Recommended for Lower Secondary (Year 7-9)
Alice Dreaming by Ned Manning
Cast size: 4M, 8F
A play to: Read, Read aloud, Study, Perform, Produce
Genre: Non-naturalism, puppetry
Themes: Friendship, Identity, Adolescence
April Aardvark by Nathaniel Moncrieff
Cast size: 12 characters
A play to: Read, Read aloud, Study, Perform
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Non-naturalism, Multi-locations
Themes: Friendship, Fitting in, Bullying, Resilience
Fight With All Your Might the Zombies of Tonight by Matthew Whittet
Cast size: 11M, 9F
A play to: Read, Read aloud, Study, Perform, Produce
Genre: Comedy, Heightened drama
Themes: Friendship. Halloween, Zombies, Scary scenes
Headspace by Brad Jennings
Cast size: 15 characters
A play to: Read, Read aloud, Study, Perform, Produce
Genre: Fantasy, Comedy, Drama, Cinematic
Themes: Identity, Adolescence, Family, Resilience, Transition
The Lies We Were Told by Shopfront Arts Co-Op
Cast Size: 13 total, gender unspecified, open ensemble
A play to: Read aloud, study, perform, produce
Genre: Comedy, theatre for and by young people
Form/Style: Non-linear, Verbatim, direct address, storytelling, presentational
Themes: Coming of age, belonging, sexuality, feminism, sustainability, bullying.
The Mermaid by Cassandra Fumi
Cast size: 14
A play to: Read, Read aloud, Study, Perform, Produce
Genre: Fairytale/Fable, Visual Theatre, Disjointed Time, Dance, Drama
Themes: Identity, Journey, Hope, Agency
Reasons to Stay Inside by Katy Warner
Cast size: 1M, 1F – both 11
A play to: Read, Read aloud, Study, Perform, Produce
Genre: Drama, Comedy, Wordplay, Monologue, Duologue
Themes: Friendship, Anxiety, Hope, Imagination
Rosieville by Mary Rachel Brown
Cast Size: 4 female identifying, 3 male identifying
A play to: Read aloud, study, perform, produce.
Genre: Drama,
Form/Style: Linear, Episodic
Themes: young people, grief, family, death, coming of age, change, adolescence
Scenes from the Climate Era by David Finnigan
Cast: 5-25 (gender unspecified)
A play to: Read aloud, study, perform excerpts in class, stage or produce
Genre: comedy, contemporary, drama, ensemble, episodic, non-linear, one-act, political
Themes: climate change, globalism, hope, resilience, science, sustainability
Sprout by Jessica Bellamy
Cast: 5 (2 female identifying, 3 male identifying)
A play to: Read aloud, study, perform excerpts in class
Genre: drama, fantasy
Themes: extinction, apocalypse, relationships, climate change
Trackers by Donna Hughes
Cast Size: 33 Total, Flexible casting opportunities.
A play to: Read aloud, study, perform, produce
Genre: Sci-Fi
Form/Style: Non-linear, realistic characters and heightened performance styles required
Themes: Dependency on technology, reliability of information, bias and manipulation, friendship.
Watermark by Alana Valentine
Cast: 8 (4 female identifying, 4 male identifying)
A play to: Read, read aloud, study, perform excerpts in class
Genre: verbatim, realism, drama
Themes: natural disasters, community, resilience
The Trolleys by Sara West
Cast size: 11 characters
A play to: Read, Read aloud, Study, Perform, Stimulus for Making & Creating
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Aspects of Fantasy, Puppetry
Themes: Friendship, Loyalty, Resilience, Sustainability
The Visitors by Jane Harrison
Cast: 7 (7 male-identifying)
A play to: Read, read aloud, study, perform excerpts in class
Genre: drama, comedy, realism
Themes: First Nations connection to land, colonisation, identity, resilience
Recommended for Upper Secondary (Years 10-12)
198(4) by Christine Davey
Cast Size: 13 plus ensemble (gender unspecified)
A play to: Read aloud, study, perform, produce.
