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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The Real Story of Alice in Wonderland
Length: 45-60 minutesCast Size: 13-30 actorsGenre: ComedySynopsis:
Was Alice really the sweet, innocent little girl the storybooks made her out to be, or was she actually a nasty piece of work? Two Narrators battle as they show the audience contrasting versions of Lewis Carroll's classic story. Cuttings are permitted for competition time restrictions - email Stage Partners for details. -
Dracula (one-act)
Length: 30-35 minutesCast Size: 11 actors (suggested casting 7F, 3M, 1 any)Genre: DramaSynopsis:
A swift one-act adaptation of Bram Stoker's classic horror novel that is easily staged for the most-effective frights. Eva Van Helsing, the vampire hunter, has decided to confront and kill Dracula before he bites again. Lucy is already wandering the asylum as an undead, and it isn’t long before more victims fall prey. Mina is willing to be human bait to lure Dracula out of hiding, but will Van H... -
The Quiz That Almost Killed Me
Length: 25-30 minutesCast Size: 11-30 actors (suggested casting: 2F, 4M, 10 any)Genre: ComedySynopsis:
A student journeys through space, time and a hilariously idiotic Dickensian theatrical landscape to discover the importance of studying for a quiz. Entertaining for students from the past, present, and future. School was never so terrifying. (If you like This is A Test by Stephen Gregg, consider The Quiz That Almost Killed Me.) -
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... -
The Secret Garden
Length: 45-55 minutesCast Size: 12-48 actors (4F, 5M, 3 any)Genre: DramaSynopsis:
Orphaned young Mary Lennox finds herself in the charge of a mysterious uncle, in a mysterious house, on the desolate moor in England. Bored and lonely, she starts exploring the gardens and uncovers a secret that has been kept for ten years. But why is everyone here keeping secrets? And who is crying in the house late at night? As spring arrives, the power of nature begins to unlock a beautiful new... -
The Stowaway
Length: 35-40 minutesCast Size: 10-12 actors (suggested casting: 4F, 3M, 3 any)Genre: DramaSynopsis:
Far in the future, humanity has found peace but has been divided between Earth, the colonies on the Moon, and the Mars Federation. Person to person contact between the worlds is a thing of the distant past, with life existing in islands of division and distrust. But all of that changes when a mysterious girl arrives on Mars with a message of hope and a stark warning. Can humanity come together to... -
Wild Waves Whist
Length: 35-40 minutesCast Size: 10 actors (8F, 2M)Genre: DramaSynopsis:
A young teacher hoping to be hired as a coach at a private boys' school is instead assigned as literature and theatre teacher at its sister school - a private school for girls. There he is charged with the task of directing Shakespeare's The Tempest with his motley crew of adolescent female scholars, a play that effectuates an inner storm for all involved with the production. Wild Waves Whist is a... -
Some Assembly Required
Length: 10 minutesCast Size: 3 actors (suggested casting: 1F, 1M, 1 any)Genre: ComedySynopsis:
While attempting to assemble a dresser from a certain Swedish furniture company, a long-married couple inadvertently activate a plot to end the world. Some Assembly Required is a comedy for all those who have battled unintelligible instructions. This play is part of the short play collection Ten(ish): Comedies. -
The Red House Monster
Length: 35-45 minutesCast Size: 4-5 actors (suggested casting: 4F, 1M)Genre: DramaSynopsis:
The story of Hannah Gold, a young lady living on an island off the coast of Massachusetts in the late 1800s, and the night that changed her life. Filled with small town lore, haunted houses, spirits, monsters, pistols, pie, and mysteries, it is a play that will keep you guessing just what is in the Red House, and who, in fact, you should be afraid of. Inspired by the myth of Geryon and Hercules, a...