by Michael Fisher).

The Box by Ed Shockley
Allegorical farce.  70-120 minutes.  5 either (up to 20 actors possible).  High school and older.

An allegorical comedy inspired by the myths of Prometheus and Pandora.  A childlike character, Epth, lands on a desolate beach holding a box said to contain the answers to every question.  Embarking on a quest for survival and something like enlightenment, Epth must contend with a mischievous imp, an addle-brained zealot, a fearsome ferry driver, and a wise-cracking, shape-shifting beast.  Encounters with these four magical and zany figures constantly redefine Epth's adventure, which parallels the significant developmental stages in life.  Read an excerpt and order it from Playscripts.

Dear Chuck at Dover Bay Performing Arts Academy (Nanaimo, BC, Canada; photo by Kristina Ruddick)

Dear Chuck by Jonathan Dorf
Dramedy.  35-55 minutes.  2+ males, 3+ females, 6+ either.  Middle school and older.

Through a series of scenes and monologues—everything from taking over the kiddie pool at the local swim club to dealing with a skinhead classmate—the play's eclectic assortment of teen characters, caught between being children and adults, search for their "Chuck," that elusive moment of knowing who you are.  Read an excerpt and order it from Eldridge.


From Shakespeare with Love? by Jonathan Dorf
Dramedy.  30-35 minutes.  2+ males, 3+ females, 6+ either.  Middle school and older.

Four of the Bard's characters wait for an overdue flight to London.  When Romeo reveals that he plans to revenge himself upon Shakespeare by killing him in a duel, it's up to the others—Titania, Viola and Antipholus—to save Shakespeare by convincing Romeo that Shakespeare “does indeed love love.”  Read an excerpt and order it from Eldridge.

The bowling team stages an intervention in High School (non) Musical at Durant High School (Plant City, FL).

High School (non) Musical by Jonathan Dorf
Comedy.  75-80 minutes.  6 males, 5 females, 9 either (14-50 actors possible).  Middle school and older.

In this parody of the Disney sensation, join Toy Boatin, Gaberella, Shitzu, Cryin and the rest of your favorites as the Roswell High bowling team goes for a state championship, students pursue their dreams of performing in the Winter Muse Cycle and surgical decathletes compete in real live surgery.  But when Gaberella's singing voice turns out to be so bad it could cause mass casualties, what will win out—following your dreams, or preserving life as we know it?  Visit the play's dedicated website for production support!  Read an excerpt and order it from Playscripts.

"See me now?" Now You See Me at City Lights Youth Theatre (New York, NY; photo by Jackson Lynch).

Now You See Me by Jonathan Dorf
Dramedy.  30-35 minutes.  2+ males, 3+ females, 6+ either.  Middle school and older.

A play about what happens when young people slip through the cracks, and what drives them to violence.  Read an excerpt and order it from Brooklyn Publishers.


Rumors of Polar Bears by Jonathan Dorf
Drama.  30-35 minutes.  3-4 males, 8-20 females.  Middle school and older.

A band of teenagers struggles for survival and to find the little moments of joy in the wake of a global warming disaster.  Read an excerpt and order it from Playscripts.

Deme's ragtag band is captured in Rumors of Polar Bears at Cambridge-Isanti High School (Cambridge, MN).

Ten Minutes by Jonathan Dorf
Drama.  10 minutes.  1 male, 1 female.  High school and older.

After two of their classmates stage a Columbine-style massacre at their high school, a pair of students hiding in a custodian's closet must decide whether ten minutes of silence means it's safe to come out, or something else entirely.  Read an excerpt and order it from Brooklyn Publishers.

"Bluebird" from Thank You for Flushing My Head in the Toilet and other rarely used expressions
at Taft Union High School (Taft, CA).

Thank You for Flushing My Head in the Toilet and other rarely used expressions by Jonathan Dorf
Dramedy.  30-35 minutes.  2+ males, 3+ females, 6+ either.  Middle school and older.

As two bullied students try to survive their daily lives, they wrestle with a terrible question: is the only way out to become the people they hate?  Widely used for bullying prevention, the play has its own dedicated website, with a study guide and production support.  Read an excerpt and order it from Playscripts.

Oliver Twist (standing) and his allies battle the Fairy Tale Combo on a rooftop in Tiny Tim Runs the Marathon at Hoover High School (Glendale, CA).

Tiny Tim Runs the Marathon by Jonathan Dorf
Dramedy.  90-100 minutes.  2+ males, 3+ females, 6+ either.  Middle school and older.

When Tiny Tim throws away his crutches and declares his intention to run the marathon, he could inspire millions—but with big business behind Oliver Twist as their inspirational figure of choice, Tiny Tim may never make it to the starting line...  Read an excerpt and order it from Playscripts.

Scrooge (left) cowers from Jacob Marley, who seems to suffer from some confusion about just which Marley he is in Twisting Carol at Ramona High School (Riverside, CA).

Twisting Carol by Jonathan Dorf
Dramedy.  30-35 minutes.  2+ males, 3+ females, 6+ either.  Middle school and older.

A comic slaughter of the Dickens classic.  Young Ebenezer Scrooge dancing with a popsicle stick, a ghost named Bob, another ghost who thinks his name is Bob and a Tiny Tim who considers himself short but not tiny.  Read an excerpt and order it from Playscripts.