One-Act Plays

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  The Applicant New Release

Fantasy by Brent Holland

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...

  Blood Guilt New Release

Drama by Jim and Jane Jeffries

25 pages

1 m, 1 w


Trying to start over after a recent tragic loss, Nicholas has just moved to a new school. He is socially awkward and just needs a friend, so he reaches out to the girl in the corner, who silently writes in her journal. Slowly, they begin to build a friendship. Though it takes time to open up about it, a school shooting has taken the lives of each of their siblings. But when the girl, Ali, reveals her last name, Nicholas realizes her brother was the shooter. This play does not have easy answers but explores the anger and loss in the aftermath of a shooting and...

  Blood Wedding / Bodas de Sangre New Release

Contest Drama one-act by Nelly E Cuellar-Garcia

36 pages

2-3 M; 8 F; 2 flexible; plus ensemble


In this brilliantly updated tragedy "Blood Wedding" by Spanish dramatist Federico Garcia Lorca, we follow the passion and obsession Leonardo and the Bride have for each other. It also explores how the different relationships between mothers and sons, mothers and daughters, husbands and wives, and lovers interweave into one explosive confrontation where the only clear victor is Death. In this version Death shadows the story every step for the inevitable conclusion that unchecked passion ignites. This dual-language version allows directors to incorporate both E...

  The Conservation of Mass New Release

Drama one-act by Donna Seage

34 pages

3 m, 3 w, ensemble


It’s the summer of 1974 and local teen Larissa has discovered that rock musician Paul McCartney has secretly rented a farm just outside Nashville for a few weeks. Larissa camps out on the farm, watching through her binoculars for Paul, certain that his presence in her small town means all sorts of miraculous things are sure to happen. But Larissa has a secret of her own and her need for a miracle becomes the focal point of the summer of ‘74.

  Fallen Goldfish New Release

by Dean Phillips II

20 pages

1 m, 1 w, 1 child, 6 - 16 flexible roles


When Thomas hurriedly flushes the deceased family goldfish down the toilet to replace it with a new one while his young son, Lewis, is at school, he receives a knock on his front door. Greeting him is a golden-clad warrior claiming that he and his Viking-like associates knew and fought alongside the deceased Stanley (the goldfish). With his living room now invaded by these unusual warriors demanding to have the funeral in his house, Thomas must make them leave before Lewis and his mother come home. All just because of a dead goldfish. About 35-minute runtime....

  Havoc New Release

Mythology by Chase Owen

30 pages

Flexible cast of 12 or more actors.


While on a school trip to the local museum, three high school friends find themselves in a restricted area. In this room the students discover a statue of Pandora and her famous box. The box is opened and three creatures - Famine, War, and Disease - are released into the world. With the help of a mysterious guide, the three friends must fulfill the wish of the creatures to return everything back to normal.

  Influence(rs) New Release

by Jane McGinnes

40 pages

Cast of 22+ (3 m, 6 w, 3 flexible, ensemble of 8-10)


Influence(rs) follows middle schooler AJ Ryan as she embarks on a surreal guided tour of her own past, led by the creators of Mythical Mayhem, her favorite podcast. With their unique blend of humor and storytelling, the podcasters help her revisit pivotal moments in her past: a new school, a bereavement, and a social media calamity. Along the way, she discovers the power of perspective, forms a bond with her alter-ego AJ2, and begins to understand how her choices influence her path. With relevant contemporary themes, just the right balance o...

  Lost in the Woods New Release

Comedy by Stephen Murray

30 pages

7 w, 7 flexible, ensemble of 8 or more


A group of students enrolled in a technology-free wilderness camp find themselves lost in the middle of the woods. As darkness falls, a mysterious counselor that wasn’t introduced at orientation finds the students and sets up camp with them. Around the campfire, the students and counselor share ghost stories and tales of the mysterious creatures of the forest, like sasquatch and the chupacabra. But not all creatures are big and scary. Gnomes also appear and explain that they are guardians of the woods. Will the campers ever get out of the woods? When the real...

  Mustn’t Tell New Release

Comedy by Christopher Morse

19 pages

5 w


In a sunny suburban living room, circa 1960, five women gather for tea. Hostess Bettie has sent friends Bonnie, Bunnie, and Bootie out to see her garden – a ploy which allows Bettie to share a juicy tidbit of gossip with the fifth woman, Darla. It seems that the “man-crazy” Bonnie once again disgraced herself at the bridal shower which all five recently attended. Darla listens obediently but is plainly reluctant to be made the keeper of secrets. The others return, and now Bonnie button-holes Darla and relates a similar tidbit concerning the “sweet but dumb” B...