archive
2025-2026
Play In A Day: Forces of Natures
December 20, 2025
Quickly Concocted by Students
“We Became Pirates and Stole a Pot of Gold”
Written by David Felch & Akiva Okumoto Forrester, Directed by Claire Huang
“An Earful of Hot Sauce”
Written by Marcello Attardi & Rei Prior, Directed by Levi Vollmar-Currimbhoy
“Whipping Bird”
Written by Emma Henigin-Brail & Seth Khan, Directed by Emma Henigin-Brail & Thomas Pitman
“Family Christmas Fable”
Written by Anna van Valkenburg & Aether Yun, Directed by Delaney Vahdat
“Steve’s Spectacular Superstore”
Written by Brendan Giang & Liam Giffen, Directed by Zoya Prabhakar
The Crucible
November 2025
By Arthur Miller
Lies. Fear. Courage.
Step into Salem, 1692—where rumors ignite and integrity is tested.
Don’t miss Paly Theatre’s powerful production of The Crucible by Arthur Miller, running November 8-16, 2025.
In Arthur Miller’s award-winning and heart-breaking play The Crucible, the quiet town of Salem erupts into chaos as fear and suspicion spark a deadly witch hunt. Accusations fly, reputations crumble, and truth becomes the first casualty. Set in 1692 but echoing through every generation, this powerful drama explores how hysteria and integrity collide when a community turns on itself.
This performance will run 2.5 hours with a 15-minute intermission. Due to the content and language of this show, it is recommended for ages 12 and up; please email sthermond@palytheatre.com if you have any questions about appropriateness.
Click for PALY BILL
SOMETHING WICKED
This Way Comes
October 2025
An Interactive Shakespearean Journey
Two Showtimes!
October 25th, 2025, 6:30pm & 8:00pm
Join Paly Theatre for a fun and spooky journey through several famous Shakespearen plays! Audience members will be assigned to a specific character as their guide, and led through the historic Haymarket Theater to visit the famous magical beings from A Midsummer Night's Dream, Macbeth, Hamlet, and more. This interactive and traveling performance is appropriate for ages 10 and up - it's eerie, but not scary, and you don't need to know Shakespeare well to have a good time!
Click for the WICKED program, a PDF.
2024-2025
THE SPONGEBOB MUSICAL
April 2025
April 24-27, 2025
Dive into a hilarious and heart-warming adventure under the sea with The SpongeBob Squarepants Musical! Watch beloved characters from the cartoon come to life in a brand-new adventure sure to delight longtime fans and folks new to Bikini Bottom, as SpongeBob and his friends race against time to save their town not only from an underwater volcano, but also from the chaos erupting as citizens start to panic and try out their own zany ideas for solving the crisis. Unlike traditional musicals, every song in this show was written by a different pop singer or band, so you'll also get to hear original music from Sara Bareilles, John Legend, Cyndi Lauper, Aerosmith and more!
This colorful and high energy musical is appropriate - and has something to enjoy - for all ages! It is a full-length musical (2 hours plus a 15-minute intermission), so our only recommendation is to make sure any young guppies are ready to sit back, relax, and enjoy for the duration of the performance!
PLAY in a DAY
December 2024
Theme: Villains
December 21, 2024
“Good Game” by Brendan Giang & Liam Giffen
“Los Angleles” by Esme Forshaw & Raeya Wohlmorantz
“HOA Away! In a Tahoe Chalet!” by Eloise Dumas & Abigail Friedland
“Toil and Trouble” by Emma Brail & Summer Devi Mehta
“The Godfather Part Tree” by Gavin Thomas
“Monkey See, Monkey Do” by Jack Champlin & Kyle Vetter
OUR TOWN
November 2024
BY THORNTON WILDER
November 15-17, 2024
Thornton Wilder’s Pulitzer-prize winning play shows us three days in Grover’s Corners, a small New England town in the early 1900s, but its coming-of-age story has been resonating with audiences all over the world for nearly 100 years. In this inventive and heart-warming story, we watch two next-door neighbors grow up, fall in love, and grapple with the hard truths of life alongside their friends and family. Our Town presents both the beauty and the dangers of a small community, and boldly asks us to consider what - and who - will matter most to us at the end of the day. Come watch our community of students bring this town - and Wilder’s visionary theatrical style - to life!
Our Town runs approximately two hours and twenty minutes, including two brief intermissions. It is recommended for middle-school age and above due to some mature themes, especially in the final act. Please contact sthermond@palytheatre.com if you have any questions about this recommendation!
