Social Issue Plays for High Schools / Middle Schools

Our website lists all of our plays with social issue themes but it struck me that they’re only lumped as “issue plays” without a good guide to sorting out which title addresses which issue. So I’ve categorized them for you to hopefully give you a helping hand in your quest to find the perfect script for your school.

Check them out. As usual, all of the titles have extensive free sample pages for you to read. I think you’ll find the writing honest, fresh, and believable – three qualities sadly lacking from a lot of “teen-issue” plays out there in the world.

Alienation / Feeling Alone in the World

• Anonymous by Allison Green
• The Art of Rejection: Two One Act Plays by Christian Kiley
• A Box of Puppies by Billy Houck
• Constantly, Incessantly, All The Time by Billy Houck
• Huge Hands by Billy Houck

Body Image

• Body Body by Lindsay Price
• The Four Hags of the Apocalypse Eat Salad at their General Meeting by Lindsay Price
• The Battle of Image vs. Girl by Johanna Skoreyko
• Hoodie by Lindsay Price
• Breathless by Wendy-Marie Martin

Censorship

• Censorbleep by Lindsay Price

Human Rights

• Look Me in the Eye by Lindsay Price
• Sweep Under Rug by Lindsay Price

Racism

• Flaky Lips by Lindsay Price
• With Liberty and Justice For All by Jeyna Lynn Gonzales
• Not Going Anywhere by Emma Fonseca Halverson
• The Burgundy Letter by Kirk Shimano
• Let Me In by Sholeh Wolpe ***

Rumours and Lies

• Have You Heard? by Krista Boehnert
• The Redemption of Gertie Greene by Taryn Temple

Individuality

• Hoodie by Lindsay Price
• Virtual Family by Christian Kiley
• The Happiness Shop by Lindsay Price
• A Deep, Poetic Journey Into Something by Forrest Musselman
• Carrying the Calf by Shirley Barrie
• Monster Problems by Lindsay Price
• Stereotype High by Jeffrey Harr
• Sixteen in 10 Minutes or Less by Bradley Hayward
• Nice Girl by Amanda Murray Cutalo
• Pressure by Lindsay Price
• They Eat Sunshine, Not Zebras by Dara Murphy
• The Super Non-Heroes by Taryn Temple
• Smarty Pants by Bradley Hayward

Identity

• Box by Lindsay Price
• Labeled by Lindsay Price
• We Are Masks by Lindsay Price
• Stressed by Alan Haehnel
• Anonymous by Allison Green
• Constantly, Incessantly, All The Time by Billy Houck
• The Super Non-Heroes by Taryn Temple

School Violence

• Huge Hands by Billy Houck
• Power Play by Lindsay Price
• Clowns with Guns (A Vaudeville) by Christopher Evans
• The Butterfly Queen by Christian Kiley
• Life and Death in an Empty Hallway by Christopher Evans
• Water. Gun. Argument. by Alan Haehnel

Sexual Abuse

• The Waking Moment by Bradley Hayward
• Breathless by Wendy-Marie Martin

Substance (alcohol & drug) Abuse

• Bottle Baby by Lindsay Price
• Floating on a Don’t Care Cloud by Lindsay Price
• One Beer Too Many by Billy Houck

Suicide

• The Bright Blue Mailbox Suicide Note by Lindsay Price
• Chicken. Road. by Lindsay Price
• The Butterfly Queen by Christian Kiley

Teen Pregnancy

• The Pregnancy Project by Lindsay Price
• Among Friends and Clutter (one scene) by Lindsay Price

Illness/Health

• Chemo Girl by Christian Kiley
• The Other Room by Christian Kiley
• Red Rover by Christian Kiley
• Waiting Room by Christian Kiley
• Breathless by Wendy-Marie Martin
• Shreds and Patches by Robert Wing
• Inanimate by Christian Kiley
• Constantly, Incessantly, All The Time by Billy Houck

Depression/Anxiety

• darklight by Lindsay Price
• Fidget by Bradley Hayward
• Among Friends and Clutter (one scene) by Lindsay Price
• Constantly, Incessantly, All The Time by Billy Houck
• who are we, who we are by Forrest Musselman

Bullying

• Finishing Sentences by Scott Giessler
• Funhouse by Lindsay Price
• Power Play by Lindsay Price
• The Redemption of Gertie Greene by Taryn Temple
• Sixteen in 10 Minutes or Less by Bradley Hayward
• Carrying the Calf by Shirley Barrie

Divorce

• Split by Bradley Hayward

Gender

• Life, Off Book by Scott Giessler
• Anonymous by Allison Green
• Baalzebub by Rachel Atkins (Baalzebub – One-Act Version here)
• Completely, Absolutely Normal: Vignettes About LGBTQ+ Teens by Bradley Walton
• Finding Jo March by Laramie Dean
• Thought Traps by Lindsay Price

Empathy

• Discovering Rogue by Christian Kiley
• Boat by Lindsay Price
• We Are Masks by Lindsay Price
• The Butterfly Queen by Christian Kiley

Dependence on Technology

• Virtual Family by Christian Kiley
• Inanimate by Christian Kiley