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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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 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... -
You've Reached Justin
Length: 10 minutesCast Size: 2 actors (2M)Genre: DramaSynopsis:
Daniel only planned for a night out of clubbing with his best friend and crush, Justin. But before they can meet, monsters fall from the sky and begin attacking the city. When Justin won't answer his phone, Daniel starts out through the carnage and chaos to rescue him, leaving voicemails along the way. Part sci-fi/horror, part romance, You've Reached Justin will keep your heart pounding... -
The Chips are Down
Length: 35-40 minutesCast Size: 10-30 actors (suggested casting: 8F, 3M, 5 any)Genre: DramaSynopsis:
In 1951, the Red Scare is in full swing, and it migrates to a private girls’ school in New Hampshire when one teacher is suspected of being a Communist. Charged by the administration to find out the truth, Rachel, the daughter of the cafeteria manager, must challenge her own beliefs to figure out the meaning of justice. -
Safetown
Length: 30-35 minutesCast Size: 9 actors (6F, 3M)Genre: DramaSynopsis:
After an unnamed catastrophic event destroys much of the United States, a group of young survivors take shelter in a cave in Utah, vigilantly guarding their dwindling stash of supplies and relying only on their wits and each other to stay alive. Rumors of a new, idyllic society forming in Illinois called Safetown tempt some of the group, but others are sure it’s nothing more than a fairy tale. B... -
The Silent Sentinels
Length: 40-50 minutesCast Size: 10-30 actors (suggested casting: 19F, 7M)Genre: DramaSynopsis:
It is 1976 and the leaders of the ERA movement are just three states short of their dream of legal equality for women. Kate O’Halloran, barely in her 20s and not interested in feminism, has snagged an interview with suffragette legend and ERA proponent Alice Paul, aged 93. Arriving at her small cottage in Connecticut, Kate, unbeknownst to Paul, has no desire to discuss the ERA but to uncover the... -
Should Not Cause Harm
Length: 30-35 minutesCast Size: 10-25 actors (suggested casting: 7F, 7M)Genre: DramaSynopsis:
A spellbinding story of grief and self-discovery, exemplified through a teenage girl's journey from retribution to redemption. Through the flashbacks of the ensemble cast, we learn of a twisted tale of manipulation, heartache, and self-harm...ultimately they discover that relationships in life "should not cause harm." -
The After (one-act version)
Length: 45-60 minutesCast Size: 14-30 actors (suggested casting: 8F, 4M, 8 any)Genre: DramaSynopsis:
One bright, blue fall afternoon a shooter walks in Three Roads High School and kills five students and two adults. During the shooting, students in one section of the school put up a makeshift barrier of desks, chairs, music stands -- and a photo of the wall goes viral. In the hours, weeks and months after the wake of another tragedy, students and teachers deal with grief, the media frenzy and unc... -
We Can't Talk About This
Length: 30-35 minutesCast Size: 8-20 actors, (suggested casting: 4F, 4M, 4 any)Genre: DramaSynopsis:
Life at home has become tense for 17-year-old Jody. She’s sporting a black eye, her sister Laurie is hiding bruises on her arm, and their mom claims she twisted her ankle falling down the stairs. And no one is allowed to talk about it. Finally, when the situation reaches a breaking point, Jody decides she must do the thing she fears most: confront her father about his alcoholism and abusive beha... -
Spoon River (one-act version)
Length: 35-45 minutesCast Size: 8-26 actors (suggested casting: 13F, 13M)Genre: DramaSynopsis:
Former citizens of a mythical Midwestern town speak from the grave of the day-to-day hopes and dreams of their lives. Touching, anguished, and contemptuous, their voices and stories weave together in this fresh new take on a modern American classic. You won't forget what you've heard from these distinctively small-town folk as they evoke universal themes of hope, despair, and love. (A full-length...