CINCINNATI — Shakespeare is no longer the ultimate choice of American high school thespians, according to The Washington Post. Reporting on a survey by Dramatics magazine, the Post noted that the comedy "Almost, Maine" was the most-produced high school play in North America in 2009-2010, while "A Midsummer Night's Dream" ranked number two, the report said.
The report is based on a survey of International Thespian Society member schools and is considered to be an index of the most popular plays in North American high schools, according to the Educational Theatre Association, which publishes Dramatics.
Coming in third was "You Can't Take It with You," which has made the Top 10 list every year since the survey began in 1937, The Post reported. The most-produced musical was "Beauty and the Beast."
Lists of the most-produced full-length plays, musicals and short plays are included in The Post article.
SOURCE:
The Washington Post, "Shakespeare unseated as king of high
school theater," Oct. 7, 2010
FURTHER READING:
Mackinac Center for Public Policy, "Art Needs No State
Subsidies," Oct. 30, 2009
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