Speech & Debate

by Stephen Karam. Directed by Don Carrier. Studio Theater, May 29 through June 28, 2026. Presented in arrangement with Dramatist Play Service

Three misfit high school students in Salem, Oregon form a unique debate club, complete with a musical version of The Crucible, an unusual podcast, and a plot to take down their corrupt drama teacher. With his signature wit, playwright Karam follows the trio's attempts to fend off the menace of encroaching adulthood with edgy humor and subversive antics. 

"Stephen Karam's savvy comedy is bristling with vitality, wicked humor, terrific dialogue, and adirect pipeline into the zeitgeist of contemporary youth" -- David Rooney, Variety

“Hilarious...Speech & Debate’s real accomplishment is its picture of the borderland between late adolescence and adulthood, where grown-up ideas and ambition coexist with childish will and bravado...We never feel we’re being educated, just immensely entertained.” – Caryn James, New York Times

Season Tickets and Flex Passes for the 2025-2026 Professional Theater Season range in price from $136 to $384 and are available for purchase now for renewing subscribers at 216-521-2540. Season tickets and flex passes go on sale to new subscribers on June 2, 2025. Tickets to individual shows will go on sale to the public on July 1, 2025, at 216-521-2540 and Beckcenter.org.

Curtain times are 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, and 2:30 p.m. Sundays. Preview performances are 7:30 p.m. the Thursday before opening night, with general admission seating for just $15. Smart Seats are available for each performance at just $15 per person. For more information on the 2025-2026 Professional Theater Season please visit beckcenter.org.