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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Dear Anne, From Nina (one-act version)
Length: 40-45 minutesCast Size: 7 actors (5F, 2m)Genre: DramaSynopsis:
In February 1940, a young girl in Iowa pulled the name of a pen pal out of a hat. That name was Anne Frank. There was a brief correspondence before the Nazis invaded The Netherlands. The play is a coming-of-age reflection of that time from 1940-1942. While Nina and Jeannie strive to be “citizens of the world” in their tiny town of Danville, Anne and Margot try to live their lives in a world th... -
It's Vaudeville!
Length: 30-35 minutesCast Size: 6-17 actors (suggested casting: 2F, 2M, 13 any)Genre: ComedySynopsis:
In this revue-style show in the spirit of American Vaudeville, the laughs keep rolling. Everyone gets a turn in the spotlight when the host Kurt loses his scene partner Rose mid-show. Kurt talks to comics, clowns, doctors, coppers, gangsters, and jokesters of all kinds while looking for Rose. A bawdy, fun play for groups big and small, It’s Vaudeville! brings back the silly wordplay and charm of... -
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. -
The Scarlet Letter (one-act version)
Length: 35-40 minutesCast Size: 10-25 actors (suggested casting: 6F, 6M, 1 any)Genre: DramaSynopsis:
In this new and theatrical retelling of the classic tale by Nathaniel Hawthorne, Hester Prynne is forced to wear a scarlet letter on her chest as punishment for committing adultery in Puritan New England. Throughout time, The Scarlet Letter has endured as a way to examine societal expressions of shame, guilt, and ultimately, redemption. (A full-length version of this play is als... -
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... -
Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm (one-act)
Length: 35-40 minutesCast Size: 8-20 actors (suggested casting: 11F, 4M)Genre: DramaSynopsis:
When ten-year-old Rebecca Randall’s family falls into dire financial straits, she is sent away from the family farm to live with her two aunts in Riverboro, Maine. Rebecca’s spirited nature and zest for life quickly win her the affection of townspeople and classmates alike, but she must contend with her strict Aunt Miranda, who sees Rebecca’s behavior as nothing but troublesome. Adapted from... -
Captain Theatre Nerd and The Magnificent Techies
Length: 30-35 minutesCast Size: 15-40 actors (suggested casting: 10F, 10M)Genre: ComedySynopsis:
Let Captain Theatre Nerd take you on a whirlwind tour of the history of theater from ridiculous melodramas to sweeping musicals. Everything on stage happens just as it's supposed to, except when it goes horribly and hilariously wrong. Actors on strike, indecisive directors, wrong cues and costumes... But the show must go on! Right? Leave it to the techies to save the day.
