Show Guides: Wireless Mics and Projection by Musical
Updated October 2026
Pick your show to see how many wireless channels it needs, who gets a mic, which mic style suits each role, and how to handle projection. Every guide is reviewed by Stage Gear staff who work in theatre.
- Disney's Aladdin JR. A rooftop chase, a Genie-sized showstopper, two singing trios and a voice from the Cave of Wonders. Here is how to mic Aladdin JR. without running short.
- Disney's Alice in Wonderland JR. Three Alices, three Cheshire Cats, a talking Doorknob and a tea party full of hats. Alice in Wonderland JR. spreads its lines across many young performers.
- Anastasia: The Musical Anastasia runs from 1907 Russia to 1920s Paris with period wigs, hats, fast gown changes and a ballet scene where four principals sing at once.
- Annie Annie pairs a cast of small orphans with a bald Warbucks and a scenery-chewing Hannigan, so mic sizes, wig work and kids' levels all matter.
- Annie JR. Annie JR. puts six young orphans, a singing dog and a bald millionaire on the same stage. Small heads, wigs and a dog costume make mic placement the real puzzle.
- Anything Goes (2022 Revision) Anything Goes stops the show with a full-company tap number, hides characters in disguises and sailor hats, and runs farce in crowded staterooms.
- Disney's Beauty and the Beast JR. Beauty and the Beast JR. puts young performers inside bulky object costumes, gives the Beast a mask and a transformation, and adds four Narrators who need to be heard without singing.
- Beetlejuice JR. A title role that never stops talking, ghost makeup, big wigs and a possession number that flings the cast around. Beetlejuice JR. is hard on mics and tape.
- Big Fish Big Fish jumps between a quiet family drama and Edward's tall tales: a giant, a witch, a werewolf ringmaster and USO dancers. The mic plan has to cover both.
- Bye Bye Birdie Bye Bye Birdie has a hip-shaking teen idol, a tap-dancing Gloria, a phone-chain chorus of teens and singers in the pit, so it takes careful mic planning.
- Chicago: Teen Edition Chicago: Teen Edition has six women speaking monologues over a vamp, Fosse-style hats and chairs, and vaudeville announcements between numbers.
- Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella (Broadway Version) Two onstage transformations, tall period wigs and a ballroom full of courtiers mean every Cinderella mic has to hide well and survive a magic costume change.
- Disney's Descendants: The Musical Four villain kids, four villain parents and a royal court, all dancing. Wigs, horns and a crowded coronation make Descendants a busy mic plot.
- Elf The Musical JR. Santa's beard, elf hats and a Macy's dance number full of jingling elves, plus four finale soloists who appear only at the end. Hats and beards drive this plot.
- Fiddler on the Roof JR. Caps, headscarves and stage beards on almost every principal, a huge "Tradition" opening and a busy wedding dance. Hiding mics is the real job.
- Disney's Finding Nemo JR. Thirty-four speaking roles, a tank full of fish, a shark party and a surfing sea turtle. Here is how to mic Finding Nemo JR. without running out of packs.
- Footloose Footloose is a dance show first. Headsets for the teens, invisible mics for the parents and a bar band in Act II all need a plan.
- Disney's Frozen JR. Frozen JR. hands Anna and Elsa between three actors each, sends its biggest solo through an onstage costume reveal, and puts a snowman and a reindeer in costume pieces. Here is how to keep every voice clear.
- Godspell Godspell is an ensemble show where nearly every performer sings a solo, so every actor needs a mic, and ten open mics need a careful mix.
- Grease: School Version Grease: School Version has 15 singing principals, pomaded hair and nonstop dancing, and the hand jive and "Greased Lightnin'" shake mics loose.
- Guys and Dolls Guys and Dolls puts fedoras on nearly every gambler, sends three of them into a trio round, and fills the sewer with crapshooters.
- Guys and Dolls JR. Guys and Dolls JR. puts fedoras on middle-school gamblers and runs a three-part fugue in the first scene, so small heads and hat brims are the puzzle.
- Hadestown: Teen Edition Hadestown: Teen Edition keeps a narrator talking over music all night, puts three Fates in tight harmony and often has a band right onstage.
- Hairspray Hairspray stacks big bouffant wigs, nonstop dancing and a finale with the whole cast singing. Hiding mics in wigs and surviving the dance numbers is the job.
- Disney's High School Musical JR. Basketball choreography, back-to-back auditions and a cafeteria full of soloists. High School Musical JR. needs mics that survive jumping and quick handoffs.
- Into the Woods Nearly every role sings, the Prologue passes lines across the whole company in seconds, and the Giant is a voice with no body. Doubling, a Witch transformation and offstage voices make the mic plan the real puzzle.
- Into the Woods JR. Almost everyone sings, the Opening tosses lines across the whole cast, and the Witch transforms mid-show. A principal-heavy plot with no chorus to hide in.
- Junie B. Jones The Musical JR. Young performers, a lead who is onstage nearly the whole show and gets glasses mid-story, and a kickball game. Small heads and a busy classroom make this plot.
- Legally Blonde The Musical Legally Blonde has a lead with constant costume changes, a Greek Chorus that pops up anywhere and a song sung while jumping rope.
- Legally Blonde The Musical JR. Legally Blonde JR. has 34 roles, a Greek Chorus that sings from anywhere and a jump-rope number, all on young performers with small heads.
