Community Theatre One-Act

32 pages

12 Actors

The best and brightest young adults and college students are invited to apply for their dream job. Applicants for this government job are tasked with seemingly simple games in order to advance to the next round. But they soon find out failure has severe consequences. Dr. Kellas explains what is being asked of them and the large reward that awaits the lucky one. What will each applicant do in order to secure their promising future? This show requires very little set, few costumes, and is entirely gender flexible. It is perfect for one-act competitions. About 3...

30 pages

5 m, 4 w, 5 flexible (4 m, 3 w, 3 flexible w/doubling)

   Based on a real-life 1977 incident in which three oddball characters tried to steal the late Elvis Presley's body out of the cemetery, "Law & Elvis" is also a screwball parody of the long running "Law & Order" TV series.

   Caught red-handed in the graveyard with picks and shovels, Leroy, his dimwit cousin Billy Joe and an odd Cajun character named Zydigo plead their innocence while detectives Olivia and Elliott interview an audience pleasing line up of colorful characters to gather evidence for the no-nonsense ...

28 pages

1 m, 1 w, 3 flexible

When our darling couple finds their newly purchased house haunted, they call in an expert, Harper Davidson, Ghost Exterminator. Little do they know that Harper has plans to remove more than just ghosts from their house. She is attempting to rob their house in their absence when the real ghost of the house appears. Harper must face not only the supernatural, but her own conscience. This dark comedic ghost story explores the hilarity of the supernatural and the horrors of capitalism. It asks what makes a “perfect home,” and unpacks how loss attaches itself to p...

28 pages

3 m, 4 w, 4 flexible, doubling possible

Chad's got a problem. Every time he goes on a date with a girl, he gets so nervous he has no idea what to say. So, his friend Steve gives him some advice: pop in an earbud and let Dia-Logic, a great new AI app, tell him everything to say. Of course, not everything goes as planned... Awkward moments and raucous laughter abound in this one act comedy that examines what it means to really connect with someone in the 21^st century.

28 pages

6 Actors

Portrayed in a fantasy world, five confused participants wake up with no memory of their past life … with only one word, a personality descriptor (such as compassionate, courageous or orderly, etc.) written in type on their shirts.  The doctor explains that each is here willingly, and that they are all being compensated for their participation in a research study. Will the assigned attribute of each participant affect their behavior when under extreme duress? Once the experiment begins and they find out that to lose is to die, all five do what they must to su...

27 pages

1 m, 9 w

In the late 1800s rumors were circulating about alleged horrors taking place on Blackwell’s Island, home of the Insane Asylum of New York. Women were apparently the victims of abuse and torture, and one woman, a newspaper reporter, decided to risk her own life to investigate. Nellie Bly committed herself to the asylum, documenting her findings and ultimately revealing the horrors to the entire world. This one-act play, adapted from her book, “Ten Days in a Madhouse,” tells the incredible story of how this “girl” reporter forever changed the way the world look...

23 pages

2 m, 4 w, plus 3 optional roles for the flashback scenes

The play opens with a typical living room scene: a good, old-fashioned dad sitting in a comfy chair reading a good, old-fashioned newspaper. However, things quickly take a turn for the absurd when Mrs. Wright, a professional and serious-looking person, enters the room and is subjected to a barrage of cheesy jokes and puns from the dad. As the rest of the family enters, it becomes clear that they've called Mrs. Wright in for a "Dad-Joke Intervention." But will she be able to help? Or is this family doomed to be forever subjected to the dad's endless supply of ...

41 pages

3 m, 3 w

Lois Lancaster is a big-city journalist writing about the current state of mental health facilities. Her research takes her to a hospital populated with a unique group of quirky inmates who imagine they are crime-fighting superheroes. Speed Freak thinks he can run at incredible speeds, while enthusiastic Dim Bulb thinks he has the ability to turn off lights with his brain. Mental thinks she can read minds, despite being prone to sudden outbursts of bizarre non-sequiturs. Kevin, much less quirky and flamboyant than the other inmates, doesn’t embarrass himself ...

41 pages

1 m, 4 w

Judge Reginald P. Cogsworth, a curmudgeon who hates sweets, is judging a charity bakeoff, albeit grudgingly. Countless entries have been whittled down to three: a tart submitted by Lucy "Scooter" Bright, owner of a nail salon; a Depression-era style cake by Edna Mae Carter, the local librarian; and a rich torte created by Margaret Mason, a local society lady. In the middle of tasting all the goodies, the judge falls dead, and it's up to Miss Peabody, the head of the contest, and the audience to determine the murderer. There are clues in the theatre, some hidd...