美国国家公共电台 NPR--These were the most frequently performed plays and musicals in high schools this year

These were the most frequently performed plays and musicals in high schools this year

Transcript¹

The Educational Theatre Association has released its top-10 lists of plays and musicals performed in high schools during the 2022-2023 school year. More than 2,300 public and private high school teachers across the U.S. participated.

The Addams Family topped the list of full-length musicals, followed by Mamma Mia!

The No. 1 full length play was Clue, followed by Puffs². Disney's Frozen JR held the top spot among short musicals.

And 10 Ways to Survive the Zombie Apocalypse tied with Check Please for the most popular short play.

You can see the full list here.

The EdTA calls the survey a "snapshot" of both what's popular with high school theater departments and "the educational climate." Eighty five percent of respondents reported being, "at least somewhat concerned about censorship" and 67% said that, "censorship concerns" are influencing their selections for next year.

Changing tastes and values reflected in the Play Survey

Jennifer Katona, executive director of EdTA, believes The Addams Family's popularity, "has a lot to do with our students love of the Netflix show Wednesday." Another hit this year: The SpongeBob Musical. "It's got a lot of music from a lot of different lyricists and musicians, so the students in the schools are really enjoying that one, too."

This is the first year Mean Girls: High School Version has been licensed³ to schools and it jumped to the #10 spot of full-length musicals. It helps that the musical based on Tina Fey's popular movie had a successful Broadway run not too long ago, and that the cast is largely female. High school theatre programs often attract more girls than boys.

The annual Play Survey began in 1938. NPR's Education Desk did an eye-opening analysis of how high school plays have tracked over the survey's 85 year history.

Our Town, for example, was consistently among the top 10 plays "by decade," from the 1940s-2010s. In the last two surveys, Thornton Wilder's eternal classic held the number 10 spot but didn't make the list this year. Katona says high school drama departments are "diversifying⁴ their repertoires⁵."

"Schools have really made an effort to bring in different playwrights⁶ and have different representation of voices on their stages," she says.

Stymied⁷ over censorship concerns

With school boards and local governments cancelling theater productions and banning books, the EdTA survey also found that drama teachers are nervous.

"Teachers know that they need to be smart about what they're putting on their stages," says Katona, "They're making choices that will allow them to keep their theater programs." She adds, "Theater has always been a safe space for a lot of our students."

Danny Issa teaches theater at Washington-Liberty High School in Arlington, Va. While he says, while he always involves students in the play selection process, he also makes sure school officials are well aware of content that some might find inappropriate.

"The arts in general are in such a precarious⁸ position at all times. Are we going to have funding? Are we going to be able to make it through another season?" Issa reflects. "Just a single complaint from a parent can have a show pulled." That includes losing, "all the money that you've pumped into a production."

Still, Issa's concerns did not stop him — and lots of other high school theater teachers — from staging Almost, Maine, a play about love and relationships that includes gay characters.

Despite facing challenges in Michigan and North Carolina in recent years, Almost, Maine held the No. 6 spot on this year's list of full-length plays.

High school theater programs are "rebounding⁹ from the pandemic"

Culture wars aside, the Play Survey found that, on average, attendance is up and theater programs are ramping¹⁰ up production.

"The average audience size across all performances in a school season increased 13 percent over last year to 1,967," EdTA writes in a statement.

"Coming out of the pandemic, I think everyone was really excited to just be able to see theater again," says Issa.

Washington-Liberty High School's musical — The Prom — sold more than $10,000 in tickets, up more than $4,000 from last year's musical, according to Issa.

Almost, Maine also did well. "We ended up opening our balcony in the auditorium," Issa says. "Just because of the sheer number of people that showed up for closing night."

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 puffs   

n.吸( puff的名词复数 )；（烟斗或香烟的）一吸；一缕（烟、蒸汽等）；（呼吸或风的）呼v.使喷出( puff的第三人称单数 )；喷着汽（或烟）移动；吹嘘；吹捧

参考例句：

• We sat exchanging puffs from that wild pipe of his. 我们坐在那里，轮番抽着他那支野里野气的烟斗。 来自辞典例句
• Puffs of steam and smoke came from the engine. 一股股蒸汽和烟雾从那火车头里冒出来。 来自辞典例句

3 licensed   

adj.得到许可的v.许可，颁发执照(license的过去式和过去分词)

参考例句：

• The new drug has not yet been licensed in the US. 这种新药尚未在美国获得许可。
• Is that gun licensed? 那支枪有持枪执照吗？

4 diversifying   

v.使多样化，多样化( diversify的现在分词 )；进入新的商业领域

参考例句：

• Some publishers are now diversifying into software. 有些出版社目前正兼营软件。 来自辞典例句
• Silverlit is diversifying into new markets, such as Russia and Eastern Europe. Silverlit正在使他们的市场变得多样化，开发新的市场如俄罗斯和东欧国家。 来自互联网

5 repertoires   

全部节目( repertoire的名词复数 )； 演奏曲目

参考例句：

• There were huge repertoires of pipa music in Chinese history, particularly during the Tang Dynasty. 这种情况在我国古代诗词中有大量的记载。

6 playwrights   

n.剧作家( playwright的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• We're studying dramatic texts by sixteenth century playwrights. 我们正在研究16 世纪戏剧作家的戏剧文本。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Hung-chien asked who the playwrights were. 鸿渐问谁写的剧本。 来自汉英文学 - 围城

7 stymied   

n.被侵袭的v.妨碍，阻挠( stymie的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Relief efforts have been stymied in recent weeks by armed gunmen. 最近几周的救援工作一直受到武装分子的阻挠。 来自辞典例句
• I was completely stymied by her refusal to help. 由于她拒不相助， 我完全陷入了困境。 来自互联网

8 precarious   

adj.不安定的，靠不住的；根据不足的

参考例句：

• Our financial situation had become precarious.我们的财务状况已变得不稳定了。
• He earned a precarious living as an artist.作为一个艺术家，他过得是朝不保夕的生活。

9 rebounding   

蹦跳运动

参考例句：

• The strength of negative temperature concrete is tested with supersonic-rebounding method. 本文将超声回弹综合法用于负温混凝土强度检测。
• The fundamental of basketball includes shooting, passing and catching, rebounding, etc. 篮球运动中最基本的东西包括投篮，传接球，篮板球等。

10 ramping   

土堤斜坡( ramp的现在分词 )； 斜道； 斜路； （装车或上下飞机的）活动梯

参考例句：

• The children love ramping about in the garden. 孩子们喜欢在花园里追逐嬉戏，闹着玩。
• Have you ever seen a lion ramping around? 你看到过狮子暴跳吗？