MTI musical · Full-length

Junie B.’s Essential Survival Guide To School musical logo

Junie B.’s Essential Survival Guide To SchoolScript, Piano/Vocal Score & show details

  • Full-length
  • Small cast (up to 10)
  • Roles: 6 women · 7 men · 1 any-gender
  • G

The printed Essential Survival Guide To School script comes with your MTI license. The digital version is a separate add-on for your whole cast and crew. See pricing

Essential Survival Guide To School synopsis

Book & Lyrics by Marcy Heisler · Music by Zina Goldrich

Junie B. Jones is back! Based on the bestselling books, the saga of the wisecracking first-grader continues in Junie B.'s Essential Survival Guide to School, a goofy and heartwarming follow-up to Junie B. Jones, The Musical. 

A self-appointed expert on all things first grade, Junie B. is determined to write the ultimate guide - Junie B.'s Essential Survival Guide to School. As she deals with writer's block and constantly getting into trouble, Junie B. quickly realizes that she still has a lot to learn.

Featuring new, upbeat songs from Marcy Heisler and Zina Goldrich (Junie B. Jones, The Musical, Dear Edwina), Junie B.'s Essential Survival Guide to School is a hilarious, whole-hearted show about owning up to your mistakes and how nobody is ever done learning. With 14 roles that can be doubled with as few as 5 actors, this is a flexible TYA show that is fun for all audiences.

Full synopsis

Now that's she's been in school for a while, Junie B. Jones has decided to write down everything she knows for future first graders ("Junie B.'s Essential Survival Guide to School"). In Mr. Scary's classroom, everyone is excited about Junie B.'s idea to write a guide, but May teases Junie B. about not knowing what to write in it. Junie B. struggles to come up with ideas to prove May wrong ("Like What?"), but fellow classmates Lucille, Sheldon, and May manage to chime in with ideas of their own.

Because she called May mean names in class, Junie B. has to go home with a note from Mr. Scary. Junie B. explains to Mother that she doesn't want other people to help with writing the guide because she wants to be "the star of the whole production". Mother tries to explain to Junie B. that being the star isn't important.

Meanwhile, May, Herb, and Sheldon are brainstorming about what to write in the guide. Sheldon tells Junie B. and everyone else about his vision for a parade devoted to backpacks ("Backpacks on Parade"). Everyone loves this idea - except for Junie B., who is upset that she didn't come up with it ("A Great Idea").

Junie B. has come home with yet another note. She tells Mother that it's not her fault. Her tendency to get in trouble, she explains, comes from a bull in her stomach ("El Toro Fabuloso").

In the school lunchroom, Lucille interviews Junie B. about clothes ("Some Stuff About Clothes"). As part of an example, Junie B. spills spaghetti on May, which means taking a note home again ("El Toro Fabuloso Reprise"). At home, Mother, Daddy, and Grampa Miller explain to Junie B. that even if she doesn't like May, she has to be respectful to her.

The next day at school, May and the rest of her classmates put on a show about school supplies ("School Supplies"). At first, Junie B. tries to be nice and follow the script, but that quickly derails as she makes fun of May's excitement about school supplies, ruining the show. Furious, Mother makes Junie B. write an apology letter to May ("Dear May").

Junie B. rushes to get on the bus ("Gotta Get There"). Once she gets on, Herb tells her that his chapter in the guide will be about what you can do on the bus ("Bus Rules"). Junie B. tells Herb that you can also make funny faces on the bus. As she keeps making funny faces out of the bus window, a woman takes photos and notifies the school - landing Junie B. in the principal's office ("Principal's Office").

The principal, teachers, and Junie B. go over the rules she's supposed to follow ("Rules!"). Principal tells Junie B. to give May her apology letter but then gives her a surprise: for the rest of the day, there will be no rules in Junie B.'s classroom. Junie B. and the rest of the class are overjoyed. Their joy is short-lived, though. While Mrs. Gutzman passes the class without giving them their daily cookies, she tells them that since getting cookies was a rule, there will be no cookies today. They realize that maybe rules aren't so bad after all.

The school year is almost over, and one thing stands between Junie B. and summer - "Report Card Day". Junie B. is burying her report car in someone's yard when Mother finds her and asks her why she is doing this. Junie B. tells her that she thought that she knew everything but now realizes that she needs to improve herself more. Mother comforts her and tells her everyone needs to work on improving themselves, but Junie B. is still upset that she can't figure out what to write about in the guide ("Junie B.'s Lament"). Mother then shows her a report card from her own childhood, revealing that she was also a troublemaker ("Mother Was a Bad Kid Too"). May shows up at Junie B's house, and they reconcile ("That Does Make One Feel Better"). Junie B. realizes that she can write a chapter on not getting in trouble for the guide since she's learned so much about that ("The Things You Learn Along the Way").

Synopsis courtesy of Music Theatre International (MTI).

Essential Survival Guide To School characters & vocal ranges

The Essential Survival Guide To School musical has 14 named roles, for a small cast (up to 10). Many roles can be cast across gender. ‘Written as’ reflects how MTI lists each role.

CharacterWritten asVocal rangeDescription
Junie B. JonesFemaleE5–G3Not listed
HerbMaleG#4–A2Role can be doubled with Mr. Scary, Principal, Daddy, and Matador
Mr. ScaryMaleG#3–C3Role can be doubled wth Herb, Daddy, Principal, and Matador
PrincipalMaleD4–B2Role can be doubled with Herb, Mr. Scary, Daddy, and Matador
DaddyMaleNot listedRole can be doubled with Herb, Mr. Scary, Principal, and Matador
MatadorsNot listedNot listedRole can be doubled with other supporting roles.
MayFemaleD#5–G#3Role can be doubled with Mrs. Weller and Matador
Mrs. WellerFemaleG#4–C4Role can be doubled with May and Matador
LucilleFemaleD#5–A3Role can be doubled with Mother and Gus Vallony
MotherFemaleE5–G#3Role can be doubled with Lucille and Gus Vallony
Gus VallonyMaleC4–C3Role can be doubled with Lucille and Mother
Sheldon PottsMaleA4–A2Role can be doubled with Mrs. Gutzman, Grampa Miller, and Matador
Mrs. GutzmanFemaleC5–D#4Role can be doubled with Sheldon Potts, Grampa Miller, and Matador
Grampa MillerMaleNot listedRole can be doubled with Sheldon Potts, Mrs. Gutzman, and Matador

Essential Survival Guide To School song list

  1. Song list
  2. Junie B's Essential Survival Guide to School
  3. Like What?
  4. Backpacks on Parade
  5. A Great Idea
  6. El Toro Fabuloso
  7. Some Stuff About Clothes
  8. El Toro Fabuloso Reprise
  9. School Supplies
  10. Dear May
  11. Gotta Get There
  12. Bus Rules
  13. Principal's Office
  14. Rules!
  15. Report Card Day
  16. Junie B's Lament
  17. The Things You Learn Along the Way
  18. Bows

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