Concord Theatricals is launching a Commissioned Musical Collection, which will bring new titles to its catalogue designed especially for high schools. The collection is launching with five titles: Dreamland, by Nathan Tysen and Chris Miller (Tuck Everlasting); Ernxst, or the Importance of Being, by Kait Kerrigan, Bree Lowdermilk, and Justin Elizabeth Sayre; Family Album: Teen Edition, by Joe Iconis (Be More Chill) and John Simpkins; Marian, or the True Tale of Robin Hood: The Musical, by Adam Szymkowicz and Masi Asare (Paradise Square), and True Crime Frankenstein, by Matt Cox and Eli Bolin.

The project began with a partnership with the Educational Theatre Association that led to the creation of Dreamland, which began development with a reading at EdTA's 2019 International Thespian Festival. The work, a sci-fi riff on Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, follows a group of honor roll students set loose in Area 51 two days before it's declassified and open to the public. The musical made its world premiere at Salina South High School in Salina, Kansas, in 2020, and has since been done by more than 30 groups in the U.S., U.K., and China. Concord Theatricals Recordings has also released a studio album of the score.

Ernxt brings an electro-pop flavor to Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest, and was developed with a staged reading at the 2022 International Thespian Festival. A studio album is forthcoming.

Family Album: Teen Edition is a new revision of Iconis and Simpkins' song cycle comprising songs from the point of view of "criminals, monstrous creatures, house pets, automatons, artists, and other various weirdos," according to press notes. An album of the cycle's full version is available via Ghostlight Records. The work was developed with a 2023 reading at the International Thespian Festival and a workshop production at Penn State University.

Marian is adapted from Szymkowicz' play of the same name, which imagines that Robin Hood is and always has been Maid Marian in disguise. The musical version, with songs by Asare, adds pop-, soul-, and showtune-style songs to the mix. The work was developed with staged readings at the 2024 International Thespian Festival and at Penn State University.

True Crime Frankenstein mixes the gothic horror classic with the tropes of true crime podcasts, and premiered with a workshop production at Penn State University earlier this year. The show will play 54 Below in New York City October 21.

The Commissioned Musicals Collection is being led by Ali Tesluk Case, Zachary Orts, and Garrett Anderson.

“We’re so pleased with how these remarkable new musicals turned out,” says Concord Chief Theatricals Executive Sean Patrick Flahaven in a statement. “Working with terrific writers who are completely devoted to writing for teen performers has been a delight. We think theatre teachers and students around the world will find these shows fun, meaningful, and easy to produce.”

All five titles are currently available for licensing at ConcordTheatricals.com.