About the Plays:

Some great pieces for performance or scene work.

The annual Keen Teens Festival of New Work (commonly referred to as Keen Teens) is a unique and free educational theatre program, run by the Drama Desk and Obie Award-winning Keen Company. Keen Teens was formed in 2007 to improve the quality of plays written for high school students by commissioning scripts from highly regarded professional writers. Playwrights write material specifically for teenagers, in plays that must be 30 minutes long, have a cast size of 10 or more, and have an ensemble structure. Keen Teens then casts high school students from across the New York metropolitan area to perform in the World Premiere productions of these plays at an Off-Broadway setting.

Keen Teens: Volume 3 contains three short plays written by Lauren Yee, Jen Silverman, and Max Posner, which premiered at Off-Broadway's Theatre Row as part of 2015 Keen Teens Festival of New Work. Another highlight of Keen Teens is that the plays are published, with the student's names listed, which helps build the canon of work for high school students. To date, more than 200 performances of Keen Teen plays have been produced all over the world, from Australia to Singapore.

The Lost Girl (or First Chair) by Lauren Yee
When Katie, first violinist in a prestigious high school orchestra, disappears suddenly, the school's music program is left disarray. Mr. Lee decides to hold auditions for the open position of first violin, but the politics of the band program are surprisingly complicated and the process is fraught with conflict. A colourful cast of characters auditions for the position, and some go to extreme lengths to win – parents get involved, speeches are made, and tears are shed. Still, the question hangs over it all: What happened to Katie, and will she ever come back? (Cast: 2 female, 14 male).

The Astonishing and Dangerous History of Mazefield the Frog by Jen Silverman
Clare and Sara are sisters; Sara is cool, and Clare is not. Sara's boyfriend gave her a frog that she doesn't want, so she passes it along to Clare. Clare reluctantly accepts – only to learn that the frog can talk, his name is Mazefield, and he wants to bring about the apocalypse. So they make a deal: Mazefield will find Clare a date for the school dance, and Clare will meet with two foreign spies for Mazefield and report back to him. Both bungle their missions. Mazefield can't find Clare a date, and Clare accidentally invites the foreign spies to the school dance. It all comes to a head at the dance in an unexpected and heart-warming conclusion. (Cast: 3 female, 2 male and 6 any gender).

Old Folks by Max Posner
A group of ten sits around in an old folks' home, debating which of their friends' funerals they'll be able to attend. Their number gradually dwindles, and the remaining members become increasingly aware of their mortality. Upon dying, each character describes who they were when they were younger. All played by teens, these characters both come to terms with age and transcend it. (Cast: 5 female, 5 male).