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.

Showing 157-168 of 193 items.

Start Swimming

By James Fritz

12 f or m, flexible

A play about occupation, revolution and what the future holds for today’s youth.

Steel

By Lee Mattinson

2m (playing 17-year-old boys)

A hilarious and heartfelt play set in West Cumbria, about first loves, forging identities and the wild, wild hearts of teenage boys. First performed at Theatre by the Lake, Keswick, in 2024.

Stolen Secrets

By Fin Kennedy

Various sections for 1-7 performers, large cast possible

From the heart of London's East End, Stolen Secrets are urban fairytales, bold, lyrical and gruesome, that can be performed individually or together for maximum shock value.

Stuff

By Tom Wells

5f 4m (playing ages 13-17)

A play about friendship and loss – and the way people try to do the right thing for their mates when there isn't really a right thing to do. Written specifically for young people as part of the 2019 National Theatre Connections Festival.

The Suitcase Kid (stage version)

By Jacqueline Wilson Adapted by Vicky Ireland

2f 1m plus 2f/m (large cast possible)

An adaptation for the stage of Jacqueline Wilson's popular novel.

Swallows and Amazons (stage version)

By Arthur Ransome Adapted by Helen Edmundson and Neil Hannon

5f 6m doubling

A wonderfully theatrical adaptation of the much-loved children's classic, with songs by Neil Hannon.

The Sweet Science of Bruising

By Joy Wilkinson

6f 4m doubling (up to 7f 8m)

An epic tale of passion, politics and pugilism in the world of 19th-century women’s boxing.

A Tale of Two Cities (stage version)

Adapted by Mike Poulton Original author Charles Dickens

4f 9m + extras, doubling (very large cast possible)

A thrilling, fast-paced adaptation of the classic novel, considered by Dickens 'the best story I have ever written'.

Teenage Dick

By Mike Lew

4f 2m

A darkly comic, smashed-up retelling of Richard III, Shakespeare's classic tale about the lust for power.

This Changes Everything

By Joel Horwood

20f (could be done with more)

A play about a group of young women seeking to form a new type of society and a better way of living. Part of Platform, a series of big-cast plays with predominantly or all-female casts, written specifically for performance by school, college and youth-theatre groups.