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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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  • 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...
  • In the Forests of the Night - Stage Partners

    In the Forests of the Night

    Written By: Del Martin
    Length: 25-30 minutes
    Cast Size: 13 actors (suggested casting: 13 any)
    Genre: Drama
    Synopsis:
    Thirteen students are compelled by their dreams to play a game in the woods to keep a mysterious monster at bay. Not everyone gets to play it again. (If you like The Giver consider In the Forests of the Night.)
  • 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...
  • The Elf on a Shelf Must Die - a short Christmas play by Don Zolidis

    The Elf on a Shelf Must Die

    Written By: Don Zolidis
    Length: 30-35 minutes
    Cast Size: 12-20 actors (suggested casting: 17 any)
    Genre: Comedy
    Synopsis:
    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...
  • Princess Party Smackdown - Stage Partners

    Princess Party Smackdown

    Written By: Don Zolidis
    Length: 30-35 minutes
    Cast Size: 9-30 actors (suggested casting: 6F, 1M, 5 any)
    Genre: Comedy
    Synopsis:
    Olivia's seventh birthday party is going to be amazing. Her mother is going to make sure of it. That's why she's hired five different princesses and a weird alien thing to show up. But Olivia's outrageous demands lead to an improv-ed princess show that ends in bloody noses, animal sacrifice, and probably an alien takeover of the planet. 
  • 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...
  • All the Ways the World Will End, But Not You - Stage Partners

    All the Ways the World Will End, But Not You

    Written By: Ian McWethy and Jason Pizzarello
    Length: 30-35 minutes
    Cast Size: 10-50 actors (suggested casting: 2F, 2M, 12 any)
    Genre: Comedy
    Synopsis:
    Let TED talk hosts Megan and Able be your guides to surviving every possible apocalypse. From blatant robot take-overs to dysfunctional zombie survivalist groups, from cute and deadly alien invasions to... bloodthirsty kittens? Okay, so the post-apocalypse world will be a little confusing. If we make it. Which we probably won't. But this play will help! We promise.
Items 1 - 10 of 34