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.

The Keen Collection: Volume 10 contains three short plays written by C. Julian Jimenez, Rona Siddiqui, and Nambi E. Kelley and Daniel Carlton, which premiered at Off-Broadway's Theatre Row as part of 2023 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.

Buck Stars is a dramatic comedy by C. Julian Jimenez
When an unsheltered person walks into a chain coffeehouse, snap judgements abound, and customers and staff alike must wrestle with their own capacity for compassion while navigating their own personal traumas. (Cast: 1 female, 2 male, 7 any gender).

Kirdle & Miffins: Curiosity Saved the Cats is a musical comedy by Rona Siddiqui
A celebration of curiosity and wonder, the play follows two lovable alley cats who are whisked from the tough city streets to cushy living room life. But what happens when they become so complacent that they don’t question those in power, even when trouble is afoot?. (Cast: 10 any gender).

Hidden Inside is a drama by Nambi E. Kelley and Daniel Carlton
A novice student teacher is put in charge of Saturday school for chronically late kids. But when a standard drill goes awry, the students are forced to honestly connect with each other, transcend high school archetypes and reckon with their true identities. (Cast: 1 female, 9 any gender).