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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Yellow Wallpaper
Length: 35-45 minutesCast Size: 6-30+ actors (suggested casting: 2M, 10F)Genre: DramaSynopsis:
When Eleanor stumbles upon a hidden diary, she unlocks a family secret - and finds that danger lives closer to home than she possibly could have imagined. An ensemble of trapped spirits cracks open the door between generations in a theatrical adaptation that wraps the classic psychological horror story The Yellow Wallpaper in a Hitchcockian thriller. -
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... -
Pushed
Length: 30-35 minutesCast Size: 10 actors (2M, 8 any)Genre: DramaSynopsis:
Rumor has it, shy and quiet Mason Humphrey pushed Travis O’Neill into the lockers so hard that Travis sprained his elbow. Nobody knows why, but everyone has an opinion about what should happen next—whether or not they have all the facts. Should Mason be expelled? Did Travis provoke him? What does justice look like here? But there might be a way to cut through all the outrage, if Mason and Trav... -
The Inexplicable Chaos Factor of Mia Gregory
Length: 30-35 minutesCast Size: 8-20 actors (suggested casting: 5F, 3M)Genre: DramaSynopsis:
Liv is one of the most brilliant teenage mathematicians in the country, but she does not understand her best (and only) friend Mia. Like, at all. And now, she's doing this stupid play to try to figure it out. An incredibly moving and empowering story about the chaos we create, and the order we can find in it. -
The Cages We Build
Length: 30-35 minutesCast Size: 8 actors (4F, 4M)Genre: DramaSynopsis:
Dean's dad isn't around, his mom is deeply broken, and everyone at school either hates him or fears him. That's just who he is. But then, he meets Lucy and learns that life can be whatever you make it, and no matter what cage you build, you always have the key. -
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... -
Founding Daughters
Length: 30-40 minutesCast Size: 9-25 actors possible (suggested casting: 5F, 4M)Genre: DramaSynopsis:
An episodic look at the heroic deeds of young women during the Revolutionary War that would be long forgotten if not for oral history. Had these women not been so brave and cunning, would the war have ended the same way? There is Sybil Ludington's overnight ride to gather the militia, Kate, an African Princess, forced into slavery, who saved her master from the British and more. Students and audie... -
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... -
Little Women (one-act)
Length: 35-40 minutesCast Size: 9-10 actors (suggested casting: 6F, 4M)Genre: DramaSynopsis:
Jon Jory brings his theatrical magic to this spirited one-act adaptation of Louisa May Alcott's classic coming-of-age drama. The American Civil War is underway, and four sisters -- Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy -- must hold the family together as Christmas draws near. A timeless and sentimental testament to the endurance of family, the power of love, and what it means to stay true to oneself. Perfect for... -
Mirror
Length: 10 minutesCast Size: 3 actors (3F)Genre: DramaSynopsis:
When Juniper purchases an old mirror at a garage sale, she gets more than she bargained for. What awakens when she gazes within? A haunting and evocative play about the demons we try to forget. This play is part of the short play collection Ten(ish): Horror.
