History Main / SchoolPlay

Depending on the genre, look out for AllPartOfTheShow. Compare AmateurFilmMakingPlot, where the characters put on a different type of show. Contrast SetBehindTheScenes, for stories about the making of professional plays or movies.

!!Examples

* ''Anime/{{Pokemon}} Sun and Moon'' episode 93 revolves around Ash and his classmates being in a play where Lillie is the lead actress. Halfway through the episode, Jessie decides to join in because she wants to be a part of the play as well. The episode contains a lot of {{Shout Out}}s to other works including ''Revolutionary Girl Utena'', ''Ranma 1/2'', and ''Star Wars''.

%% commented out as Administrivia/ZeroContextExample * ''LightNovel/StrawberryPanic'' includes a theatrical adaptation of the opera ''Carmen''.

* ''LightNovel/MyYouthRomanticComedyIsWrongAsIExpected'': During the SchoolFestival, a musical based on ''Literature/TheLittlePrince'' was made with [[DudeLooksLikeALady Saika Totsuka]] as the Little Prince and [[ChickMagnet Hayato Hayama]] as the Aviator. The play quickly becomes HoYay because of her director: the YaoiFangirl Hina Ebina.

* In Mary Hoffman's ''Amazing Grace, the title character wants to play Peter in her school production of ''Literature/PeterPan'', and despite some of her classmates saying she can't because she's a girl and because she's black, she gets the part and does a great job. In a later book in the series,''Encore, Grace!'', Grace and her classmates put on a production of ''Literature/SleepingBeauty.''

* Film/BigBirdInJapan: [[Series/SesameStreet Big Bird]] visits a school where an adaptation of [[Literature/The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter]] is being performed. Later in the film, it turns out that [[spoiler: Big Bird's traveling companion is the princess from that legend]], making the play an example of CrystalBallScheduling.

* ''WesternAnimation/HeyArnold'': One episode, Arnold falls asleep during the first act of ''Theatre/{{Carmen}}'', dreaming himself into the opera with himself as the soldier, and his crush Ruth as the titular character. Then Helga falls asleep during the second act, bringing in elements of ''The Ring Cycle'' for some zaniness.

* PlayedForDrama in the "[[Recap/DWS2Arc4PlayDate Play-Date]]" arc of ''Webcomic/Elwood2015'', in which [[WesternAnimation/{{Arthur}} D.W.]]'s school is hosting a play of ''Literature/SleepingBeauty'' with the princess being played by her [[TheRival rival]] Lisa and the prince being played by ''[[PuppyLove her crush]], James'', [[ClingyJealousGirl much to her chagrin]]. [[spoiler: However, this turns out to be a misunderstanding caused by a case of MistakenIdentity, as the school staff member responsible for casting the play had confused James for another kid with a similar name]].

* In ''Series/FullHouse'', Michelle's class puts on a patriotic play and she wants to play the Yankee Doodle Kid. Uncle Jesse and Joey give that part to her more talented classmate Derek and cast Michelle as Lady Liberty instead, much to her resentment.

** A 2012 arc had the Caliban Academy do ''[[Theatre/WestSideStory West Habitat Story,]]'' with Fiona as Maria and Rudy originally cast as Bernardo - then, when [[CastIncest that got weird,]] Chino.

* In ''Webcomic/OzyAndMillie'', the school puts on [[StylisticSuck "The Story of Caulk".]] Avery improvises a kiss on Millie, ostensibly to improve the play (he otherwise shows no sign of a crush on her), and she [[VomitDiscretionShot loses her lunch on stage.]] UnstoppableRage ensues.

** One play is a plot device for rivalry between Ginger and Dodie where Dodie is desperate to get the lead role as a boy she likes is playing the other lead. Ginger ends up getting the part ([[IronicInversion when she didn't even want to audition]]) and the boy falls for her instead.

* In ''Literature/TheWizardOfLondon'', the Harton School puts on a production of ''Theatre/AMidsummerNight'sDream'' while spending the summer at the country estate of a patron to the school.

* In ''Literature/TheWizardOfLondon'', the Harton School puts on a production of ''Theatre/AMidsummer'sNightDream'' while spending the summer at the country estate of a patron to the school.

%% commented out as Administrivia/ZeroContextExample * ''Film/DeadPoetsSociety''

* ''LightNovel/MariaWatchesOverUs'':
** Lillian Jogakuen (Lillian Girls' School) and Hanadera Gakuen (Hanadera Academy, an all-boys school) put on a joint production of "Literature/{{Cinderella}}".
** Season 4 of the anime has another one, again put on by both schools, though this time around it's ''Torikaebaya Monogatari'' with Yumi and Yuki in the lead roles. HilarityEnsues
* ''[[LightNovel/HaruhiSuzumiya The Melancholy Of Haruhi Suzumiya]]'' contains a minor subversion in its SchoolFestival episode. The play in question has almost no effect on the plot of the episode, and is actually ''Theatre/RosencrantzAndGuildensternAreDead'', rather than the ubiquitous ''Theatre/RomeoAndJuliet''.

* ''LightNovel/MyTeenRomanticComedySNAFU'': In the SchoolFestival, a musical based on ''Literature/TheLittlePrince'' was made with [[DudeLooksLikeALady Saika Totsuka]] as the Little Prince and [[ChickMagnet Hayato Hayama]] as the Aviator. The play quickly becomes HoYay because of her director: the YaoiFangirl Hina Ebina.

