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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 21 - 30 of 34
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  • Shakespeare, Clearly: The Comedy of Errors (one-act version)

    Shakespeare, Clearly: The Comedy of Errors (one-act version)

    Written By: Jon Jory
    Length: 25-30 minutes
    Cast Size: (suggested casting: 17F, 6M)
    Genre: Comedy
    Synopsis:
    This play is coming soon. Contact Stage Partners to request a prepublication perusal script.
  • The Legend of Sleepy Hollow (one-act) adapted by Hans Bloedel and Peter Bloedel

    The Legend of Sleepy Hollow (one-act)

    Adapted by Hans Bloedel & Peter Bloedel from the tale by Washington Irving
    Length: 40-50 minutes (the playwrights also allow additional cuts for time, competitions)
    Cast Size: 8-30 actors (suggested casting: 7F, 8M)
    Genre: Drama
    Synopsis:
    This play is coming soon. Contact Stage Partners to request a prepublication perusal script.  America’s first great ghost story, Washington Irving’s The Legend of Sleepy Hollow follows the quirky and superstitious antics of schoolmaster Ichabod Crane, who is haunted by the dreaded Headless Horseman. This imaginative adaptation stays true to the world that Irving creates in this...
  • The Real Story of Alice in Wonderland, a one-act comedy play script by Kristen Doherty

    The Real Story of Alice in Wonderland

    Written By: Kristen Doherty
    Length: 45-60 minutes
    Cast Size: 13-30 actors
    Genre: Comedy
    Synopsis:
    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.
  • The Quiz That Almost Killed Me - Stage Partners

    The Quiz That Almost Killed Me

    Written By: M.G. Davidson
    Length: 25-30 minutes
    Cast Size: 11-30 actors (suggested casting: 2F, 4M, 10 any)
    Genre: Comedy
    Synopsis:
    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 Secret Garden - Stage Partners

    The Secret Garden

    Adapted by Erin Detrick from the novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett
    Length: 45-55 minutes
    Cast Size: 12-48 actors (4F, 5M, 3 any)
    Genre: Drama
    Synopsis:
    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 - Stage Partners

    The Stowaway

    Written By: Del Martin and Jason Pizzarello
    Length: 35-40 minutes
    Cast Size: 10-12 actors (suggested casting: 4F, 3M, 3 any)
    Genre: Drama
    Synopsis:
    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...
  • 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.
Items 21 - 30 of 34