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!
Go to filters
-
A Wrinkle in Time (50-minute one-act)
Length: 45-50 minutesCast Size: 7-30 actors (suggested casting: 7F, 4M, 6 any)Genre: DramaSynopsis:
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... -
How to Survive Being in a Shakespeare Play
Length: 30-60 minutesCast Size: 10-50 actors (suggested casting: 5F, 5M, 10 any)Genre: ComedySynopsis:
Some day it’s going to happen: You’re going to find yourself on stage, wearing tights, and saying things in iambic pentameter. Face it, you’re in a Shakespeare play, and that means it’s a pretty good bet you’re going to DIE. The Bard is out for blood, but this play is here to stop him! How could Romeo and Juliet survive? Julius Caesar? A nameless soldier in Henry the Fifth? What if King... -
A Wrinkle in Time (35-minute one-act)
Length: 35-40 minutesCast Size: 7-30 actors (suggested casting 7F, 4M, 8 any)Genre: DramaSynopsis:
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
Length: 30-35 minutesCast Size: 12-20 actors (suggested casting: 17 any)Genre: ComedySynopsis:
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
Length: 30-40 minutesCast Size: 10-30 actors (suggested casting: 14F, 10M)Genre: Dramedy, DramaSynopsis:
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. -
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... -
Holiday Party
Length: 30-35 minutesCast Size: 3-15 actors (suggested cast size: 3F, 3M, 3 any)Genre: ComedySynopsis:
Make yourself at home—Evelyn’s annual holiday party is always warm, welcoming, and full of surprises. You might meet a pair of wallflowers finding connection in the corner, a pair of elves whose friendship is devolving into bitter rivalry, or a couple sharing a guest room with their host’s improbable menagerie of pets. A sweet one-act treat for the holidays. -
Shakespeare, Clearly: The Comedy of Errors (one-act version)
Length: 25-30 minutesCast Size: (suggested casting: 17F, 6M)Genre: ComedySynopsis:
This play is coming soon. Contact Stage Partners to request a prepublication perusal script. -
Head Elf
Length: 25-30 minutesCast Size: 6-18 actors (suggested casting: 2F, 2M, 6 any)Genre: ComedySynopsis:
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.