One-Act Dramas
From intimate dramas for competition to large cast historical plays, Stage Partners has an award-winning collection of exciting dramatic play scripts for high schools, middle schools, and theatres from some of the most popular playwrights working today.
Browse our selection below and READ EVERY PLAY SCRIPT FOR FREE!
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A Wrinkle in Time (50-minute one-act)
Length: 45-50 minutesCast Size: 7-30 actors (suggested casting: 7F, 4M, 6 any)Genre: DramaSynopsis:
One of literature's most enduring young heroines, Meg Murry, is back -- braces, stubbornness and all. Once again, she's joining forces with Mrs Whatsit, Charles Wallace, Calvin O'Keefe and more to battle the forces of evil so she can rescue her father, save humanity and find herself. In the end, we know two things for sure: 1. Love CAN overcome evil and 2. There... -
A Wrinkle in Time (35-minute one-act)
Length: 35-40 minutesCast Size: 7-30 actors (suggested casting 7F, 4M, 8 any)Genre: DramaSynopsis:
One of literature's most enduring young heroines, Meg Murry, is back -- braces, stubbornness and all. Once again, she's joining forces with Mrs Whatsit, Charles Wallace, Calvin O'Keefe and more to battle the forces of evil so she can rescue her father, save humanity and find herself. In the end, we know two things for sure: 1. Love CAN overcome evil and 2. There IS such a thing as a tesseract. Per... -
The Wizard of Oz
Length: 30-40 minutesCast Size: 10-30 actors (suggested casting: 14F, 10M)Genre: Dramedy, DramaSynopsis:
In this faithful and playfully short adaptation of the original novel, Dorothy lands in Oz and must find her way home to Kansas. But first she must find the yellow brick road, make it through the poppy field, avoid the flying monkeys, and defeat the Wicked Witch. No big deal. Luckily she has the Scarecrow, Tin Man, Cowardly Lion, and Glinda the Good Witch on her side. -
Silenced on Barbour Street
Length: 40-50 minutesCast Size: 21-35 actors (suggested casting: 15F, 7M, 5 any)Genre: DramaSynopsis:
On July 6, 1944, a fire roared across the top of the 48-foot high tent during the matinee performance of the Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus, claiming the lives of 144 spectators. In this ensemble driven drama, 15 victims of this tragedy must face their guilt and deepest fears in order to escape from a sadistic ringmaster who has trapped them in a mysterious circus purgatory. Part h... -
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow (one-act)
Length: 40-50 minutes (the playwrights also allow additional cuts for time, competitions)Cast Size: 8-30 actors (suggested casting: 7F, 8M)Genre: DramaSynopsis:
America’s first great ghost story, Washington Irving’s The Legend of Sleepy Hollow follows the quirky and superstitious antics of schoolmaster Ichabod Crane, who is haunted by the dreaded Headless Horseman. This imaginative adaptation stays true to the world that Irving creates in this American gothic tale, but adds a lyrical quality that further enhances the humor, the magic, and th... -
Dracula (one-act)
Length: 30-35 minutesCast Size: 11 actors (suggested casting 7F, 3M, 1 any)Genre: DramaSynopsis:
A swift one-act adaptation of Bram Stoker's classic horror novel that is easily staged for the most-effective frights. Eva Van Helsing, the vampire hunter, has decided to confront and kill Dracula before he bites again. Lucy is already wandering the asylum as an undead, and it isn’t long before more victims fall prey. Mina is willing to be human bait to lure Dracula out of hiding, but will Van H... -
Dr. Jekyll and Miss Hyde
Length: 30-35 minutesCast Size: 15 actors (suggested casting 2F, 13 any)Genre: DramaSynopsis:
Dr. Jekyll does not seem herself lately, as a series of strange attacks strikes London. Jekyll's honest lawyer Utterson is determined to get to the bottom of the matter, after the seeing the abominable Miss Hyde flee a crime scene into Dr. Jekyll's house. But as Utterson questions the Londoners in Dr. Jekyll's orbit, it becomes clear that the secrets of Jekyll and Hyde are intertwined... Thi... -
The Secret Garden
Length: 45-55 minutesCast Size: 12-48 actors (4F, 5M, 3 any)Genre: DramaSynopsis:
Orphaned young Mary Lennox finds herself in the charge of a mysterious uncle, in a mysterious house, on the desolate moor in England. Bored and lonely, she starts exploring the gardens and uncovers a secret that has been kept for ten years. But why is everyone here keeping secrets? And who is crying in the house late at night? As spring arrives, the power of nature begins to unlock a beautiful new... -
Wild Waves Whist
Length: 35-40 minutesCast Size: 10 actors (8F, 2M)Genre: DramaSynopsis:
A young teacher hoping to be hired as a coach at a private boys' school is instead assigned as literature and theatre teacher at its sister school - a private school for girls. There he is charged with the task of directing Shakespeare's The Tempest with his motley crew of adolescent female scholars, a play that effectuates an inner storm for all involved with the production. Wild Waves Whist is a... -
Shakespeare, Clearly: Romeo and Juliet (one-act)
Length: 30-35 minutesCast Size: 8-30 actors (suggested casting: 4F, 4M, 10 any)Genre: DramaSynopsis:
In Shakespeare's most well-known tragedy, two young star-crossed lovers’ deaths ultimately reconcile their feuding families. This straightforward adaptation mixing contemporary and classical language emphasizes story and character rather than the poetry. Master director and acclaimed playwright Jon Jory has reimagined the classic tale to serve as an early introduction for younger audiences and a...