Our most popular plays for amateur performance, based on the number of licenses issued in 2023.
The 40 titles listed below were our most popular titles licensed for performance by amateur groups worldwide.
Read more about the Top Ten most performed plays of 2023, over on our Blog>>
Machinal
A powerful expressionist drama from the 1920s about the dependent status of women in an increasingly mechanised society, based on the true story of Ruth Snyder.
Be My Baby
A poignant drama about attitudes to teenage pregnancy in 1960s Britain.
Ladies' Day
Work, love and life are just one long, hard slog for the fish-filleting foursome Pearl, Jan, Shelley and Linda. But their fortunes are set to change when Linda finds tickets to Ladies' Day at Royal Ascot the year it relocated to York.
Ladies Down Under
The funny, heart-warming sequel to the enormously successful Ladies' Day, following the lasses from Hull on their adventures down under.
Kindertransport
A modern classic about one woman's struggle to come to terms with her past - brutally separated from her German Jewish parents at the age of 9 and brought to England with the promise of a new life...
Lilies on the Land
A revealing, funny and wonderfully moving portrait of four women who sign up to join the Women's Land Army during World War II.
The Railway Children (stage version)
By E. Nesbit Adapted by Mike KennyAn imaginative stage adaptation of E. Nesbit's much-loved children's classic.
The Hound of the Baskervilles (stage version)
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's most celebrated Sherlock Holmes story gets a gloriously funny makeover.
The Wind in the Willows (stage version)
By Kenneth Grahame Adapted by Mike KennyA delightful stage adaptation that combines all the joy and mystery of Kenneth Grahame's much-loved classic with the lightness of touch and playful theatricality that award-winning playwright Mike Kenny is known for.
The River
A bewitching story from the author of global smash hit Jerusalem.
The Thrill of Love
A gripping drama about Ruth Ellis, the last woman to be hanged in Britain.
The Wolves of Willoughby Chase (stage version)
By Joan Aiken Adapted by Russ TunneyA thrilling, funny and spectacular adaptation of Joan Aiken's classic children's novel, perfectly suited to performance by theatre companies and drama groups of any size.
Blue Stockings
A moving, comical and eye-opening story of four young women fighting for education and self-determination against the larger backdrop of women’s suffrage.
Jeeves & Wooster in 'Perfect Nonsense'
By The Goodale Brothers Original author P.G. WodehouseAn inventive, fast-paced comedy based featuring P.G. Wodehouse’s iconic double act.
Rules for Living
By Sam HolcroftA theatrically playful, dark comedy about the unwritten rules we follow in our lives.
Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons
By Sam SteinerA play about what we say and how we say it; about the things we can only hear in the silence; about dead cats, activism, eye contact and lemons, lemons, lemons, lemons, lemons.
Wendy & Peter Pan
By Ella Hickson Original author J.M. BarrieA refreshingly modern version of J.M. Barrie's much-loved story that puts the character of Wendy firmly centre stage.
Around the World in 80 Days (stage version)
By Laura Eason Original author Jules VerneLaura Eason's celebrated adaptation of Jules Verne's classic novel, a dazzling escapade that packs in more than fifty unforgettable characters.
Nell Gwynn
Jessica Swale's play Nell Gwynn charts the rise of an unlikely heroine, from her roots in Coal Yard Alley to her success as Britain’s most celebrated actress, and her hard-won place in the heart of the king.
Philip Pullman's Grimm Tales (stage version)
Adapted by Philip Wilson Original author Philip PullmanA deliciously dark version of the Grimm Tales, from master storyteller Philip Pullman.
Things I Know To Be True
A complex and intense portrait of the mechanics of a family – and a marriage – through the eyes of four siblings struggling to define themselves beyond their parents' love and expectations.
The Children
Two ageing nuclear scientists in an isolated cottage on the coast, as the world around them crumbles. Then an old friend arrives with a frightening request.
Brainstorm: The Original Playscript
And a Blueprint for Creating Your Own Production
A unique theatrical investigation into how teenagers' brains work, and why they’re designed by evolution to be the way they are.
Consent
By Nina RaineA powerful, painful, funny play about the meaning of justice and consent when two friends take opposing briefs in a rape case.
Queers: Eight Monologues
By various Created by Mark GatissQueers celebrates a century of evolving social attitudes and political milestones in British gay history, as seen through the eyes of eight individuals.
Education, Education, Education
A theatrical love letter to the schools of the 1990s, asking big questions about a country in special measures, exploring what we are taught and why, and where responsibility lies. Full of inventive theatricality and irreverent humour.
Jekyll & Hyde (National Youth Theatre version)
By Evan Placey Original author Robert Louis StevensonA radical re-imagining by playwright Evan Placey of Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic tale, written for the National Youth Theatre.
Mary Shelley's Frankenstein (stage version)
By Mary Shelley and Rona MunroA brilliant adaptation of Mary Shelley's Gothic masterpiece that places the writer herself amongst the action as she wrestles with her creation and with the stark realities facing revolutionary young women, then and now.
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Amateur Productions
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