Read On: A Master List of Performer Stuff’s Reading Lists

Written by Ashleigh Gardner

August 29, 2018

Have some time on your hands? Need a monologue from a published play? Searching for a play to add to your company’s season? There’s always a reason to read more scripts.

Performer Stuff’s reading recommendation lists are comprised of curated selections perfect for summer reading, seasonal productions, and finding the perfect monologue. Each list links out to the publisher’s website, where you can find each play to purchase, read, and add to your script library.

25 Plays all High School Seniors Should Read (Before They Graduate) Part 1

To have a better chance at being cast in any amazing plays, you should read them first. Here’s Performer Stuff’s first list of plays every high school senior should read before graduating. This list includes works by Aristophanes, Shakespeare, Moliere, Oscar Wilde, Chekhov, Lorraine Hansberry, Arthur Miller, David Mamet, and more!

Read Part 1 Here

Plays All High School Seniors Should Read (Before They Graduate) Part 2

You know what’s great about being a high school senior? Graduating obviously! But another great thing about being on the cusp of your transition from high school to college (or the professional acting world) is that you’ll now get the chance to audition for some of the greatest plays ever written. This list includes works by Lillian Hellman, Tennessee Williams, Edward Albee, Sam Shepard, Neil Simon, Paula Vogel, Wendy Wasserstein, and more!

See the list here.

Plays All High School Seniors Should Read (Before They Graduate) Part 3

This final list for high school seniors, Part 3 includes works by Sophocles, Shakespeare, Harold Pinter, Suzan-Lori Parks, David Mamet, Eve Ensler, Sarah Ruhl, and more! Read these plays before you apply for MFA programs!

See the list here.

10 Hispanic and Latinx Plays to Read for National Hispanic Heritage Month

In honor of National Hispanic Heritage Month, we take a look at 10 plays to read and consider as part of your season next year. This list includes works by Tanya Saracho, Luis Santeiro, Nilo Cruz, María Irene Fornés, José Rivera, and more!

See the reading list here.

Ladies Choice! Large Cast Suggestions for Female Heavy Plays (Part 1)

Sometimes the number of girls and women significantly outweighs the number of boys and men in a theatre department. That’s when it’s time to start looking for female-heavy plays.

See the reading list here.

 Ladies Choice! Large Cast Suggestions for Female Heavy Plays (Part 2)

Sometimes the number of girls and women significantly outweighs the number of boys and men in a theatre department. That’s when it’s time to start looking for female-heavy plays.

See the reading list here.

32 Plays to Pick Up For LGBTQ Pride Month

Celebrating LGBTQ pride helps promote diversity, equality, acceptance, and respect of the LGBTQIA (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning, intersex, asexual and ally) community. We’re proud to share a list of 32 non-musical plays that bring these issues to the stage, from 1934 to present day. This list includes works by Mart Crowley, Harvey Fierstein, Martin Sherman, David Henry Hwang, Tony Kushner, Paula Vogel, and more! 

See the reading list here.

20 Plays by Women to Pick Up TODAY

What better way to celebrate women’s equality than reading plays by women about women? Check out this list of fantastic and important plays today. Included are works by Caryl Churchill, Beth Henley, Dominique Morisseau, Sophie Treadwell, Danai Gurira, Suzan-Lori Parks, Young Jean Lee, Annie Baker, and more!

See the list here.

23 Pulitzer Prize-Winning Plays You Should Order TODAY

Vacation from work or school is the perfect time to dig into new plays. If you’ve got time to yourself, a blanket, and some tea, there’s no reason not to snuggle up with these Pulitzer Prize-winning plays from the past 20 years! (Or, if you’re not on vacation, keep these plays at your bedside for a little light reading before you hit the hay.

Check out the list here.

12 Tony Award-Winning Plays (from the Last Twelve Years) You Should Know

We present eleven Tony Award-winning plays from the past twelve years that have won the prestigious award for Best Play (formally titled the Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre). If you’re looking for a monologue from a stellar example of theatre, dig into these pieces. They’re sure not to disappoint.

See the reading list here.

20 Spooky Plays Perfect for Your October Reading List

Looking to kick your theatre chops up a notch with some spooky reading (while also growing your play library)? Check out these twenty plays perfect for the Halloween season, full of horror, murder, ghosts, and mysterious incidents that remain unexplained.

See the list here.


Ashleigh Gardner received her M.A. in Literary, Cultural, and Textual Studies (with concentrations in Contemporary Film, Psychoanalytic Theory, and Gender Studies) and her B.A. in English Literature (with concentrations in Early American Literature, Victorian & Gothic Literature, and Feminisms), both from the University of Central Florida. She is a playwright, a Shakespearean trained actor, a dramaturge, and a photographer.
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