Stage Pages
Reading list · 24 plays

Best One-Act Plays for Beginners

For a first acting class, a first directing project, or a first attempt at producing your own evening of theatre, the one-act remains the most useful form on offer. The plays below clock in well under an hour, expose dramaturgy clearly, and ask their cast to do something specific rather than something generally impressive.

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  1. Riders to the Sea

    by J. M. (John Millington) Synge · 1909 · One-Act Play

    A defining work of Realism & Naturalism, Riders to the Sea by J. M. (John Millington) Synge (first published 1909) continues to attract directors, dramaturgs, and student companies looking for material that rewards close reading and bold staging.

  2. In the Shadow of the Glen

    by J. M. (John Millington) Synge · 1909 · One-Act Play

    A defining work of Realism & Naturalism, In the Shadow of the Glen by J. M. (John Millington) Synge (first published 1909) continues to attract directors, dramaturgs, and student companies looking for material that rewards close reading and…

  3. Swan Song

    by Anton Pavlovich Chekhov · 1904 · One-Act Play

    Written by Anton Pavlovich Chekhov (first published 1904), Swan Song stands as one of the durable works of Realism & Naturalism, regularly revived for its richly playable scenes and theatrically generous structure.

  4. Annajanska, the Bolshevik Empress

    by Bernard Shaw · 1950 · One-Act Play

    A defining work of Realism & Naturalism, Annajanska, the Bolshevik Empress by Bernard Shaw (first published 1950) continues to attract directors, dramaturgs, and student companies looking for material that rewards close reading and bold staging.

  5. A Fairy Tale in Two Acts Taken from Shakespeare (1763)

    by William Shakespeare · 1616 · One-Act Play

    A Fairy Tale in Two Acts Taken from Shakespeare (1763) (first published 1616) is a stage play by William Shakespeare, a touchstone of the Renaissance & Elizabethan repertoire that has been performed continuously for generations.

  6. The noble lord

    by Percival Wilde · 1953 · One-Act Play

    The noble lord (first published 1953) is a stage play by Percival Wilde, a touchstone of the Realism & Naturalism repertoire that has been performed continuously for generations.

  7. The reckoning

    by Percival Wilde · 1953 · One-Act Play

    Percival Wilde's The reckoning (first published 1953) is a script directors return to whenever they want a vehicle that combines language of real beauty with characters actors actually fight to play.

  8. For Love of the King: A Burmese Masque

    by Oscar Wilde · 1900 · One-Act Play

    A defining work of Realism & Naturalism, For Love of the King: A Burmese Masque by Oscar Wilde (first published 1900) continues to attract directors, dramaturgs, and student companies looking for material that rewards close reading and bold…

  9. The Illustrated Works of Friedrich Schiller A Linked Index to the Project Gutenberg Editions

    by Friedrich Schiller · 1805 · One-Act Play

    Written by Friedrich Schiller (first published 1805), The Illustrated Works of Friedrich Schiller A Linked Index to the Project Gutenberg Editions stands as one of the durable works of Restoration & Neoclassical, regularly revived for its richly playable…

  10. Der Tag"; or, The Tragic Man

    by J. M. (James Matthew) Barrie · 1937 · One-Act Play

    Der Tag"; or, The Tragic Man (first published 1937) is a stage play by J. M. (James Matthew) Barrie, a touchstone of the Realism & Naturalism repertoire that has been performed continuously for generations.

  11. Shakspeare's Mental Photographs

    by Anonymous · 2018 · One-Act Play

    Shakspeare's Mental Photographs (first published 2018) is a stage play by Anonymous, a touchstone of the Classic Drama repertoire that has been performed continuously for generations.

  12. The Disguising at Hertford

    by John Lydgate · 1451 · One-Act Play

    The Disguising at Hertford (first published 1451) is a stage play by John Lydgate, a touchstone of the Medieval Drama repertoire that has been performed continuously for generations.

  13. The Little Dream: An Allegory in Six Scenes

    by John Galsworthy · 1933 · One-Act Play

    Written by John Galsworthy (first published 1933), The Little Dream: An Allegory in Six Scenes stands as one of the durable works of Realism & Naturalism, regularly revived for its richly playable scenes and theatrically generous structure.

  14. The Little Man: A Farcical Morality in Three Scenes

    by John Galsworthy · 1933 · One-Act Play

    John Galsworthy's The Little Man: A Farcical Morality in Three Scenes (first published 1933) is a script directors return to whenever they want a vehicle that combines language of real beauty with characters actors actually fight to play.

  15. The Second-Story Man

    by Upton Sinclair · 1968 · One-Act Play

    Upton Sinclair's The Second-Story Man (first published 1968) is a script directors return to whenever they want a vehicle that combines language of real beauty with characters actors actually fight to play.

  16. Madame Aubin

    by Paul Verlaine · 1896 · One-Act Play

    Madame Aubin (first published 1896) is a stage play by Paul Verlaine, a touchstone of the Romantic Drama repertoire that has been performed continuously for generations.

  17. Signora Fantastici (A Dramatic Proverb)

    by Madame de (Anne-Louise-Germaine) Staël · 1817 · One-Act Play

    Written by Madame de (Anne-Louise-Germaine) Staël (first published 1817), Signora Fantastici (A Dramatic Proverb) stands as one of the durable works of Restoration & Neoclassical, regularly revived for its richly playable scenes and theatrically generous structure.

  18. The Forfeiture

    by Charles Rivière Dufresny · 1724 · One-Act Play

    Charles Rivière Dufresny's The Forfeiture (first published 1724) is a script directors return to whenever they want a vehicle that combines language of real beauty with characters actors actually fight to play.

  19. The Land of Heart's Desire

    by W. B. (William Butler) Yeats · 1939 · One-Act Play

    The Land of Heart's Desire (first published 1939) is a stage play by W. B. (William Butler) Yeats, a touchstone of the Realism & Naturalism repertoire that has been performed continuously for generations.

  20. The Duke of Gandia

    by Algernon Charles Swinburne · 1909 · One-Act Play

    A defining work of Romantic Drama, The Duke of Gandia by Algernon Charles Swinburne (first published 1909) continues to attract directors, dramaturgs, and student companies looking for material that rewards close reading and bold staging.

  21. The Hour Glass

    by W. B. (William Butler) Yeats · 1939 · One-Act Play

    A defining work of Realism & Naturalism, The Hour Glass by W. B. (William Butler) Yeats (first published 1939) continues to attract directors, dramaturgs, and student companies looking for material that rewards close reading and bold staging.

  22. Introduction to the Dramas of Balzac

    by Epiphanius Wilson · 1916 · One-Act Play

    Epiphanius Wilson's Introduction to the Dramas of Balzac (first published 1916) is a script directors return to whenever they want a vehicle that combines language of real beauty with characters actors actually fight to play.

  23. La Tontine

    by Alain René Le Sage · 1747 · One-Act Play

    La Tontine (first published 1747) is a stage play by Alain René Le Sage, a touchstone of the Restoration & Neoclassical repertoire that has been performed continuously for generations.

  24. Rada: A Drama of War in One Act

    by Alfred Noyes · 1958 · One-Act Play

    Rada: A Drama of War in One Act (first published 1958) is a stage play by Alfred Noyes, a touchstone of the Realism & Naturalism repertoire that has been performed continuously for generations.

How this list was put together

The selections above were drawn from the full Stage Pages archive of 520 public-domain stage plays. Where ranking is implied by the order, that ranking is editorial — defensible, but not unanimous. Where the list is alphabetical or chronological, we say so.

If you have a candidate we missed, the whole library is one click away from the main scripts index; we add titles to lists as the catalogue grows.