The Top 20 Most-Produced Shows of 2024 at Youth Theatres
Here are the shows that proved most popular with PLAYBILLDER, Playbill’s program-building service.
Great theatre doesn’t stop at Broadway. Every year, schools and community playhouses around the world produce shows that foster a love of theatre in their communities, and create the next generation of artists—with shows ranging from time-tested classics to new modern hits. But the question remains: What shows get produced the most?
Guide: How To Build Your Own Custom Program with PLAYBILLDER
Fortunately, we at Playbill have data from the hundreds of schools and community theatres that got their programs from PLAYBILLDER, Playbill’s program-building service, last year. We tabulated that data, and here are the 20 most popular shows with schools and community theatres that designed and printed their programs through PLAYBILLDER in 2024:
1. (tie) The Addams Family
1. (tie) Beauty and the Beast
3. The Little Mermaid Jr.
4. Little Shop of Horrors
5. (tie) Mamma Mia!
5. (tie) Finding Nemo Jr.
7. Frozen Jr.
8. Beauty and the Beast Jr.
9. Matilda Jr.
10. Into the Woods
11. Annie, Jr.
12. Matilda
13. Chicago: Teen Edition
14. The Little Mermaid
15. Willy Wonka Jr.
16. Legally Blonde
17. Shrek the Musical Jr.
18. The Lightning Thief
19. Seussical Jr.
20. Mean Girls Jr.
In addition to thousands of theatrical productions, people also used PLAYBILLDER to create programs for 33 weddings, six birthdays, four anniversaries, four bar or bat mitzvahs, and two engagements in 2024, which, if combined into a single category of “Personal Celebrations,” would rank in the top 20.
Take a look below at some of the creative cover designs that schools and community theaters created for their PLAYBILLDER programs for these shows:
St. Francis High School’s Beauty and the Beast
Kate Doane
Walter Panas High School’s The Addams Family
Joseph Bogdan and Trish Robtoy
Franklin Middle School’s The Little Mermaid Jr.
Katie Cozzi
Stuyvesant High School’s Little Shop of Horrors
Lafeyette Theatre’s Mamma Mia
Youth Theatre Tampa Bay’s Finding Nemo Jr.
Excelsior Theatre Co.’s Frozen Jr.
St. Anthony of Padua School’s Beauty and the Beast Jr.
Tinifuloa Grey
Lake Travis Music Theatre’s Matilda Jr.
GHS Drama’s Into the Woods
Saint Ignatius Loyola School’s Annie Jr.
Stella Gelis
SkyView Academy Theatre’s Matilda
Alaina Kimble
KIPP DC College Prep’s Chicago – Teen Edition
Elyria High School’s The Little Mermaid
Eastbluff Elementary School’s Willy Wonka Jr.
Turlock High School’s Legally Blonde
Aiko Mestemacher
Sharpstown High School’s Shrek Jr.
Beecher High School’s The Lightning Thief
Annika Ruelo
Watchung School’s Seussical Jr.
Star 2B Performing Arts’ Mean Girls Jr.
You may also like
To design Broadway-quality programs for your next show or special event, head to PLAYBILLDER.com. Or select from one of our over 1,500 pre-populated productions with Playbill Express. Who knows, you might just be featured in our next PLAYBILLDER Spotlight! And if you are looking for a beautiful way to display your Playbills, click here to purchase Playbill frames.