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 Blue Hour
Length: 30-35 minutesCast Size: 5-8 actors (suggested casting: 2F, 2M, 1 any)Genre: DramaSynopsis:
Theo's grandpa has died, and he would give anything to see him one more time. A remarkable miracle sends him back in time to meet his grandpa while he was serving in the Korean War. A powerful and poetic play about grief, and what we can do with 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. -
As If, Cassandra
Length: 40-45 minutesCast Size: 9-20 actors (suggested casting: 9F, 2M, 4+ any)Genre: Dramedy, DramaSynopsis:
Everybody's whispering: Something's wrong with Cassie. She walked out on her squad mid-routine; won't help her mom put up Christmas decorations; suddenly wants to back out of prom plans. Well, Cassie hears taunts about how fate is inescapable in every cheer, her mom doesn't seem to notice it's February, and she's haunted by premonitions of something terrible that will happen if prom night continue... -
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... -
The Visitors
Length: 25-30 minutesCast Size: 7-14 actors (suggested casting: 7F, 4M, 3 any)Genre: DramaSynopsis:
KB is in a coma. How she got there, no one knows. As she lies unconscious on a hospital bed, family, friends, and other well-wishers reflect on KB and how she has affected their lives. But as KB's physical condition worsens and her visitors struggle with their grief, KB embarks on a mysterious journey that will change her forever. (If you like The Lottery consider The Visitors.) -
Barn Wood and Blue Roses
Length: 30-40 minutesCast Size: 7-20 actors (suggested casting: 3F, 7 any)Genre: DramaSynopsis:
When Devon learns that best friend Chelsea has cystic fibrosis, Devon creates a fantasy world for the two of them to live in. They live in their new imaginative world as L'Sea, a woman who becomes a dragon twice a day, and D'Nova, renowned artisan of comical barn wood signs and a magician's apprentice. But Devon has kept a secret, too. And it is about to bring their whole fantasy world crashing do... -
My Brother's Gift (one-act version)
Length: 40-50 minutesCast Size: 5-15 actors (suggested casting: 5F, 3M, 2 any)Genre: DramaSynopsis:
Based on the remarkable true story of Heinz Geiringer -- neighbor and friend of Anne Frank -- we follow the story of a young artist and loving brother living in unconscionable circumstances. A trained musician at only 15 and now forced to live in hiding and silence, Heintz turns to painting and poetry to express his everyday terror but hope of the future. Through Heinz's inspired paintings, nostal... -
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. -
Trust Fall
Length: 10 minutesCast Size: 3 actors (3F)Genre: DramaSynopsis:
Jackie hasn’t been the same since her sister Sadie died. Luckily, Dani has been there to guide her through her grief. But when Jackie leads Dani to the maw of a cave on the one year anniversary of Sadie’s death, this friendship will be pushed to the limit as they step further and further into the darkness. This play is part of the short play collection Ten(ish): Horror.
