I've posted this before (and probably will again :o) ), but don't overlook "Dear Edwina: Junior". A sleeper surprise. We (I) had glossed over the title many times thinking it "too girly", but we stumbled on the Cast recording one day and took a listen. We were hooked. As the plot revolves around a group of kids putting on their own "talk show", it means that any rough edges on set/costume design will fit right in (as would any "rougher" performances). The music is upbeat, contemporary, and highly memorable. Each scene can be viewed as a "letter to Edwina", and the "response song from the cast". Plenty of opportunities for individuals to shine, and just as many chances to create small chorus teams to perform "backup" for each of the response songs. (Highly recommend that you order the perusal and check it out). (Obligatory self-promotion slide show from our production) We have also performed HONK! JR, and it too is a fantastic production (on my short list to be repeated). (Obligatory self-promotion slide show from this production too) Creative costuming for both of those shows helped to keep things under a (VERY!) tight budget. As you can see for HONK! Jr. we made extensive use of T-shirt sales from Michaels. Now, as to the question of "KIDS vs Junior", this is all going to depend on the maturity of your cast. We started with a KIDS show here (Dalmations), and immediately followed up with HONK! Jr. a year later. We aren't a school, but a youth group run as part of the local amateur theatre company. This meant a smaller cast size (initially 12 but 20 by the time we did Dalmations, and capped at 36), and dealing with a fairly broad age range (7-12 at the time, and as they aged: 7-17). My perception is that I would have quickly lost the interest of the older youth, had I stuck with the KIDS shows. There is no question that the Junior shows are more challenging, but there is also a huge reward for the cast when it comes together. Hope this helped, but I suspect it hasn't made the choice any easier for you. Andrew