Why are your musicals only for middle school age performers?

Although our shows could work well for other age groups, our primary focus is on middle school students (and their teachers)! As teachers ourselves, we have learned through experience that middle school is a truly unique developmental stage. To meet the needs of middle school musical theater programs, we are providing musicals that were made especially for the middle grades.

What do you mean by “made especially for the middle grades?”

We mean that our shows are conceived, written, and published with middle school performers in mind. Here are a few of the ways we tailor our musicals to the needs of students and teachers:

• Personnel

  • 100% of the roles in MKM shows are gender-nonspecific, meaning that any role can be played by any suitable student actor. This allows maximum flexibility in casting.

  • MKM musicals are ensemble shows, featuring large casts and providing many opportunities for teachers to assign solos. Students will have their moment to shine, even if they aren’t cast in a lead role.

• Behavior management

  • We made sure the chorus is never offstage for too long. (Too much offstage time = shenanigans. Ask us how we know.)

• Scaffolding

  • Vocal harmony is carefully built throughout each show. Where it is used, it often follows unison passages and then repeats with additional divisi. This naturally scaffolds the challenge of vocal harmony.

  • Multiple short, accessible solos are featured. Students who are brand-new to singing, acting, or musical theater can be appropriately challenged by these roles.

  • At least one entirely speaking role is included in each show, allowing teachers to scaffold for students without singing experience.

• Differentiation and Changing Voices

  • Our shows provide flexible options for differentiating, including thoughtfully placed ossia (optional) notes and access to the tracks and score in multiple keys.

  • The range for each solo generally stays within an octave (or far less).

• Developmental stage

  • The middle school brain still loves play, but is ready to tackle real-life ideas. Our shows are set in fantastical worlds and call for fun, playful costuming, but they also engage with actual, real-life problems.

  • Our musicals do not include romantic storylines. Though romance stories can succeed in middle school musical theater, middle school students will also benefit from exploring other genres in theater.

You only have one show listed. Are you writing more?

Yes! We are developing a second show with plans to roll it out in summer 2026.