2025-2026 Professional Theater Season
Speech & Debate
May 29 - June 28, 2026
About the Show
Studio Theater
Written by Stephen Karam. 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
Creative Team
Director: Don Carrier
* Appearing through an Agreement between this theater and Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States
** Member of United Scenic Artists
*** Member of Stage Directors and Choreographers Society (SDC)
Understudies never substitute for listed players unless a specific announcement is made at the time of the appearance.
Content Advisory
Speech & Debate contains mature themes including sexual situations, online relationships, teacher-student misconduct, and discussions of sexuality and identity. The play also includes strong language and references to homophobia and political scandal. Recommended for ages 13+.
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