Product reviews for The High-Schooler's Guide to the Galaxy

"What a fun play! The entire class (15 students) was hooked from day one all the way through the last performance. They loved it because they could relate to it. The audience loved it too. We heard 'best play ever' from people ages 18 to 75. It was awesome to have the kids be four or five characters and see them transform from student to bully to bus driver.....  It was really all about the acting! Fun Fun Fun!!" -- D.S., Director, California Lutheran H.S., Wildomar, CA

"We were riding a pretty big high after two consecutive sellouts with 'Grease' and 'The Wizard of Oz' (we had never had a sellout at our school in 55 years of existence). So we tried to cash in on our recent success and enthusiasm for drama productions and do a contemporary, low-budget show that our whole school and community could relate to. It was a smash hit. We personalized it as you suggested and it made it even funnier.  It was a lot of fun to produce and direct. I would thoroughly recommend it to any school any where any time. Thanks, and we will be contacting you again for future shows."  -- S.V., Director, NHS, Fenton, MO

"This is the third play we have done by this author. They are well-suited for our school and drama class, and they have all been successes. Comments from the audience indicated that this is the funniest play that we have done, and they said the same about the Bryan Starchman play we did last year! I didn't even read this play before I ordered it: I trust the author that much. Never miss an opportunity to present any of his plays. (He even came to one of our productions, to the delight of the cast and audience!!)" -- J.C., Director, Burney (CA) High School

"Thank you, Bryan Starchman! This was the most successful production we have ever done. Students, teachers, parents (even the principal) thought it was hysterical! The production was two weeks ago, and people are still talking about their favorite parts!" -- K. C., West Vigo H.S., West Terre Haute, IN

"Our production was a huge success. The kids were able to play the parts to perfection, since most of them were about to enter high school. As a director I feel it is important to allow the kids freedom with the characters and the blocking and they came up with some great ideas to make the show their own. The parents were very excited to see a different play, as they had seen all of the `standard' plays that have been produced over and over again. It was a lot of fun for everyone! You always have plays that are suited to a teenage cast. Keep up the good work!" -- C.C., Director, Junior Straw Hat Theatre, Highland Heights, OH

"Due to severe budget cuts, we had absolutely no money this year. I chose 'High Schooler's Guide To The Galaxy' because it requires no sets and very few props. It was a huge success! It was extremely funny and used a cast of 22 students. The profits were phenomenal." -- K.C., Director, Winnebago H.S., Rockford, IL

"This was a hysterical play that received rave reviews from the audience! It was awesome that we were able to tailor the play to our school. Unbelievably, two of the teachers names in scene seven are actually teachers at our school! So fitting! With a large cast, minimal budget to produce, this was a great fund-raiser as well. This play was also a great way to highlight my seniors and it pulled in some new great talented freshmen. Thank you for having such wonderful material to choose from!" -- J.C., Gardner (MA) High School

"Our tiny little high school (45 students 9-12) did 'High-Schooler's Guide to the Galaxy' and it was awesome! The set is super easy, not really even a set. Costuming is even easier! The play was so funny, we had to take a 'timeout' so the audience could come down from laughing. It was the funniest play I've ever seen. Many audience members said it was the funniest they'd ever seen as well. You must do this play!! FYI - Harold's monologue is why we had to wait for the entire auditorium to settle down." --G.F., Director, Bern H.S., Seneca, KS

"Our students really loved the play! We customized it a bit to fit our school and had 40 members on the cast. We also used it as a dinner theater experience and it was a rousing success. People are still talking how much they enjoyed the show." -- T.P., Director, Bishop Ludden H.S., Syracuse, NY

"My students and their teen-aged audience LOVED IT! The interpretive freedom and creative opportunities provided by this production created an immediate bond between the performers and audience. A most memorable experience. Thank you for the opportunity!!" -- S. P., Director, Maryville (TN) H.S.

"This is a fantastic script! The beauty of it, other than it's just hilarious, is that you can modify it easily to fit your cast and time frame. The audience LOVED the play. The kids were so boosted by their laughs and obvious enjoyment of the play. It was easy to order! I love having the option to download digitally." -- K.Y., Bob Miller Middle School, Henderson, NV

"This was a very easy-to-rehearse production that the crowd just loved! The staging was also so basic, especially good for groups with low budgets or limited resources. There is constant hilarity throughout- I love the humor! And there are multiple one-liners we'll be using for years to come. My favorite line from the whole thing is in Scene 10 where a frustrated young man is breaking up with his date and says, 'You leave Mr. Blanky out of this, you succubus!' The audience favorite was probably the poor gym class student who accidentally cut off his nipple with a pink disposable razor. I really love how the whole thing is written to show such an exaggerated high school stereotype that is still in the realm of the believable.  The audience ate this up! I believe it was the highest grossing spring play I've directed in my 6 years. After the first night (which was about average attendance), word spread and we had an amazing turnout the second night. I heard nothing but positive feedback and people are still talking and laughing about it a week later!" --DCHS Drama, Glendive, MT

This is our third year doing a Bryan Starchman play. We always add our own music, and switch a few things up to make it our own. To make the beginning more interesting and to get the audience excited right away, we started with the classroom set, and it was the last day of school. We then did a fast forward through June and July with catchy music and the kids going back and forth across stage in summer gear, and with scooters, frisbees, balls, etc. Then, we started the first scene of the play. After the 'fights and bullies' scene, we had five boys come out with black eyes, crutches, and slings. It was hilarious!

Before the dating scene, the girls were in PJs and robes, like a slumber party. During the bus scene, we had four boys 'on the bus' who acted up the whole time. It added so much to the scene; it was an audience favorite! When the driver said that she had run over an old lady, the boys all started crying. The audience went wild!

At the end of our shows, we always do a finale in which we invite all of the crew to join us. We like to leave our audiences with a smile and a lot of energy.

The sets in this show can be quite simple. We worked to make it look like our school. Costumes were also simple. Most of the kids wore what they would wear to school, but we had some fun with a few of the costumes.

My personal favorite part was in the dating scene. We used popcorn and water and let the actor spit it all out (we had Clorox wipes ready!), and he actually ate part of a stick of butter, which was cringy, but funny.

This is a fun show to make applicable to your school. Let the kids have some fun with it! Your audience will love it!

Joyce Stath
Tell City Jr. Sr. High School

This is a fun and flexible show! The cast requirements are flexible in number and gender. The set and costume requirements are also very simple as it is a school setting in the present time. My students loved this production. I had many "newbies", and this show allowed them all to have a part and grow as actors and actresses! Audience members said this was one of the best shows they have seen here and they couldn't quit laughing. Kids and adults can relate to the stereotyped characters in this show! So much fun! I would definitely recommend this one!