There are only two options in a performance story: win or lose. And, usually, only one chance to succeed. Today, we have 20 performance story ideas to put your character through their paces.

What is a Performance Story?

Performance (or sports) stories are one of the ten types of stories we’ve been examining (check out our full guide here.) These stories are based on the value of esteem, or success vs. failure.

The protagonist (either alone or with a team) will spend most of the story preparing for a final competition, where they’ll have to prove themselves to the judges, their community, and even themselves.

Examples of performance stories are:

• The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown
• The Queen’s Gambit by Walter Tevis
• Miracle (film)
• Ghost by Jason Reynolds
• Hamilton (musical)

For our full guide on performance stories, check out our article here.

Ready to write your own performance story? Writing prompts are a great way to practice your writing skills, explore different story types, and have a lot of fun. Check out our performance ideas below to get started!

20 Crowd-Pleasing Performance Story Ideas

Here are 20 performance plot ideas below to test your character:

1. A shy singer with a beautiful voice wants to audition for a prestigious school. It's their biggest dream to attend, but will they be able to overcome their nerves for their performance? Or will they choke?
2. Two siblings of overbearing show parents are forced to compete at a local tournament. Whoever wins will not only take home the trophy but will also be able to compete at the national competition—and make their parents proud.
3. A pianist struggles to get “out of their head” before a major competition. Can they get their focus back? Or will they lose everything they’ve worked for to make it to this moment?
4. An understudy finally gets the chance to perform their dream role—but someone appears dead-set on sabotaging them. Will they make it to opening night?
5. An underground dance troupe makes it through a series of competitions. They must now battle it out against the reigning champions for a life-changing amount of money—but the champions do not want to give the prize or title up.
6. Against all odds, an underdog sporting team makes it to the finals. Can the team take home the trophy? Or will the pressure become too much?
7. A performer’s instrument breaks just before an important competition, much to the delight of their fellow competitors. What will they do?
8. Halfway through the biggest competition they’ve ever attended, a captain discovers a member of their team has cheated. Do they continue?
9. A young sport star prepares to take home the trophy at the state championship. The only problem is that they don’t love playing—their father does. Their real passion is art, and there’s a similar competition on the same day. What will they do?
10. After being falsely accused of cheating, a talented young sportswoman must claim back her title—and her reputation.

11. Days before a pivotal competition, an archer hears terrible news about their health. They want to compete one last time, but they know to do that, they must keep their diagnosis a secret. What will happen?
12. A performer ages out of their most well-known role, and struggles to find a new one. When they’re offered an audition for a new show, they’re over the moon—until they realize most of the performers going for that role are also significantly younger than them. Can they beat everyone for the role and prove themselves in the process?
13. When their city is destroyed by an invading army, a small group of neighbors manage to escape by pretending to be a traveling performance group. When stopped by enemy soldiers, they lie and say they are on the way to a competition they’d seen posters advertising. Now, the only way to stay safe is to continue performing—and somehow, place at the competition. Too many eyes are on them to fail. Can they win against all the odds?
14. A stagehand loves theater and has always wanted to perform, but hasn't had enough confidence to try. Can they overcome their nerves to audition for a new play? Or will they stay in the background?
15. A sport star seriously injured themselves at their last tournament. Now that they’ve healed, they’re eager to prove themselves at the next competition—only to find their emotional wounds haven’t healed as well as their physical ones have. Will their fear get the best of them?
16. A middle school announces they're going to put on a play. Can a group of talented misfits nab the lead roles? Or will others sabotage their dreams?
17. In an ancient society, a noble family loses everything after playing a dangerous game of politics. They must band together—literally—to try to recover everything they've lost. Can they impress the emperor with a royally good performance and earn his favor?
18. High school sweethearts are put to the test when they're pitted against each other in an open competition. Who will take the gold? And can their relationship survive?
19. Clown school becomes serious when the students learn only one of them can earn a place in the school's prestigious (and well-paid) troupe. Who will succeed?
20. A theater company decides to put on one final show after they're told they need to close down. Can they pull together an ovation-worthy performance before the curtains fall for the last time?

We hope you’ve enjoyed these 20 performance ideas! Want more plot ideas? Check out some of our other creative writing prompts, including our favorite thriller story ideas, horror book ideas, and mystery story ideas.

What’s your favorite performance story? Let us know in the comments!