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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 31
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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...
  • How to Survive Being in a Shakespeare Play - Stage Partners

    How to Survive Being in a Shakespeare Play

    Written By: Don Zolidis
    Length: 30-60 minutes
    Cast Size: 10-50 actors (suggested casting: 5F, 5M, 10 any)
    Genre: Comedy
    Synopsis:
    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...
  • 12 Angry Villains - Stage Partners

    12 Angry Villains

    Written By: Jason Pizzarello
    Length: 25-30 minutes
    Cast Size: 12-14 actors (suggested casting: 5F, 7M, 2 any)
    Genre: Comedy
    Synopsis:
    The one that debates Peter Pan's alleged murder of an innocent pirate named Captain Hook. A jury of twelve of the most famous villains will decide Pan's fate, if only they could stop arguing long enough to take a vote. (​If you like The True Story of the Three Little Pigs by Jon Scieszka, consider 12 Angry Villains.)
  • 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...
  • Will You Be My Nemesis? - Kathryn Funkhouser - Stage Partners

    Will You Be My Nemesis?

    Written By: Kathryn Funkhouser
    Length: 35-40 minutes
    Cast Size: 5-30 actors (suggested casting: 10 any)
    Genre: Comedy
    Synopsis:
    It's hard to find your perfect match, someone you really connect with; someone who will dedicate their life to destroying you at all costs. Yes, sometimes it feels like you'll NEVER meet your nemesis. But Captain Battle and Dr. Nightmare are willing to try out every hero and villain in town to find the enemy of their dreams. Of course, you're going to meet a few weirdos along the way... An ultra-f...
  • Home Shopping Studios Live! - Stage Partners

    Home Shopping Studios Live!

    Written By: Claire Epstein
    Length: 25-30 minutes
    Cast Size: 6-19 actors (suggested casting: 7F, 7M, 5 any)
    Genre: Comedy
    Synopsis:
    Home Shopping Studios, hosted by Billy Happerly and Diane St. John, is a premiere home shopping channel - and it's live! Unfortunately, their last producer was fired, and has plotted his revenge by scheduling the worst products imaginable. From stuffed animals filled with human hair, to used trash bags, to live snakes, Billy and Diane have to sell everything, all while dealing with the, ah, creati...
  • 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...
  • Every Novel You Read in High School in 25 Minutes or Less

    Every Novel You Read in High School (in 25 Minutes or Less)

    Written By: Ian McWethy
    Length: 25-30 minutes
    Cast Size: 8-40 actors (suggested casting: 4F, 4M, 6 any)
    Genre: Comedy
    Synopsis:
    The one where a theater group attempts ​ATTEMPTS​ to present all those novels you read in high school before school lets out for the summer. Pray for them. They're gonna need it and so are you. (If you like Shakespeare Abridged… consider Every Novel You Read in High School.)
  • Game Night (Humans Only, Please)

    Game Night (Humans Only, Please)

    Written By: Laura Neill
    Length: 35-40 minutes
    Cast Size: 9 actors (9 any)
    Genre: Comedy
    Synopsis:
    It's game night at the end of the world. The library is one of the only places still above the water line, and the nerds are living it up while they can. But when the soccer team shows up because their field went underwater, they begin a more dangerous game. A high-stakes dark comedy about mutant lizards, climate change, and being the generation born to watch the water level rise.
  • What Happens in Neverland Stays in Neverland

    What Happens in Neverland Stays in Neverland

    Written By: Jon Jory
    Length: 30-35 minutes
    Cast Size: 6-17 actors (suggested casting: 8F, 2M, 7 any)
    Genre: Comedy
    Synopsis:
    You thought you knew Neverland... Take an inside look at what is really going on with your favorite characters. Tinkerbell explains her unrequited love for Peter, Captain Hook wants you to know the real him, and Peter Pan gives a commencement speech worthy of a TED Talk. “In Neverland, fun is a little gory.”
Items 1 - 10 of 31