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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!

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Items 51 - 59 of 59
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  • A Stitch Here or There: A Sock Tragedy in One Act by Aeneas Sagar Hemphill, a ten-minute play, part of the short play collection Ten(ish): Comedies - Stage Partners

    A Stitch Here or There: A Sock Tragedy in One Act

    Written By: Aeneas Sagar Hemphill
    Length: 10 minutes
    Cast Size: 3-6 actors
    Genre: Dramedy, Comedy
    Synopsis:
    What happens to the socks that disappear in the laundry? What about the ones left behind? When Cotton loses the other half of her pair, she looks for answers. A Stitch Here or There is a soulful comedy about loss... with sock puppets. This play is part of the short play collection Ten(ish): Comedies.
  • The Scarlet Letter (one-act version) - Stage Partners

    The Scarlet Letter (one-act version)

    Adapted by Carrie McCrossen from the novel by Nathaniel Hawthorne
    Length: 35-40 minutes
    Cast Size: 10-25 actors (suggested casting: 6F, 6M, 1 any)
    Genre: Drama
    Synopsis:
    In this new and theatrical retelling of the classic tale by Nathaniel Hawthorne, Hester Prynne is forced to wear a scarlet letter on her chest as punishment for committing adultery in Puritan New England. Throughout time, The Scarlet Letter has endured as a way to examine societal expressions of shame, guilt, and ultimately, redemption.   (A full-length version of this play is als...
  • The Jungle Book - Stage Partners

    The Jungle Book

    Adapted by Jon Jory from the stories by Rudyard Kipling
    Length: 35-40 minutes
    Cast Size: 15-30 actors (suggested casting: 20 any)
    Genre: Drama
    Synopsis:
    This thrilling and fun-filled adventure is brought to the stage by the theatrical master Jon Jory who has crafted an accessible, flexible, and easily-staged version for all ages! When a human child named Mowgli is taken and raised by a family of wolves, he must learn the ways of the jungle. Fortunately he has the wise panther Bagheera and friendly Baloo the bear by his side. But soon Mowgli finds...
  • The Trojan Women - Stage Partners

    The Trojan Women

    Adapted by Jon Jory from the play by Euripides
    Length: 25-30 minutes
    Cast Size: 13-21 actors (suggested casting: 10F, 3M, 3 non-speaking men)
    Genre: Drama
    Synopsis:
    Euripides' classic tragedy follows the fate of the women of Troy after their devastating loss in the Trojan War.  Brought to the stage by theatrical master Jon Jory, this taut, accessible adaptation with a flexible, large female cast is the perfect one-act drama for competition.
  • The Semi-Amazing, Sort-of-Sensational, Almost Unbelievable Christmas Spectacular! - Stage Partners

    The Semi-Amazing, Sort-of-Sensational, Almost Unbelievable Christmas Spectacular!

    Written By: Jon Jory
    Length: 30-35 minutes
    Cast Size: 15-48 actors (suggested casting: 3F, 3M, 14 any)
    Genre: Comedy
    Synopsis:
    What happens when a school tries to put on a Christmas Spectacular for the bargain price $11.50? You get a ton of elves, a spirit of Christmas, a visit from the little match girl, Jacob Marley and a partridge in a pear tree. It may be low on budget, but it's high on laughs as we watch the Christmas characters we know and love hilariously collide in this Christmas disaster for the ages.
  • The Lost Art of Finding - Stage Partners

    The Lost Art of Finding

    Written By: Alan Haehnel
    Length: 25-30 minutes
    Cast Size: 10-30 actors (suggested casting: 15 any)
    Genre: Dramedy, Comedy
    Synopsis:
    Say what you will about Sophie, she is focused. On Something, a crucial Something, and she won't give up until she has It. A pushy salesman, a mob of celebrity hounds, the celebrity himself, even a well-meaning, potential friend will not distract Sophie from her quest. This large cast, gender-flexible one-act will both entertain and intrigue, inviting viewers to question what their particular Some...
  • The Silent Sentinels - Stage Partners

    The Silent Sentinels

    Written By: William Prenetta
    Length: 40-50 minutes
    Cast Size: 10-30 actors (suggested casting: 19F, 7M)
    Genre: Drama
    Synopsis:
    It is 1976 and the leaders of the ERA movement are just three states short of their dream of legal equality for women. Kate O’Halloran, barely in her 20s and not interested in feminism, has snagged an interview with suffragette legend and ERA proponent Alice Paul, aged 93. Arriving at her small cottage in Connecticut, Kate, unbeknownst to Paul, has no desire to discuss the ERA but to uncover the...
  • We Can't Talk About This - Stage Partners

    We Can't Talk About This

    Written By: Jon Jory
    Length: 30-35 minutes
    Cast Size: 8-20 actors, (suggested casting: 4F, 4M, 4 any)
    Genre: Drama
    Synopsis:
    Life at home has become tense for 17-year-old Jody. She’s sporting a black eye, her sister Laurie is hiding bruises on her arm, and their mom claims she twisted her ankle falling down the stairs. And no one is allowed to talk about it. Finally, when the situation reaches a breaking point, Jody decides she must do the thing she fears most: confront her father about his alcoholism and abusive beha...
  • Week Daze

    Week Daze

    Written By: Hillary DePiano
    Length: 30-40 minutes
    Cast Size: 7 actors (7 any)
    Genre: Comedy
    Synopsis:
    Has TJ’s comfortable routine become a rut? When an old friend comes to town with a challenge, TJ’s got to figure out what it really means to live a little without changing your life to meet someone else’s expectations. Week Daze zooms out and looks at our daily routines from a new perspective as all five weekdays play out simultaneously across the stage in a comic ballet. A virtual version...
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