ONE ACTS
September 2024
2024 Paly Theatre Presents
ONE ACTS
Produced and Directed by Students
September 27 and 28 @ 7pm, 29 @ 2pm
in the Performing Arts Center
at Palo Alto High School
$5 Suggested Donation
2023-2024
One Acts!
May 2024
May 9, 10, 11 @ 7 pm
In the Performing Arts Center
Produced and Directed by Students!
Tickets: $5 Suggested Donation
Join us for an evening of captivating theater at PALY Theatre's One Acts! This special event features six short plays, each written, directed, and performed by our talented, award-winning students. We'd be thrilled to have you in the audience. A suggested donation of $5 can be made at the door. Don't miss this showcase of budding theatrical talent!
Hamlet
April 2024
by William Shakespeare, Edited by Sarah Thermond, April 13,14,19,20,21, 2024
Commanded by his father’s ghost, Prince Hamlet must seek vengeance against his uncle Claudius, who murdered his elder brother to gain crown and queen. As Hamlet pursues revenge, he must balance his inner turmoil and grief with the desire to fight for his kingdom and complete this quest, all the while dealing with courtiers who are similarly concealing their true selves, and citizens who are losing patience with the gap between the royal family’s promises and the dangerous reality they all find themselves in. This production walks the line between external reality and the surreal mentality of its characters, presenting some of Shakespeare’s most famous lines and characters with a fresh and engaging perspective.
Opening night, a pre-show reception with light refreshments and a chance to chat with members of the cast and crew, complimentary with your ticket!
WARNING: flashing lights will be briefly used in the production. Expected run time is 2 hours and 20 min, including a 15 min intermission. This production has a suggested PG rating due to violence/brief bloodshed. Please contact sthermond@palytheatre.com if you have any questions!
PLAY IN A DAY
December 2023
Saturday, December 23, 2023, at 7 PM
——————————
Palo Alto High School Theatre Department Presents
PLAY IN A DAY
at the
Performing Arts Center
A Fundraiser
$5 Suggestion
——————————
The Birds:
A Modern Adaptation
November 2023
by Don Zolidis
Based on the play by Aristophanes
Fed up with a world full of internet spam, aggressive salespeople, and other petty problems, two outcasts decide to leave humanity and move to the kingdom of the birds, hoping to find simplicity and happiness. What they find instead is an opportunity for the ultimate get-rich-quick scheme that can turn the birds’ skies into a powerful utopia! All they have to do is overcome one small problem: the wrath of the Greek gods. Don Zolidis hilariously updates Aristophanes’s ancient comedy, showing that its satirical take on society, politics, and religion is just as relevant today as it was over a millennium ago! Recommended for ages 6 and up for crude humour and mild innuendo.
November 4, 5, 10 11, 12
7:30 Showtimes on 4, 10, 11
Matinees 2 pm on 5, 12
Little Women:The Broadway Musical
September 2023
Book by Allan Knee, Music by Jason Howland, Lyrics by Mindi Dickstein
Based on the novel by Louisa May Alcott
The musical follows the adventures of sisters Jo, Meg, Beth and Amy March growing up in Massachusetts during the Civil War. Jo is trying to sell her stories for publication, but when the publishers are not interested, her friend, Professor Bhaer, tells her that she has to do better and write more from herself. Begrudgingly taking this advice, Jo weaves the story of her family and friends through their heartaches and hopes, and their determination to make their mark on the world.
See this timeless story in the intimate setting of the historic Haymarket Theatre.
The show's duration is 2 hours and 20 minutes including a 15-min intermission. This show is appropriate for all ages, but it is recommended for ages 8 and up due to its duration.
Sept. 23, 24 and 30 at 7 pm, and Sept. 24 at 2 pm.
All seats are general admission.
2022-2023
ONE ACTS
May 2023
Presenting PALY Theatre's One Acts, a series of several short student-directed plays! These plays are all written, directed, and performed by our department's students, and we would love to see you there! From mystery to musicals to mice, One Acts has it all!
Show dates are on the 11th, 12th, and 13th all at 7:00 PM
Hay Fever
April 2023
by Noël Coward
Black Box Classroom
Performances April 14, 15, & 16
Paly Theatre’s surprise spring production! Hay Fever is a hilarious satire set in the English countryside in 1924. A wildly temperamental family encounters strange tensions when their guests spend the weekend at their house … and leave more confused than when they arrived. Directed by Leo Vargha and produced by Mina Fry.
MAMMA MIA!
March 2023
Music and lyrics by
Benny Andersson & Bjorn Ulveaus
and some songs with Stig Anderson
March 3, 4, & 18 at 7:30 pm
March 5 & 19 at 2:00 pm
PLAY IN A DAY
December 2022
THEME: “EVERY KID’S HALLOWEEN COSTUME”
Friday, Dec. 23 at 7 p.m.
