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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#VIRAL
Length: 30-35 minutesCast Size: 7-30 actors (suggested casting: 7 F, 4+ chorus, any gender)Genre: DramaSynopsis:
In this ensemble-driven drama featuring an all-female cast, five high school girls recount a cruel locker room bullying incident that is initially cloaked in secrecy, but ultimately goes viral online. What happens next forces the students to question their respective roles in the events that unfolded in that fateful day. A virtual version is also available upon request. -
Soundscapes (one-act version)
Length: 35-45 minutesCast Size: 9-30+ actors (suggested casting: 5F, 2M, 9 any)Genre: DramaSynopsis:
Iris has synesthesia. She has no idea. At first, she simply thinks that everyone sees colors and shapes when music plays, but by the time she's a teenager, it's clear that others don't understand. Struggling to downplay the way she experiences the world, and worrying what it might mean to be different, the young artist is at war with herself until she meets a new friend - and he sees the colors to... -
Back Cover
Length: 40-45 minutesCast Size: 10 actors (7F, 3M)Genre: DramaSynopsis:
The unexpected divorce of Madison’s parents relocated her to New York City—a place that she has vowed to loathe. Through incredible coincidence, Madison finds a shoebox full of letters belonging to a young woman named Jessica. A connection is formed that will forever change the course of Madison’s life. Narrated by Madison’s older self, Back Cover is a story of loss, courage, humanity, and... -
#Censored
Length: 30-35 minutesCast Size: 7-30 actors (suggested casting: 12 any)Genre: DramaSynopsis:
In this ensemble-driven drama, a school art fair becomes embroiled in controversy when a student unveils a divisive painting. Students, parents, and teachers must ask themselves tough questions about freedom of speech, appropriateness, what art is supposed to do and "what is the cost of censorship?" -
My First Lockdown
Length: 30-35 minutesCast Size: 10-20 actors (suggested casting: 5F, 5M, 5 any)Genre: Dramedy, DramaSynopsis:
Inspired by true events, a group of theater students have just finished performing a play when the unthinkable happens - the school goes under lockdown. Caught in various rooms throughout the school, the students have to figure out what to do, who to trust, and if they're ever going to feel safe again. (There is a version with more roles available. Contact Stage Partners for details.) -
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. -
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. -
The Old Woman Lost at Sea
Length: 35-40 minutesCast Size: 8-11 actors possible (suggested casting: 6F, 3M, 2 any)Genre: DramaSynopsis:
Take care of your own little boat, and let others take care of theirs. That’s what Chelsea’s mother Martha taught her as she grew up. But she also remembers the cost, and she can’t look away when she sees someone drowning, like her mother can. When the seas turn stormy for Martha’s own boat, she refuses to come aboard a bigger ship crewed by people different from herself—and they can onl...