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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 1 - 10 of 24
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  • A Wrinkle in Time 50-minute version) - Morgan Gould - Stage Partners

    A Wrinkle in Time (50-minute one-act)

    Adapted by Morgan Gould from the novel by Madeleine L'Engle
    Length: 45-50 minutes
    Cast Size: 7-30 actors (suggested casting: 7F, 4M, 6 any)
    Genre: Drama
    Synopsis:
    One of literature's most enduring young heroines, Meg Murry, is back -- braces, stubbornness and all. Once again, she's joining forces with Mrs Whatsit, Charles Wallace, Calvin O'Keefe and more to battle the forces of evil so she can rescue her father, save humanity and find herself. In the end, we know two things for sure: 1. Love CAN overcome evil and 2. There...
  • A Wrinkle in Time (35-minute version) - Morgan Gould - Stage Partners

    A Wrinkle in Time (35-minute one-act)

    Adapted by Morgan Gould from the novel by Madeleine L'Engle
    Length: 35-40 minutes
    Cast Size: 7-30 actors (suggested casting 7F, 4M, 8 any)
    Genre: Drama
    Synopsis:
    One of literature's most enduring young heroines, Meg Murry, is back -- braces, stubbornness and all. Once again, she's joining forces with Mrs Whatsit, Charles Wallace, Calvin O'Keefe and more to battle the forces of evil so she can rescue her father, save humanity and find herself. In the end, we know two things for sure: 1. Love CAN overcome evil and 2. There IS such a thing as a tesseract. Per...
  • The Elf on a Shelf Must Die - a short Christmas play by Don Zolidis

    The Elf on a Shelf Must Die

    Written By: Don Zolidis
    Length: 30-35 minutes
    Cast Size: 12-20 actors (suggested casting: 17 any)
    Genre: Comedy
    Synopsis:
    When Sammy and Mook's parents present them with Pip, an Elf of a Shelf, they are less than happy. This little snitch is going to be reporting all their activities to Santa, so their hopes to get an Xbox look doomed. And that's before Sammy accidentally murders Pip. What follows is a Tarantinoesque Christmas caper as the two kids race against the clock to bring their elf back to life before Santa...
  • The Wizard of Oz - Stage Partners

    The Wizard of Oz

    Adapted by Jon Jory from the book by L. Frank Baum
    Length: 30-40 minutes
    Cast Size: 10-30 actors (suggested casting: 14F, 10M)
    Genre: Dramedy, Drama
    Synopsis:
    In this faithful and playfully short adaptation of the original novel, Dorothy lands in Oz and must find her way home to Kansas. But first she must find the yellow brick road, make it through the poppy field, avoid the flying monkeys, and defeat the Wicked Witch. No big deal. Luckily she has the Scarecrow, Tin Man, Cowardly Lion, and Glinda the Good Witch on her side.
  • How (Not) To Be a Wizard - a one-act comedy play script by Kathryn Funkhouser, Patrick Greene, and Jason Pizzarello

    How (Not) to Be A Wizard

    Length: 35-45 minutes
    Cast Size: 8-25+ actors (suggested casting: 18 any)
    Genre: Comedy
    Synopsis:
    It's a (magical) disaster! A school of wizardry needs a new professor...and classes start tomorrow. Everyone's coming through the portal for an interview, from a suspiciously fake-looking centaur to this one guy from Oz who can't even DO anything. Can anybody save the day? A spellbinding comedy that has created the completely new concept of a school for wizards and is definitely not making fun of...
  • Tara, Shaped by the Figures - Stage Partners

    Tara, Shaped by the Figures

    Written By: Emily Hageman
    Length: 40-45 minutes
    Cast Size: 11 actors (suggested casting: 6F, 3M, 2 any)
    Genre: Dramedy, Drama
    Synopsis:
    After Tara's best friend Clara dies from a heart condition, she is afraid to get close to the group trying to befriend her at her new school. The figures from history and fiction who Tara loves (including Anne Frank, Annie Oakley, Churchill, Sherlock Holmes, and Captain America) are joined by Clara in guiding Tara through her grief, until she tells her new friends about her loss.
  • The Sisters Grimm - one-act comedy play script by Katie Pena-Van Zile

    The Sisters Grimm

    Written By: Katie Peña-Van Zile
    Length: 40-45 minutes
    Cast Size: 9-35 actors (suggested casting: 4F, 2M, 6 any)
    Genre: Comedy
    Synopsis:
    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...
  • Holiday Party

    Holiday Party

    Written By: A.M. Dittman
    Length: 30-35 minutes
    Cast Size: 3-15 actors (suggested cast size: 3F, 3M, 3 any)
    Genre: Comedy
    Synopsis:
    Make yourself at home—Evelyn’s annual holiday partyis always warm, welcoming, and full of surprises. Youmight meet a pair of wallflowers finding connection in thecorner, a pair of elves whose friendship is devolving intobitter rivalry, or a couple sharing a guest room with theirhost’s improbable menagerie of pets. A sweet one-acttreat for the holidays.
  • Don't Wake the Dragon

    Don't Wake the Dragon

    Length: 30-40 minutes
    Cast Size: 12-35 actors
    Genre: Comedy
    Synopsis:
    A mundane school day is hilariously upended in this wild homage to Eugene Ionesco’s classic Rhinoceros. When a fierce and deadly dragon flies over a school, the teachers are rightly alarmed. However, thanks to social media and other influences, the dragon inspires a mass popular movement. Soon students and faculty alike are wearing tails, roaring, and inciting chaos! The only person who seems to...
  • Head Elf - Stage Partners

    Head Elf

    Written By: A.M. Dittman
    Length: 25-30 minutes
    Cast Size: 6-18 actors (suggested casting: 2F, 2M, 6 any)
    Genre: Comedy
    Synopsis:
    When Santa's head elf is unexpectedly fired, a desperate search is conducted for a replacement. From Rudolph's bodyguard to a Grinch to the Tooth Fairy, the interviews prove...difficult. Put this play on your Christmas list and you won't regret a single laugh-inducing second.
Items 1 - 10 of 24