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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The Visitors
Length: 25-30 minutesCast Size: 7-14 actors (suggested casting: 7F, 4M, 3 any)Genre: DramaSynopsis:
KB is in a coma. How she got there, no one knows. As she lies unconscious on a hospital bed, family, friends, and other well-wishers reflect on KB and how she has affected their lives. But as KB's physical condition worsens and her visitors struggle with their grief, KB embarks on a mysterious journey that will change her forever. (If you like The Lottery consider The Visitors.) -
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... -
My Brother's Gift (one-act version)
Length: 40-50 minutesCast Size: 5-15 actors (suggested casting: 5F, 3M, 2 any)Genre: DramaSynopsis:
Based on the remarkable true story of Heinz Geiringer -- neighbor and friend of Anne Frank -- we follow the story of a young artist and loving brother living in unconscionable circumstances. A trained musician at only 15 and now forced to live in hiding and silence, Heintz turns to painting and poetry to express his everyday terror but hope of the future. Through Heinz's inspired paintings, nostal... -
Instructions for Hugs
Length: 30-35 minutesCast Size: 7-25 actors (suggested casting: 1F, 20 any)Genre: ComedySynopsis:
After isolating at home for what feels like forever, Sunny is finally ready to go out into the world again to see a friend’s play. Except...maybe she’s not. Maybe she has forgotten how to do simple things like smile, and greet a friend, and hug someone. Maybe she should just stay inside on her comfy couch, and eat beef jerky with Brandon, the embodiment of her need to isolate. Fortunately for... -
Happy Birthday To Me
Length: 10Cast Size: 2 actors (2F)Genre: ComedySynopsis:
It's Chelsea's 14th birthday at midnight tonight - but until then, her older sister, Andrea is in charge. The sleepover guests are due any minute... aren't they? Unless something else is going on... This play is part of the short play collection Ten(ish): Comedies. -
A Place to Rest Your Head
Length: 10 minutesCast Size: 4 actors (3M, 1F)Genre: DramaSynopsis:
The residents of a run-down flophouse are transients, haunted in more ways than one. But a deeper mystery unfolds: who are the ghosts, and who are the haunted? This play is part of the short play collection Ten(ish): Horror. -
Viewings
Length: 10 - 15 minutesCast Size: 5-6 actors (suggested casting: 6F)Genre: DramaSynopsis:
You never quite know what you're getting when you buy an old house. The past may still echo within its walls. For Deirdre, who is on the run from her own past, a new home means an escape, but it also comes with some unexpected inhabitants. This play is part of the short play collection Ten(ish): Horror. -
Mirror
Length: 10 minutesCast Size: 3 actors (3F)Genre: DramaSynopsis:
When Juniper purchases an old mirror at a garage sale, she gets more than she bargained for. What awakens when she gazes within? A haunting and evocative play about the demons we try to forget. This play is part of the short play collection Ten(ish): Horror. -
Trust Fall
Length: 10 minutesCast Size: 3 actors (3F)Genre: DramaSynopsis:
Jackie hasn’t been the same since her sister Sadie died. Luckily, Dani has been there to guide her through her grief. But when Jackie leads Dani to the maw of a cave on the one year anniversary of Sadie’s death, this friendship will be pushed to the limit as they step further and further into the darkness. This play is part of the short play collection Ten(ish): Horror. -
The Red House Monster
Length: 35-45 minutesCast Size: 4-5 actors (suggested casting: 4F, 1M)Genre: DramaSynopsis:
The story of Hannah Gold, a young lady living on an island off the coast of Massachusetts in the late 1800s, and the night that changed her life. Filled with small town lore, haunted houses, spirits, monsters, pistols, pie, and mysteries, it is a play that will keep you guessing just what is in the Red House, and who, in fact, you should be afraid of. Inspired by the myth of Geryon and Hercules, a...