Plays for Advanced Actors
For school drama programs that are looking for more ambitious plays, Stage Partners has an exciting collection of one-act and full-length plays for advanced actors.
Browse our selection below and READ EVERY PLAY SCRIPT FOR FREE!
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Queens
Length: 90 minutesCast Size: 10-35 actors (suggested casting: 7F, 2M, 7 any)Genre: DramaSynopsis:
King Henry VIII is trapped in purgatory, bound to his throne by a sinister Fool and the ghostly Women in White. Here in his gilded cage, he is forced to relive the sins he committed against his queens, mistresses and people of the court, over and over again, for an eternity. (A one-act version of this play is also available.) -
Beware the House on Haunted Hill!
Length: 85-90 minutesCast Size: 9 actors (suggested casting: 3F, 3M, 3 any)Genre: ComedySynopsis:
Come to the party…stay if you dare. An eccentric millionaire promises six guests a mysterious prize if they can survive the night at the only truly haunted house in the world. Everyone invited has a few skeletons in their closets though, and screwball scares lurk around every corner. The classic 50s horror movie House on Haunted Hill becomes a campy whodunnit in this low-tech stage adaptation. J... -
The Book Women
Length: 75-90 minutesCast Size: 7-30 actors (suggested casting: 10F, 4M)Genre: DramaSynopsis:
In the midst of the Great Depression, in a community crushed by the collapse of coal, and isolated by the very mountains they call home, a group of determined librarians take to their horses to reach the people of Eastern Kentucky. With a dedication equal to the US Postal Service, these “Book Women'' deliver more than the books and magazines they carry in their saddlebags. They bring hope. They... -
Lawbreakers! (a fast and furious history of women’s suffrage)
Length: 60 minutesCast Size: 6-19 actors (suggested casting: 5F, 1M)Genre: ComedySynopsis:
A pair of feuding modern-day stepsisters wake up at the Akron Women's Rights Convention of 1851, and find themselves on a whirlwind journey through US history. As they face the challenges of each time with fascinating suffragists, abolitionists, and freedom fighters like Sojourner Truth and Ida B. Wells, the young women must decide what they really believe and what kind of world they want to stand... -
Elephant/Man
Length: 100 minutesCast Size: 8-30+ actors (suggested casting: 2F, 2M, 8 any)Genre: DramaSynopsis:
The story of Joseph Merrick (a.k.a. The Elephant Man) comes to life in this highly theatrical retelling featuring an ensemble of performers that share the role of Merrick. Whether on a bare stage or with an elaborate set, this adaptable play shines the spotlight on the vivid inner life of Joseph Merrick, and his relationship with the good Dr. Treves. This classic story of the ultimate outcast feel... -
Ten(ish): Horror
Length: Ten 10-Minute PlaysCast Size: Varies by TitleGenre: DramaSynopsis:
It's time for tales of terror to see their day onstage. From horrifying creatures, to long-buried secrets, to the dark visions in your own mirror, nightmares await in Ten(ish): Horror, an anthology of short plays by some of the most exciting playwrights working today. Ten(ish): Horror is edited by Brendan Conheady and features the following short plays: Trust... -
And Neither Have I Wings to Fly
Length: 150 minutesCast Size:Genre: DramaSynopsis:
In 1950s Ireland, family means everything. So when Eveline Donnelly abandons her dream of a university education to care for her widowed father, it seems only right and natural. But as she watches her younger sister prepare to leave home, a visit from her mother's ghost makes Evie begin to ask, "When is it my turn?" -
My Brother's Gift
Length: 75-90 minutesCast Size: 5-15 actors (suggested casting: 6F, 4M, 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... -
SINK! A Titanic Murder Mystery
Length: 90-120 minutesCast Size: 12-16 actorsGenre: ComedySynopsis:
We begin on the Titanic. An ideal setting for a murder mystery, don't you think? First class. The game afoot: a mystery that must be solved before the ship goes down... And then, something starts to shift... We are actually backstage at a Broadway show based on a Titanic. And one of the actors ends up dead. It's a noir. And then the perception of reality starts to shift again...A traditional locke... -
Capsule
Length: 10 minutesCast Size: 3 actors (2M, 1 any)Genre: DramaSynopsis:
When a beloved park is scheduled to become a parking lot, three friends are forced to dig up their time capsule a bit earlier than they had planned. What they dig up about their shared past will change them all forever. This play is part of the short play collection Ten(ish): Horror.