Skip to content

One-Act Plays

Stage Partners is home to some of the best one-act play scripts for high schools, middle schools, and theatres. From large cast comedies to intimate dramas for competition, Stage Partners' exciting collection of short plays features some of the most popular playwrights in the world. 

Browse our selection below and READ EVERY PLAY SCRIPT FOR FREE!

Filter  
  1. Performance Group Middle School Theatre X
  2. Theme Backstage X
  3. Theme Relationships X
Clear All
Collections  
Performance Group  
Length Type  
Genre  
Sub-genre  
Production/Casting Filters  
Theme  
Cast Size  
Approx. Run Time (min)  
Items 1 - 10 of 18
Go to filters
  • When Bad Things Happen to Good Actors - Stage Partners

    When Bad Things Happen to Good Actors

    Written by Jason Pizzarello and Ian McWethy
    Length: 25-30 minutes
    Cast Size: 10-30 actors (suggested casting: 5F, 3M, 10 any)
    Genre: Comedy
    Synopsis:
    A simple one-act production of The Wizard of Oz gets derailed by missed cues, forgotten lines, and a renegade sound board op who refuses to play anything but dinosaur noises. A comedy that proves, when it comes to live theatre, everything that can go wrong, will go wrong, and it will be hilarious.
  • Masterclasses

    Masterclasses

    Written By: Patrick Greene
    Length: 30-35 minutes
    Cast Size: 8-25 actors (suggested casting: 1F, 9 any)
    Genre: Comedy
    Synopsis:
    Acting. Is. Life. If you are going to be a student at The Morley Buck School of Serious Acting for Extraordinary Actors, you need to commit to your craft. But acting isn't all soliloquies and dramatic scenes; to be a true Actor (with a capital "A") you need to perfect moments such as being Startled Awake, Underwater Thinking, or being hit by a laser B.E.A.M. These are just some of the hyper-specif...
  • The Cast List - Stage Partners

    The Cast List

    Written By: Jason Pizzarello and Rocco Natale
    Length: 30-35 minutes
    Cast Size: 10-30 actors (suggested casting: 12F, 3M, 5 any)
    Genre: Comedy
    Synopsis:
    Ah, the cast list. Oh, the drama. The casting would be simple if it weren't for constant script cuts, actor trade agreements, backstabbing, helicopter parents, hysterical prima donnas, and the Assistant Director could figure out how to incorporate the songs of Grease into Romeo & Juliet without getting sued. This is a show for any student who has ever been cast or miscast in a school play or a...
  • A Night Under the Stars (one-act) - Stage Partners

    A Night Under the Stars (one-act)

    Written By: Tracy Wells
    Length: 40-45 minutes
    Cast Size: 8-17 actors (suggested casting: 17 any)
    Genre: Dramedy, Comedy
    Synopsis:
    The great outdoors…for some this is a place of peace and tranquility and for others it’s…well…a little messy. A Night Under the Stars is a story about people—people looking to get away from it all, people looking to connect…with nature, with one another, and with the undeniable human spirit that overcomes obstacles, no matter what is thrown our way. And whether it’s attempting to mak...
  • Zombie Boyfriend - A.M. Dittman - Stage Partners

    Zombie Boyfriend

    Written By: A.M. Dittman
    Length: 30-35 minutes
    Cast Size: 6-30 actors (suggested casting: 5F, 5M, 5 any)
    Genre: Comedy
    Synopsis:
    Melissa's best friend has a crush on the new guy, but Melissa's not so sure about Arghn. Maybe it's the grunting, or the insatiable desire for brains. Nobody but Melissa seems to notice as the horde of zombies starts to spread through the school - or if they do, they don't want to rock the boat. Can a zombie hunter and an awkward doctor help Melissa save the staggering population from themselves?...
  • Too Many Daughters: A Jane Austen Parody - Stage Partners

    Too Many Daughters: A Jane Austen Parody

    Written By: Claire Epstein
    Length: 25-30 minutes
    Cast Size: 12-25 actors, gender flexible
    Genre: Comedy
    Synopsis:
    In this Jane Austen parody, the Ashworth daughters (of which there are twelve - or is it thirteen?) struggle to find suitors that will meet their mother's high standard. Her standard, of course, being that they must be filthy rich. Their task is made all the more difficult because their choices are so limited, due to the high number of potential suitors who have been killed when their horses fell...
  • The Inexplicable Chaos Factor of Mia Gregory - Stage Partners

    The Inexplicable Chaos Factor of Mia Gregory

    Written By: Emily Hageman
    Length: 30-35 minutes
    Cast Size: 8-20 actors (suggested casting: 5F, 3M)
    Genre: Drama
    Synopsis:
    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 - Stage Partners

    The Cages We Build

    Written By: Emily Hageman
    Length: 30-35 minutes
    Cast Size: 8 actors (4F, 4M)
    Genre: Drama
    Synopsis:
    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.
  • Places in Five - Stage Partners

    Places in Five

    Length: 30-35 minutes
    Cast Size: 10-30 actors (suggested casting: 4F, 5M, 5 any)
    Genre: Comedy
    Synopsis:
    The one where an actress stumbles into the role of a lifetime...if only she can figure out what play she's doing. Meta-theatricality knows no bounds in this wacky comedy. (​If you like The Actor's Nightmare by Christopher Durang, consider Places in Five.)
  • Instructions for Hugs - Stage Partners

    Instructions for Hugs

    Written By: Patrick Greene
    Length: 30-35 minutes
    Cast Size: 7-25 actors (suggested casting: 1F, 20 any)
    Genre: Comedy
    Synopsis:
    After isolating at home for what feels like forever, Sunny is finally ready to go out into the world again to see a friend’s play. Except...maybe she’s not. Maybe she has forgotten how to do simple things like smile, and greet a friend, and hug someone. Maybe she should just stay inside on her comfy couch, and eat beef jerky with Brandon, the embodiment of her need to isolate. Fortunately for...
Items 1 - 10 of 18