One-Act Plays

38 pages

4 m, 3 w

Philip, the Stone Age lord of an elegant cave suite, is something of a Neanderthal when it comes to change. Rumors of a new secret weapon worry him. So does the alarmingly barbaric tribe that has settled across the river who live in boxes made of wooden logs with a panel that opens and closes! Then there's his son, Thomas, who has dropped out of hunting-fishing-agriculture school and does nothing but play with inventions. His daughter, Sharon, befriends animals instead of attracting a nice caveman who will carry her off to a decent cavern in a good neighborho...

31 pages

1 w, 6 flexible

The Empress of China learns about a wonderful bird in her garden and demands the bird perform that evening in court. When Miss Nightingale appears, everyone is disappointed by her drab, gray appearance. However, she makes up for it with her beautiful birdsong which even moves the Empress to tears. She decides to have a silver cage built, to keep the bird forever. Just then a gift is received from Japan -- a marvelous, jewel-studded mechanical bird which sings its own mechanical tune. With the attention on the new gift, Miss Nightingale steals away, back to th...

21 pages

2 m, 4 w, 2 flexible

Have you ever been in the middle of a boring job and suddenly found yourself fantasizing about that great-looking person across the room? That's what happens to Tom Algren one night in the library when he spies a girl named Rhonda, the woman of his dreams! Laugh with Tom as his daydreams come to life on stage - as he becomes the cool Bogie, the tough Rambo, and the all-American superman. Some fantasies involve Rhonda with her two roommates, one stunningly beautiful and one super tough. Here's a play that's packed with humor and opportunities for fun acting.

25 pages

3 men, 2 women, 4 flexible

Adapted by Burton Bumgarner From the tale by Oscar Wilde. Hugh is in love with Laura and she is in love with him. They want to marry but Laura's father, a gruff and greedy man, won't hear of the marriage of his only daughter to a lowly actor. In order to win the girl he loves, Hugh must come up with the astounding sum of $10,000, or Laura will be forced to marry an attorney, a man her father has selected. Set in New York City during the Great Depression, actors and artists, as well as millionaires and beggars, populate this one-act play. Hugh's best friend, T...

37 pages

4 m, 3 w

Monsieur Harpagon is a miser, through and through. Although he has his beloved treasure buried in the garden to protect it from thieves, he abhors waste such as warmth and food! He tells his children, Elise and Cleante, they may only marry with his consent, and he looks for spouses for both of them with the help of Madame Frosine, a matchmaker. She quickly finds a future spouse for everyone, including Monsieur Harpagon. Little does he know Cleante has fallen for Marianne, who Harpagon himself plans to marry, and Elise has fallen for the penniless Valere. The ...

34 pages

2 m, 6 w, 2 flexible

Welcome to Darla's dream world. On this particular night, Darla and her best friend Maxine, set off to find prom dresses, dates and a limo. They escape Darla's mother, who has selected the world's ugliest dress for her daughter, meet a hobo and a nerdy limo salesman, who tries to become Darla's prom date, and pursue the school dreamboat, Roger Harcourt. Through all this Darla's conscience, Constance, tries to keep Darla on the straight and narrow. Later they attend a Christmas party where the pursuit of Roger continues and Darla almost realizes her dreams bef...

21 pages

3 m, 4 w, extras

Jenny, a high school student, is on cloud nine: Dave Stone has asked her to the prom. Her girlfriends are all sexually active and have been pressuring Jenny to change her old-fashioned views on premarital sex. Then, on the day before the prom, Jenny's best friend, Michelle, tearfully confides that she thinks she is pregnant and her boyfriend dumped her when she told him. Distraught, Jenny begins to question whether premarital sex is worth the gamble of pregnancy, disease, loss of reputation, or compromise of values. Her decision is one that many youth are als...

35 pages

7 m, 2 w

Hilton Cubitt, a squire, has come to Sherlock Holmes for help. Cubitt has found several messages of coded letters drawn in the form of dancing men, undecipherable to him but extremely disturbing to his American wife, Elsie. With his typical brilliance Sherlock Holmes quickly realizes the danger the messages convey, and he and Watson travel to the Cubitt estate. But it is too late. Cubitt is dead and it is believed that Elsie shot him, although it cannot be proved because she herself is unconscious, near death’s door. Holmes sets a trap for an American man ren...

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...