Palo Alto Performing Arts Center
Suggested Donation $5
PALYBILL, PDF in folding order
RADIUM GIRLS
November 2022
BY D.W. GREGORY
November 4, 5, & 12 at 7:30 pm
November 6 & 13 at 2:00 pm
Palo Alto High School Performing Arts Center
PALYBILL in folding order, final version
2021-2022
A Year in Masks
ONE ACTS
May 2022
Produced and Directed by Students
May 12th & 13th at 7:00 pm
May 15th at 3 pm
Performing Arts Center
$5 Suggested Donation
PETER AND THE STARCATCHER
March 2022
by Rick Elice
Based on the Novel by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson
Music by Wayne Barker
March 4 & 5, 7:30 pm, March 6, 2 pm
March 19, 7:30 pm, March 20, 2 pm
PALYBILL in folding order
PLAY IN A DAY
December 2021
A Creative Endeavour, about 90 minutes
Sunday, December 19 at 7:00 pm
Performing Arts Center
PALYBILL in folding order
THE ILLUSION
November 2021
By Pierre Corneille, Adapted by Tony Kushner
Equal parts hilarious and haunting, The Illusion is playwright Tony Kushner’s reimagining of a 17th-century comedy by Pierre Corneille. Pridamant of Avignon, a proud and successful lawyer, has had no word of her son since he ran away from home more than a decade ago. Desperate to find him, she turns to the magician Alcandre, who presents three visions of the son’s life. That life, however, is more daring and dangerous than Pridamant expected, and as the story unfolds, she realizes that this attempt to reconnect might cost more than she ever expected. Recommended for ages 10 and above due to brief moments of violence.
SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES
September 2021
An interactive outdoor Shakespearean journey
Set entirely outdoors on the beautiful Palo Alto High School campus, Something Wicked This Way Comes is an outdoor interactive journey where the audience will move from location to location led by student actors playing some of Shakespeare's most famous protagonists. The story is based on scenes selected from your favorite Shakespeare plays and woven into a magical experience featuring fools, ghouls, witches, and faeries. Recommended for ages 10 and above due to brief violence and references to murder.
OUR FIRST LIVE PRODUCTION IN 18 MONTHS!
2020-2021
Still in Quarantine
Theatre 1 Showcase
May 2021
10 Ways to Survive Life in a Quarantine
by Don Zolidis
On Zoom
Theatre 2&3 Showcase
May 2021
Greek Gods Under Quarantine
by Dean O’Carroll
and five original student scenes
On Zoom
One Acts
The Theory of Relativity
Much Ado About Nothing
Play in a Day
Mystery, Murder, Monsters
November 2020
Clue: Program & Cast List
Murder by Poe: Program & Cast List
She Kills Monsters: Program & Cast List
Virtually There
September 2020
Zoom because of COVID-19
2019-2020
Pandemic Closure March, 2020
Tartuffe
The Kentucky Cycle
January 2020
Play in a Day
Almost, Maine
The 25th Annual
Putnam County Spelling Bee
2018-2019
Guys and Dolls
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
2017-2018
Venture
Heaven Can Wait
The Miracle Worker
2016-2017
Beauty and the Beast
The Importance of Being Earnest
PAC Groundbreaking Gala
October 2016
2015-2016
MacBeth
February-March 2016
Final show in the Haymarket Theatre!
The Odyssey
November 2015
Production Photos - Preview 11/5/2015
Production Photos - Performance 11/7/2015
Cast List
Shrek The Musical JR.
2014-2015
The Drowsy Chaperone
Server of Two Masters
The Stinky Cheese Man
2013-2014
Pride and Prejudice
Twelfth Night
Aladdin
2012-2013
Into the Woods
The Crucible
2011-2012
Making Magic, Defying Gravity
June 4, 2012
Much Ado About Nothing
March 2012
Older Shows
- Noises Off ∙ Nov 2011
- My Fair Lady ∙ March 2011
- Our Town ∙ November 2010
- A Midsummer Night's Dream ∙ March 2010
- Almost, Maine ∙ November 2009
- Young Americans ∙ May 2009
- Performed at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival August 2009
- Fiddler on the Roof ∙ April 2009
- On the Razzle ∙ November 2008
- The Laramie Project ∙ March 2008
- You Can't Take It With You ∙ November 2007
- Anything Goes ∙ March 2007
- Romeo and Juliet ∙ November 2006
- Love Songs in Traffic ∙ March 2006
- The Learned Ladies ∙ November 2005
- Metamorphoses ∙ November 2004
- Machinal ∙ May 2003
- Speed Limit 25 ∙ February 2003