Plays for Young People (12-18 years)

This section lists plays that are especially suited to young people aged 12 and above, for reading, study or performance. Please note that some of the plays included here contain adult language and/or tackle challenging issues. We're always happy to advise on the suitability of any of our plays: send us an email at info@nickhernbooks.co.uk, or call us on 020 8749 4953.

See also Plays for children (under 12 years)

Showing 121-132 of 193 items.

Peter Pan (stage version)

Flexible casting (large mixed cast required)

An enchanting adaptation of J.M. Barrie's children's classic, with songs by Vikki Stone. Premiered at Rose Theatre, Kingston.

Philip Pullman's Grimm Tales (stage version)

Adapted by Philip Wilson Original author Philip Pullman
first set: 4f 4m, doubling; second set 8f 8m doubling (entire script offers roles for 42f and 100m)

A deliciously dark version of the Grimm Tales, from master storyteller Philip Pullman.

Picnic at Hanging Rock (stage version)

5f

A chilling adaptation of Joan Lindsay's classic novel about the disappearance of three Australian schoolgirls in the summer of 1900.

Pig Heart Boy (stage version)

3f 3m doubling (up to 17 roles)

Malorie Blackman's celebrated novel about a boy in need of a heart transplant, adapted for the stage by Winsome Pinnock. First performed in 2025 at the Unicorn Theatre, London, before touring the UK.

The Playhouse Apprentice

Flexible, mixed cast (minimum 5f 5m, very large cast possible)

An exhilarating and hilarious historical drama set in Elizabethan London, about theatre, bravery and how a little voice can make a big difference. Part of the Nick Hern Books Multiplay Drama series featuring large-cast plays specifically written to be performed by young people.

Pride and Prejudice* (*sort of)

5f with specified doubling

A loving and irreverent all-female adaptation of Jane Austen's unrivalled literary classic, winner of the Best Entertainment or Comedy Play at the Olivier Awards.

Princess & The Hustler

4f 3m

A play about a cheeky 10-year-old with a plan to win the Weston-super-Mare Beauty Contest, against the backdrop of Black British Civil Rights marches in 1960s Bristol.

Pronoun

5f 4m, 5 f or m

A love story about transition, testosterone, and James Dean - commissioned as part of the 2014 National Theatre Connections Festival and premiered by youth theatres across the UK.

The Railway Children (stage version)

5f 6m, doubling (6f 9m possible)

An imaginative stage adaptation of E. Nesbit's much-loved children's classic.

The Real Estate

18-21f 14-18m

A sharply observed, epic play combining elements of social realism and satire, which asks: who do our homes really belong to, and who gets to tell our stories? In the Multiplay Drama series.

Rebellious Women

7-8f 5-6m plus extras

An impassioned, unsentimental and sharp-witted play about the Suffragette cause, with rich opportunities for schools, youth theatres and drama societies who want to tell the story of a group of extraordinary women who changed the world.

Red

5f plus chorus

An unflinching and bold exploration of the internal lives of young women. Part of Platform, an initiative aimed at addressing gender imbalance in theatre.

Amateur Productions
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Bill Bryson, Adapted by Tim Whitnall

Fin Kennedy

Amanda Whittington

Alexandra Wood, Adapted from Kate Summerscale

Amanda Whittington


Henrik Ibson, Adapted by Richard Eyre

Tom Wells

Jeremy Sams, Original authors John Esmonde and Bob Larbey