* ''Literature/DiaryOfAWimpyKid'': In the first book, Greg joins the school production of ''Literature/TheWizardOfOz'' after his mother makes him try out. He tries out to be a tree, so he won't have to sing and will get to throw apples at Patty Farrell (a girl he has a grudge against). However, the director ends up significantly altering the play to the point where Greg and his fellow trees not only don't throw apples at Dorothy, but ''they sing an original song'' to her. During the actual performance, no one remembers their lines (because the director whispered their lines to them at every rehearsal) and the actor playing Toto goes as far as reading comic books while onstage. When Manny calls Greg an embarrassing nickname while he's onstage, Greg actually ad-libs a line to refer to another tree by the nickname. Finally, the trees get cold feet about singing their song and throw apples at Dorothy instead, causing the play to be shut down.

* ''Literature/DiaryOfAWimpyKid'': In the first book, Greg joins the school play after his mother makes him try out. He's cast as a tree in the production of ''Theatre/TheWizardOfOz2011'', and is initially dismayed at getting a bit part, but quickly grows to like it when he realizes he doesn't have to sing and gets to throw apples at Patty Farrell (a girl he has a grudge against). However, the director ends up significantly altering the play to the point where Greg and his fellow trees not only don't throw apples at Dorothy, but ''they sing an original song'' to her. During the actual performance, no one remembers their lines (because the director whispered their lines to them at every rehearsal) and the actor playing Toto goes as far as reading comic books while onstage. When Manny calls Greg an embarrassing nickname while he's onstage, Greg actually ad-libs a line to refer to another tree by the nickname. Finally, the trees get cold feet about singing their song and throw apples at Dorothy instead, causing the play to be shut down.

* ''Literature/DiaryOfAWimpyKid'': In the first book, Greg joins the school play after his mother makes him try out. He's cast as a tree in the production of ''Theatre/TheWizardOfOz2011'', and is initially dismayed at getting a bit part, but quickly grows to like it when he realizes he doesn't have to sing and gets to throw apples at Patty Farrell (a girl he has a grudge against). However, the director ends up significantly altering the play to the point where Greg and his fellow trees not only don't throw apples at Dorothy, but ''they sing an original song'' to her. During the actual performance, no one remembers their lines and the actor playing Toto goes as far as reading comic books while onstage. When Manny calls Greg an embarrassing nickname while he's onstage, Greg actually ad-libs a line to refer to another tree by the nickname. Finally, the trees get cold feet about singing their song and throw apples at Dorothy instead, causing the play to be shut down.

* ''Literature/DiaryOfAWimpyKid'': In the first book, Greg joins the school play after his mother makes him try out. He's cast as a tree in the production of ''Theatre/TheWizardOfOz2011'', and is initially dismayed at getting a bit part, but quickly grows to like it when he realizes he gets to throw apples at Patty Farrel and doesn't have to sing. However, the director ends up significantly altering the play to the point where Greg and his fellow trees not only don't throw apples at Dorothy, but ''they sing an original song'' to her. During the actual performance, no one remembers their lines and the actor playing Toto goes as far as reading comic books while onstage. When Manny calls Greg an embarrassing nickname while he's onstage, Greg actually ad-libs a line to refer to another tree by the nickname. Finally, the trees get cold feet about singing their song and throw apples at Dorothy instead, causing the play to be shut down.

* ''Radio/OurMissBrooks'': A few episodes (i.e. "Madison Country Club" and "Hawkins Travel Agency") have Miss Brooks and company wear school costume. In "The School Board Psychologist", an upcoming school play (where the students would dress as animals) is a major plot point.

* ''VideoGame/GrowingUp'': Mentioned in a couple routes, particularly in Richard's and Bobbie's routes. Richard considers joining the choir for it while Bobbie auditions for it as a step forward to her dream as a Broadway actress.

* ''VideoGame/Persona1'' has the local DramaClub worry about what play they were going to put on for a SchoolFestival. However, there seems to be a unique school play called the Snow Queen they could do...[[spoiler: however, the mask for the title role is an [[EvilMask evil one]], that calls forth the Night Queen (called Nyx in the orignal Japanese) from her slumber.]]

* In ''VideoGame/Persona4'', you can join the drama club and befriend Yumi as part of the Sun Social Link, and early on, Yumi mentions that she's preparing for a play in the school concourse. That quickly falls by the wayside, though, as Yumi learns that her father is dying, and despite her bitterness, frequently visits him in his final days, essentially giving up her role in the process.
* ''VideoGame/LifeIsStrangeBeforeTheStorm'' shows ''Theatre/TheTempest'' in Episode 2, with Rachel and Chloe in the main roles.
* In ''VideoGame/EnsembleStars'', the Theatre Club naturally puts on these; the writers seem to enjoy the chance to have the characters play different roles because they get far more stories to them than any other club. Despite being an all-boys' school, Wataru prefers to put on classics such as Cinderella and Romeo and Juliet, which naturally provide copious ShipTease, [[AttractiveBentGender cross-dressing]], and CostumePorn.

* In Mary Hoffman's ''Encore, Grace!'', The titular character and her classmates put on a production of Literature/SleepingBeauty

More than not RealLife averts this trope. School plays are often staged with help from or by community theaters. [[Main/AdaptationForChildPerformers Professional child adaptions]] are used and while the actors are children the stagecraft is handled by adults, often including their parents and grandparents. As an example of how far this can go, both Mary Poppins Jr. and Peter Pan Jr. include rental of a wired flying harness as part of the licensing with Disney.