Plays
Stage Partners publishes some of the most exciting playwrights working in theatre today. From popular one-act comedies to riveting full-length dramas, we have a wide selection of award-winning play scripts for middle schools, high schools, colleges, community theatres, and professional theatres.
Browse our selection below and read every play script for free!
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The Boxcar Children
Length: 55-65 minutesCast Size: 12-20 actors (suggested casting: 11F, 9M)Genre: DramaSynopsis:
Performed with a bare stage and suggested props, we are led by an ever-observant Stage Manager as our meta-theatrical guide in Jon Jory's touching and magical adaptation of The Boxcar Children, the beloved children's book created by teacher Gertrude Chandler Warner. This classic story of four precocious orphans finding their way in a small New England town is sure to tug on every audience member's... -
Night of the Macabre
Length: 90-100 minutes (but can be shortened - see description)Cast Size: 11-36 actors (suggested casting: 9M, 11F, 14 any gender)Genre: Comedy, DramaSynopsis:
A hunt for horror finds four friends at the Museum of the Macabre…a wax museum displaying scenes from short stories by great authors of Gothic Horror like Poe, Hawthorne, and Irving. But as unnerving as the exhibits - and the stories behind them - are…the real terror for the fearless four comes when the exhibits start to come to life! This easy-to-stage play celebrates great short stori... -
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow (one-act)
Length: 40-50 minutes (the playwrights also allow additional cuts for time, competitions)Cast Size: 8-30 actors (suggested casting: 7F, 8M)Genre: DramaSynopsis:
America’s first great ghost story, Washington Irving’s The Legend of Sleepy Hollow follows the quirky and superstitious antics of schoolmaster Ichabod Crane, who is haunted by the dreaded Headless Horseman. This imaginative adaptation stays true to the world that Irving creates in this American gothic tale, but adds a lyrical quality that further enhances the humor, the magic, and th... -
Dr. Jekyll and Miss Hyde
Length: 30-35 minutesCast Size: 15 actors (suggested casting 2F, 13 any)Genre: DramaSynopsis:
Dr. Jekyll does not seem herself lately, as a series of strange attacks strikes London. Jekyll's honest lawyer Utterson is determined to get to the bottom of the matter, after the seeing the abominable Miss Hyde flee a crime scene into Dr. Jekyll's house. But as Utterson questions the Londoners in Dr. Jekyll's orbit, it becomes clear that the secrets of Jekyll and Hyde are intertwined... Thi... -
Founding Daughters
Length: 30-40 minutesCast Size: 9-25 actors possible (suggested casting: 5F, 4M)Genre: DramaSynopsis:
An episodic look at the heroic deeds of young women during the Revolutionary War that would be long forgotten if not for oral history. Had these women not been so brave and cunning, would the war have ended the same way? There is Sybil Ludington's overnight ride to gather the militia, Kate, an African Princess, forced into slavery, who saved her master from the British and more. Students and audie... -
The Christmas Play
Length: 60-70 minutesCast Size: 11-20 actors (suggested casting: 8F, 5M)Genre: DramaSynopsis:
At the turn of the century, a remarkable teacher works each holiday season to bring the joy and magic of the holidays alive for her students and their families. But with World War I raging, a Scrooge-like principal, and an unruly band of students, the prospects of a joyous Noel this year seems very slim...until Miss Brown shares a new song she has just discovered in a London store - the song we've... -
The Secret Garden
Length: 45-55 minutesCast Size: 12-48 actors (4F, 5M, 3 any)Genre: DramaSynopsis:
Orphaned young Mary Lennox finds herself in the charge of a mysterious uncle, in a mysterious house, on the desolate moor in England. Bored and lonely, she starts exploring the gardens and uncovers a secret that has been kept for ten years. But why is everyone here keeping secrets? And who is crying in the house late at night? As spring arrives, the power of nature begins to unlock a beautiful new... -
Little Women
Length: 80-90 minutesCast Size: 9-10 actors (suggested casting: 6F, 4M)Genre: DramaSynopsis:
Jon Jory brings his theatrical magic to this spirited adaptation of Louisa May Alcott's classic coming-of-age drama. The American Civil War is underway, and four sisters -- Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy -- must hold the family together as Christmas draws near. A timeless and sentimental testament to the endurance of family, the power of love, and what it means to stay true to oneself. (A one-act version... -
Shakespeare, Clearly: A Midsummer Night's Dream
Length: 25-30 minutesCast Size: 10-35 actors (suggested casting: 6F, 6M, 9 any)Genre: ComedySynopsis:
Shakespeare’s most-popular comedy of adventure, marriage, and forest creatures is boiled down to a brisk 30 minutes in this one-act adaptation. This straightforward adaptation mixing contemporary and classical language emphasizes story and character rather than the poetry. Master director and acclaimed playwright Jon Jory has reimagined the classic tale to serve as an early introduction for yo... -
Trials: The Story of Joan of Arc (and Beth)
Length: 75-90 minutesCast Size: 7-26 actors (suggested casting: 3F, 4M)Genre: DramaSynopsis:
Before the myth, there was a girl. Beth’s constant clashes with her family make home feel like an emotional battleground. As Beth becomes immersed in a project about Joan of Arc, past and present poignantly intertwine onstage as both conflicted young women face the realities around them – and learn unexpected truths about themselves.