Genre: Dystopian, Drama
Form/Style: Linear, episodic, Epic, Poor theatre, a blend of performance styles
Themes: Individual vs the collective, control and manipulation, propaganda, Free Thought, suppression of individuality.
Warning: Stylised Violence
The Appleton Ladies’ Potato Race by Melanie Tait
Cast size: 5F
A play to: Read, Read aloud, Study, Perform, Produce
Genre: Drama, Comedy, Realism
Themes: Feminism, Gender equality, Diversity, Social media, Social justice
Warning: Coarse language
Beautiful One Day by Ilbijerri Theatre Company
Cast size: 14
A play to: Read, Read aloud, Study, Perform, Produce, Stimulus for responding
Genre: Documentary, Non-naturalism, First Nations
Themes: Identity, Resilience, Deaths in custody, Dispossession
Curiosity by Daley Rangi
Cast size: 1F 2M
A play to: Read, Read aloud, Study, Perform, Produce
Genre: Drama, Realism
Themes: Identity, Belonging, Dreams and hopes, Disability/ability
Girl Asleep by Matthew Whittet
Cast size: 10F, 5M (can mix)
A play to: Read, Read aloud, Study, Perform, Produce
Genre: Magic realism, Drama, Comedy, Escapade
Themes: Family, Friendship, Teenager-dom, Rites of passage
Good Muslim Boy by Osamah Sami and Janice Muller
Cast size: 3 performers
A play to: Read, Read aloud, Study, Peform, Stimulus for responding and making
Genre: Drama, Comedy, Non-naturalism
Themes: Loss, Family, Identity, Refugee
Heart Lines by Kerry Bowden
Cast size: 5M, 1F
A play to: Read, Read aloud, perform
Genre: Drama
Form/Style: non-linear, realistic characters
Themes: Organ donation, friendship, loss, forgiveness.
Warnings: Language Warning and Alcohol references
Hell’s Canyon by Emily Sheehan
Cast size: 1M, 1F
A play to: Read, Read aloud, Study, Perform, Produce
Genre: Drama, Magic realism
Themes: Friendship, Identity, Loss, Grief, Hope
Man the Balloon by Matt Cameron
Cast size: 11 characters
A play to: Read, Read aloud, Study, Peform, Produce
Genre: Poetic, Magic Realism, Absurd
Themes: Community, Change
No Worries – The Small Poppies by David Holman
Cast size: 6F, 12M
A play to: Read, Read aloud, Study, Perform, Stimulus for Responding
Genre: Storytelling, Comedy, Realism, Non-naturalism
Themes: Friendship, Identity, Courage, Resilience
The Season by Nathan Maynard
Cast size: 8 (5 male identifying, 3 female identifying)
A play to: Read, read aloud, study
Genre: drama, comedy, naturalism
Themes: family, First Nations connection to land, intergenerational change, tradition
The Servant of Two Masters by Carlo Goldoni
Cast size: 6M, 6F
A play to: Read, Read aloud, Study, Perform, Produce
Genre: Physical comedy, Slapstick, Improvisation
Themes: Love, Confusion, Mistaken identity
Tales of a City By the Sea by Samah Sabawi
Cast size: 5F, 4M (Palestinian performers)
A play to: Read, Read aloud, Study, Discuss, Stimulus for respondin
Genre: Drama, Non-naturalism, Epic theatre, Poetry, Song
Themes: War, Identity, Loss, Occupation
Take Two: A Comedy of Errors by Hilary Bell
Cast size: 5 performers
A play to: Read, Read aloud, Study, Perform, Produce
Genre: Comedy, Slapstick, Pantomime, Music
Themes: Love, Death, Mistaken identity
The Turquoise Elephant by Stephen Carleton
Cast size: 5 (4 female identifying, 1 male identifying)
A play to: Read aloud, study, perform excerpts in class
Genre: absurdism, comedy, drama
Themes: climate change, apocalypse, corruption, political activism, eco-terrorism
They Saw a Thylacine by Justine Campbell & Sarah Hamilton
Cast size: 2 (2 female identifying)
A play to: Read aloud, study, perform excerpts in class
Genre: drama, monologue
Themes: conservation, history, gender, women and patriarchy, nature