Beauty and the Beast and Almost, Maine Top List of Most-Performed Shows at America's High Schools

John Cariani’s romantic comedy Almost, Maine tops the 2010 list of most performed plays in America's high schools, according to a recent survey released by Dramatics magazine, with Beauty and the Beast coming in first among musicals. The annual survey is conducted by the International Thespian Society, which polls its 4,000 affiliated high and middle schools.

The modern four-hander Almost, Maine leads a classics-heavy lineup, with A Midsummer Night’s Dream taking second place, followed by You Can’t Take It With you, Noises Off, Twelve Angry Men, Alice in Wonderland, The Crucible, Our Town, Neil Simon’s Fools and A Christmas Carol.

Among musicals, the Disney version of Beauty and the Beast held on to its 2009 title, followed by Seussical; Grease; Into the Woods; Footloose; The Wizard of Oz; You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown; The Music Man; Once Upon a Mattress and Thoroughly Modern Millie. With the exception of Footloose and The Wizard of Oz, the entire list makes a return appearance from 2009.