Middle School
About the show
Welcome to Middle School Mysteries
A brand new and entirely original musical for tweens of all ages featuring a relentlessly catchy jazz-pop score and more sleuthy fun then you can shake a ruler at. Based on the experiences and observations of real middle schoolers, it’s an exciting whodunit story about growing up, getting real, and looking beneath the surface of everything and everyone — including ourselves!
Mostly middle-school aged. The principal role of Michael can be played by a performer up to 16 years old.
with an expandable ensemble of up to 30 or more.
no intermission.
Lorem Ipsum
Meet The Team
Daniel Maté
An award-winning musical theatre playwright and bestselling author. He received the Edward Kleban Prize for his lyric writing, as well as ASCAP’s Cole Porter Award and a Jonathan Larson Foundation Grant for music and lyrics. His acclaimed musicals include The Trouble With Doug (Fredericia Teater, Denmark; Victoria Clark, dir.), The Longing and the Short of It (five Carbonell nominations, voted Best New Musical by Theatermania South Florida), and Hansel & Gretl & Heidi & Günter. His work has been performed on multiple continents, including venues such as Lincoln Center (NYC) and the Kennedy Center (DC). Daniel has led master classes for actors and songwriters in multiple locations from Vancouver to Brooklyn to Boston. With his father Dr. Gabor Maté he co-wrote The Myth of Normal: Trauma, Illness, and Healing in a Toxic Culture, a New York Times bestseller that has been published in over 40 languages. Their follow-up, Hello Again: A Fresh Start for Parents And Adult Children, will be published by Penguin Random House in Spring 2027.
Marshall Pailet
Marshall started making theater in middle school, and is so excited for you to start making theater too! Most recently, he co-wrote and directed Marcel on the Train at Classic Stage Company (Drama League Nominations - Best Director, Best Play), and co-wrote/directed two other Off-Broadway musicals that garnered two New York Times Critics’ Picks in Who’s Your Baghdaddy and Triassic Parq. He wrote book, music, lyrics and directed the musical Private Jones, which received the Helen Hayes for Best New Musical from its recent production at the Signature Theatre (VA), and the Connecticut Critics Circle Best Director Award from its production at Goodspeed Musicals, and has written/directed for DreamWorks, RKO, PBS, and franchises such as VeggieTales, Shrek, Magic School Bus, and Hershey’s Chocolate World (Brass Ring Winner, baby!) Graduate Yale University. marshallpailet.com
Middle School Mysteries was born way back in 2011.
That Spring, composer-lyricist Daniel Maté was hired by Two River Theater Company in Red Bank, NJ to be a guest artist for an afterschool program. Eighteen young performers from the Jersey Shore area took part. Together the group explored themes related to being in middle school, including the struggle to fit in and the different “masks” or roles that people play to hide who they really are, including from themselves.
They finally settled on a novel idea: what if we depicted middle school as a series of mysteries? That led to the creation of many characters, some of whom still exist in the show: Rick Taylor, Mel Lewis, Morgan, JJ, Ally, and Michael. The group song “Plenty of Time” was also part of that original version.
After the show was presented for the local community, Daniel and the artistic/educational staff of Two River got to thinking about how to develop it further. The decision was made to bring aboard a co-writer, Marshall Pailet, to help refine the characters, sharpen the story, and heighten the style of the show.
Over the next few years Daniel and Marshall rewrote the plot entirely to make it a tight mystery story with an emotional core and a killer score! After several professional readings with Broadway actors (including Be More Chill alumni George Salazar, Stephanie Hsu, and Jason “SweetTooth” Williams), it was finally time to hear it with actual middle schoolers.
Finally, in 2025, Brainstorm Theatrics came aboard to co-produce an album version. Daniel orchestrated the show for an nine-piece band, and nineteen of the most talented young performers in the NYC area teamed up to create the audio version you can now listen to in full!
The show is now available to produce in your school or theater company! Stay tuned and follow the clues to find out where the mystery leads next…