One-Acts

22 pages

6 actors

The legend of Pyramus and Thisby is known today primarily because William Shakespeare used it in his comedy "A Midsummer Night’s Dream." As a part of Shakespeare’s play, six workers, sometimes called “mechanicals” or “clowns,” decide to present a play for the festivities that will follow the wedding of the Duke of Athens. In this one-act, we see the mechanicals getting their parts, then rehearsing in the woods the night before the wedding. Of course, these men know nothing about acting or play production, and, as a result, the audience is treated to a rousing...

23 pages

3 m, 4 w

Join Michelle, Bonnie, and Jake as they bumble through getting the high school yearbook together. As senior editor, Michelle wants "her" book to be perfect. Unfortunately, Bonnie, the copy editor, can't spell, and Jake, the photographer, is a little too laid back for deadlines. A core group of four actors portray every organization from the French club to the pep squad as they come to have their pictures taken. The fast-paced photo sessions and accompanying "captions" earn an A on the laugh scale. See how Bonnie and Jake finally create a "yearbroke" too funny...

28 pages

3 m, 6 w

During the wait for the next subway train, the assembled characters think only of their own plights. There's Estelle, an eccentric woman who sits in the station doing cross-stitch and talking with Grover, a street person; Julia, a wealthy woman whose expensive car has just broken down and who is in a hurry to meet her husband; Calvin, a spoiled brat who is supposed to be meeting business associates of his father's at the airport; Marta, a recent immigrant on her way to a new job in a sweatshop; a novice nun with doubts about her vocation; Jan and Jill, musici...

29 pages

3 m, 7 w, 4 flexible

Movie audiences can often be as entertaining as the film itself. This imaginative one-act comedy takes place during the waiting period before a movie begins, offering a rare look at the personalities and idiosyncrasies of typical teen audience members. Alice only wants to enjoy the movie alone but someone's always invading her space. Kent doesn't know how much he wants to flirt with his date Maria, and she is shocked at her reactions. Mindy is a social outcast and just ripe for snotty Laura's tricks. Meanwhile, Ben continues to chow down, while two latecomers...

34 pages

Flexible cast of 19

Students with behavioral issues have been volunteered to be subjects in a government-sponsored experiment. Paid for their time and participation in the study, they will play games in an attempt to be the last team remaining. The purpose of these challenges is to test territorial and personal boundaries when placed under external duress. What happens when teammates must turn on their own? How far will they go to protect their territory? When a knife is introduced, the stakes become real… but so does the prize money. 

22 pages

2 m, 3 w, 2 flexible

After a car accident that killed her best friend, Lucy Taber is trapped in a coma. In her hospital bed Lucy hears her family discussing the severity of her situation. Unable to distinguish reality from fever dreams, Lucy must maneuver her very own purgatory in hopes of uncovering the truth. Luckily, she does not have to face it alone. A visiting ghost or a figment of her imagination, Lucy’s best friend Milo aids her in overcoming his death, and then accepting her own. With family and friends by her side, Lucy will face reality and exit purgatory. Approximate ...

27 pages

1 w, 3-10 flexible

Dee has recently come out to his entire school as transgender. After his former friend Riley harasses him about his trans identity on social media, Dee uses an undercover pseudonym to post embarrassing secrets about her. The revealing post quickly circulates among the student body. Soon, Dee and Riley realize they have said more than they can take back. In this interactive performance, students will be prompted to think about the unintended consequences of cyberbullying and the ways that social media can strain relationships. This show can be produced using a...

41 pages

4 w

This powerful drama takes on the subject of date rape. Four girls meet throughout the school year in the girls bathroom, in the mornings when it is off-limits to students. It's their secret refuge where they share stories, tease and argue with each other, but above all, support one another. When one of the girls, a freshman, reveals the name of the guy she is seeing, her sister, a senior, is horrified as he is the boy who raped her in eighth grade. By the end of the school year, they have all grown, learned, and are ready to leave their refuge for good. This ...

19 pages

1 m, 2 w, 3 flexible. Doubling possible.

Adam, a teenager, is hearing squeaks in the walls of his room, so much squeaking, in fact, he's losing sleep. How can he get rid of the problem? He consults with two rats who advise him to use everything from a chain saw to a blow-up doll dressed to look like a rat, to the ultimate solution, playing Michael Bolton CDs! But will any of these ideas really get the rats out, or make Adam's problem worse? Just what are these squeaks anyway? It doesn't look good, and time is running out as the lovely Rachel will be stopping by at any moment!