- Les Misérables School Edition Sung-through with dozens of solo lines, two child leads, a barricade battle and eight principals singing at once in "One Day More." Every word needs a mic plan.
- Little Shop of Horrors A small cast, but the plant is a puppet voiced by a singer offstage, and the dentist plays half the town. Syncing Audrey II's voice and surviving Orin's quick changes are the real mic challenges.
- Mamma Mia! Twelve principals, wall-to-wall ABBA and heavy dancing make this a sweaty, fast-moving show to mic. Plan for flippers, spandex and an ensemble that sings big harmonies, often from the wings.
- Cameron Mackintosh and Disney's Mary Poppins Mary Poppins mixes a flying lead, child singers, hats on nearly everyone and the tap-heavy "Step in Time", so pack placement and secure mics matter.
- Cameron Mackintosh and Disney's Mary Poppins JR. Mary Poppins JR. gives young performers hats, quick changes, "Step in Time" and sometimes a flying Mary, all inside a fast 60-minute show.
- Roald Dahl's Matilda The Musical JR. Matilda JR. gives almost every schoolkid a solo line, then puts the whole class into big dance numbers. Add Bruce's cake and Trunchbull's tantrums, and it needs more channels than most JR. shows.
- Roald Dahl's Matilda The Musical Matilda leans on young voices: a child lead, a classroom of kids with solo lines, and a towering Trunchbull, all through swings, desks and flying cake.
- Mean Girls High School Version Mean Girls has two narrators talking to the audience, a huge cafeteria ensemble, Halloween headgear and one actor playing three moms with three wigs.
- Disney's Moana JR. Narrating ancestors, a demigod's comic showstopper, a giant crab costume and an ocean played by people. Here is how to mic Moana JR. so every voice lands.
- Disney's Newsies Newsies puts a cap on nearly every head and asks its cast to dance flat out, so mics have to hide under brims and survive flips, sweat and newspapers.
- Disney's Newsies JR. Newsies JR. puts a cap on almost every head and a crowd of newsies in almost every scene, so the job is hiding mics under hats and keeping the key voices clear through big dance numbers.
- Once on This Island JR. Once on This Island JR. is sung almost straight through by gods, storytellers and a dancing lead, with headdresses, masks and a storm to work around.
- Once Upon a Mattress A mute king who speaks at the very end, a princess who arrives dripping from the moat, and crowns on every head. Here is how to mic the court.
- Peter Pan JR. Peter and the Darlings fly, pirates fight in hats and wigs, and the Brave Girls dance hard. Harness-friendly pack placement is the first thing to solve.
- Pippin Fosse-style dance, circus tricks and a Leading Player who talks straight to the audience. Pippin's mics have to survive sweat, acrobatics and walks downstage.
- School of Rock (Lloyd Webber) School of Rock puts a kids' band playing live next to body mics. Guitar straps, drum bleed and amp volume make it a sound show, not just a mic show.
- Seussical Seussical is almost entirely sung, with a Cat who roams the house, a Horton stuck up a tree and a Bird Girl trio backing every big number.
- Seussical JR. Seussical JR. is nearly all singing, with a Cat in a tall hat, young Jojo, three-voice trios and a big chorus of Whos and jungle creatures to balance.
- Shrek The Musical Shrek puts an ogre in head prosthetics, a villain on his knees, two puppets and a dozen fairytale soloists on one stage. Plan the heads first.
- Shrek The Musical JR. Shrek JR. adds three Storytellers to an ogre in head prosthetics, a kneeling villain and two puppet roles. Narration plus makeup makes mic planning the puzzle.
- Something Rotten! A full-company tap number, a rock-star Shakespeare, Renaissance wigs and hats, and a finale packed with principals. Every joke still has to land.
- The Addams Family Ten principals, two families and one long dinner-table scene where nearly everyone talks at once. Add wigs, a bald cap and a tango, and mic style matters as much as mic count.
- Disney's The Lion King JR. Masks and headdresses sit right where a hairline mic wants to go, and The Lion King JR. adds two Simbas, two Nalas and big opening chants.
- Disney's The Little Mermaid Undersea flying, a crab-led dance party, eel duets, a kitchen chase and a heroine who loses her voice. Here is how to mic The Little Mermaid.
- Disney's The Little Mermaid JR. Middle schoolers playing a crab, a seagull and two eels, a heroine who goes silent, and Ursula's Tentacles crowding the stage. Here is how to mic it.
- The SpongeBob Musical Nonstop movement, a tap number, a live Foley Artist and a rock band of Electric Skates make SpongeBob a busy board. Here is how to plan the channels.
- The SpongeBob Musical: Youth Edition Young performers, nonstop movement, a tap number and a three-piece Skates band. SpongeBob Youth Edition tests every mic belt you own.
- The Wizard of Oz (RSC Version) Oz doubles every Kansas role into an Oz role, then adds a tin face, a lion's mane, a melting witch and a voice that booms from behind a curtain.
- Roald Dahl's Willy Wonka JR. Willy Wonka JR. has a lot of principals: five golden-ticket kids, their parents, Charlie's family and Wonka himself. Add Oompa-Loompa costumes, a blueberry and plenty of doubling, and pack planning matters.
Don't see your show? Read How Many Wireless Mics for a Musical? or ask us for a plan; we'll count it with you.
Stage Gear is not a show licensor. Production rights for each show come from its licensor. Stage Gear sells and rents the equipment.
