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 2025.
- Beetlejuice Jr. (Music Theatre International)
- Hadestown: Teen Edition (Concord Theatricals)
- The Addams Family (Theatrical Rights Worldwide)
- Mamma Mia (MTI)
- Little Shop of Horrors (MTI)
- Disney's Frozen Jr. (MTI)
- Shrek The Musical (MTI)
- Mean Girls: High School Version (MTI)
- Annie Jr. (MTI)
- Disney's The Little Mermaid Jr. (MTI)
- Roald Dahl's Matilda The Musical Jr. (MTI)
- Into the Woods (MTI)
- The Wizard of Oz (RSC Version) (Concord Theatricals)
- Shrek The Musical Jr. (MTI)
- (tie) Seussical Jr. (MTI) and Roald Dahl's Willy Wonka Jr. (MTI)
- (tie) Disney's Alice in Wonderland Jr. (MTI) and Disney's The Little Mermaid (MTI)
- Disney's Finding Nemo Jr. (MTI)
- The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (MTI)
- (tie) Chicago: Teen Edition (Concord Theatricals) and Disney's Descendants The Musical (MTI)
- Legally Blonde (MTI)
Comparing the rankings to last year's shows some shake-ups. Notably, Beetlejuice Jr., which became available for licensing in late 2024, quickly shot to the top of the list. It joins macabre favorites The Addams Family and Little Shop of Horrors in the top five, suggesting that theatre kids have a dark sense of humor. Hadestown: Teen Edition, which also became available for licensing in 2024, joined the top five as well leaving Mamma Mia as the only non-death-related show to hold its spot in that top tier.
Another new show to the list is Mean Girls: High School Edition. This title became available on a limited basis in late 2022, and productions have been on the rise ever since. Last year, the shorter Mean Girls Jr. just slipped in at the number 20 slot. This year, the Jr. version didn't quite make the list, but the High School version is fully in its ascendancy, taking the number 8 slot.
Disney's The Little Mermaid Jr. and Finding Nemo Jr. both dropped several spots, while Beauty and the Beast disappeared altogether—unsurprising as MTI and Disney restricted the rights to the musical in 2025 ahead of the current national touring production. But Disney still holds their own on the list, with Frozen Jr. maintaining its spot in the top ten, and Alice in Wonderland Jr. and Descendants the Musical rising to join the top twenty.
Wicked-mania may explain The Wizard of Oz's sudden rise to the number 13 slot, after not making it into the top 20 last year, making it one of the most-improved shows that was available to be licensed for the entirety of both this year and last. The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee also joins the top 20, seeing a notable boost possibly attributable to interest driven by the recent Kennedy Center production and current Off-Broadway revival. Shrek the Musical, which just missed out on last year's list, also joins its corresponding Jr. version in the top 20.
Aside from Beauty and the Beast and its Jr. version, The Lightning Thief also fell off the list, dropping from the #18 slot down to #23—not a tremendous drop, but enough to keep it from ranking in the top 20. Meanwhile, perennial high school favorites Into the Woods, Legally Blonde, and Chicago: Teen Edition; and children's favorites Seussical Jr. and Annie Jr, as well as Roald Dahl classics Matilda Jr. and Willy Wonka Jr. continue to rank, with only minor fluctuations in placement attributable to random noise.
Unsurprisingly, the top 20 shows at schools and community theatres are all musicals. But if you're curious about what plays are popular, don't worry, we will publish a separate list next week.
Take a look below at some of the creative cover designs that schools and community theatres created for their PLAYBILLDER programs for these popular shows.
Sussex Central High School's Beetlejuice Jr.
Kennedale Wildcat Theatre's Hadestown Teen Edition
Addams County Christian School's The Addams Family
Hastings High School's Mamma Mia!
Wakefield High School's Little Shop of Horrors
MoonAmie Productions' Disney's Frozen Jr.
Winnacunnet High School's Shrek the Musical
Interlake Senior High School's Mean Girls: High School Edition
Trinity Middle School's Annie Jr.
Greensburg Salem Middle School's Disney's The Little Mermaid Jr.
Lakeview-Ft. Oglethorp High School Performing Arts' Roald Dahl's Matilda The Musical Jr.
Hutto High School's Into the Woods
Liberty Tree Academy's The Wizard of Oz
St. John XXIII's Shrek the Musical Jr.
Natomas Charter School Performing and Fine Arts Academy's Seussical Jr.
Eastbluff Elementary School's Roald Dahl's Willy Wonka Jr.
Pleasantville Middle School's Disney's Alice in Wonderland Jr.
Paschal Performing Arts' Disney's The Little Mermaid
Nativity Catholic High School's Disney's Finding Nemo Jr.
Bishop O'down School's The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
Jefferson Performing Arts' Chicago: Teen Edition
Lakeland Preperatory School's Disney's Descendants The Musical
Great Neck South High School's Legally Blonde
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.
