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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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... -
Moriarty's Daughters (one-act version)
Length: 35-40 minutesCast Size: 11-30+ actors (suggested casting: 11F, 5+ any)Genre: Dramedy, DramaSynopsis:
In 1897 New York City, Lucy and Louise Bullard are trying their best to live a quiet life, untouched by the legacy of their father Adam Worth, an internationally infamous conman and art thief whose exploits inspired the character of Moriarty in the Sherlock Holmes stories. However, upon discovering that their father has a third daughter, kept in the care of their aunt, and that the aunt in questio... -
Moriarty's Daughters
Length: 65-70 minutesCast Size: 11-30+ actors (suggested casting: 11F, 5+ any)Genre: Dramedy, DramaSynopsis:
In 1897 New York City, Lucy and Louise Bullard are trying their best to live a quiet life, untouched by the legacy of their father Adam Worth, an internationally infamous conman and art thief whose exploits inspired the character of Moriarty in the Sherlock Holmes stories. However, upon discovering that their father has a third daughter, kept in the care of their aunt, and that the aunt in questio... -
The Sisters Grimm
Length: 40-45 minutesCast Size: 9-35 actors (suggested casting: 4F, 2M, 6 any)Genre: ComedySynopsis:
It’s 2020, and sisters Jo and Riley have just moved into Grandma and Grandpa’s spare bedroom. Dad is deployed overseas and Mom is suddenly working 24/7 as an E.R. nurse. Spring Break has been extended indefinitely, the end-of-the-year musical has been canceled, and Grandpa hasn’t turned off the news in days. Follow along as Jo tries to get her younger sister's mind off of the chaos around th... -
The Heart and Soul of Thomas Elegie
Length: 35-45 minutesCast Size: 7 actorsGenre: DramaSynopsis:
Thomas is a very precise pianist who's being pushed by his mom to win competitions for scholarships, he's losing his love of music in the process and it shows in his playing. He meets a new friend at school who reminds him how to have fun with the piano, but when it turns out she's terminally ill he freaks out - this is a relationship he can't "win" - but ultimately decides to prioritize love of... -
Too Many Daughters: A Jane Austen Parody
Length: 25-30 minutesCast Size: 12-25 actors, gender flexibleGenre: ComedySynopsis:
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... -
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 crack open the door between generations in a theatrical adaptation that wraps the classic psychological horror story The Yellow Wallpaper in a Hitchcockian thriller. -
Happy Birthday To Me
Length: 10Cast Size: 2 actors (2F)Genre: ComedySynopsis:
It's Chelsea's 14th birthday at midnight tonight - but until then, her older sister, Andrea is in charge. The sleepover guests are due any minute... aren't they? Unless something else is going on... This play is part of the short play collection Ten(ish): Comedies. -
Viewings
Length: 10 - 15 minutesCast Size: 5-6 actors (suggested casting: 6F)Genre: DramaSynopsis:
You never quite know what you're getting when you buy an old house. The past may still echo within its walls. For Deirdre, who is on the run from her own past, a new home means an escape, but it also comes with some unexpected inhabitants. This play is part of the short play collection Ten(ish): Horror. -
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.