One Act Plays

Legal Warning:  You can freely download any of the script samples on this site but are not allowed to perform them without first seeking a licence from us to do so.  If you do, you will be liable to civil prosecution and the resultant local publicity.

" Bill"  by Tony Breeze  Monologue  for mature female   ISBN: 978-1872758039   £3.00 each  Royalties £15 per performance
An old lady brings on a tea tray while she talks to her husband who is apparently changing upstairs.  As she reminisces the tea is grows cold but still he does not appear ... finally we realise why and are left with a touching insight into loneliness and old age.
Download first part of "Bill"
 
“When Robots Discovered Sex”  Comedy by Ken Blakemore 2f & 2m & Voices Off    ISBN 9781873130490 £4.00 Royalties £25pp
Hilarious comedy set in the future when robots do everything in the house except what comes naturally to humans ... then things begin to get complicated when the humans are away and the robots discover just what makes the world go round
Download first part of "When Robots ..."

“ Treseder’s Seeds” Historic Emigrees Drama by Christine Woolf   6f  1-873130-21-X  £4.00 each Royalties  £25pp
Set in 1843 on board the sailing ship, The Westminster, bound for New Zealand we see the story of four women from different backgrounds travelling from their native West Country to start a new life. Their challenge is symbolised by the seeds, which they carry to plant in the new country.
This play won the 2001 National W.I. Play Writing Competition for Best-Written Play and Outstanding Production and was chosen from sixty-one entries.
Download first part of "Treseder's Seeds"

" Danny Boy" Modern Survival Drama by Tony Breeze 2m +lf (doubling) or 5m+3f (singly)  ISBN 0-863-19016-2   £4.00 each  Royalties £25pp
A young man working in a shoe shop decides there must be more to life than this and joins the Territorial Army.  The play finds him on a mountain top in winter slowly dying from hypothermia as he remembers the events and people that led to his present predicament.  Ultimately he is faced with an agonizing decision upon which his very survival depends – whether he can kill and eat a tiny mouse.  First published by New Playwrights Network of Macclesfield and prize winner in several UK competitions.
Download first part of "Danny Boy" 

“Cathy’s Kitchen” Bakery Comedy Drama by Lynn Howes 3 females ISBN 1-873130-23-6 £4.00 Royalties £25pp
Set in the present in the back kitchen of a village bakery we are introduced via witty dialogue to the lives of three women – a young one who works there, another who used to but is now heavily pregnant and Cathy herself who is the owner and who reveals to the other two something about her that they never knew.
Download first part of "Cathy's Kitchen"

" One Without Shame" Wartime Drama by James Brockbank 4m ISBN 9781873130483 £4.00 each Royalties £25pp
 During the First World war a young soldier is told that he is to join a firing squad which will execute one of his comrades who is suffering from shell-shock.  He has to make the decision of whether to obey this order or not, knowing full well that if he doesn't, he will probably suffer the same fate.
Download first part of "One Without Shame"

" Tea Girl"    U.S. Tea Factory Comedy by Christine Rusch    3f & 1m    ISBN 9781873130414  £4.00 each  Royalties £25pp
Written by well-known American playwright, Christine Rusch, who was recently featured in "Best American Plays," this story takes place in an American tea-packing factory in the 1960's (before mechanization) where we see two great characters, Millie and Rosie, who are experienced in more than just machine working, as they meet Violet, the new girl, for the first time. They freely offer her lots of advice, especially when she is due to go out on her first date with Hunter, the new boy on the works coffee truck.
Download first part of "Tea Girl"

" 5T Rules - O.K!" School Drama by Tony Breeze, A class of secondary age pupils + teacher ISBN 0-906-66065-3  £4.00 each Royalties £25pp
A group of pupils at a comprehensive school stage a sit-in at the top of a classroom block, at the same time taking hostage one of their teachers.  They are at first ignored by their head teacher until circumstances eventually force him to change his mind.   Performed in several competitions throughout the UK.
Download first part of "5T Rules - O.K!"

" We Have All The Time In The World" Comic sketch by Annette Pakenham-Walsh  5 mature females   ISBN 9781873130451  £3.00  Royalties £15  
A wonderfully amusing insight into life in retirement for mature females as our heroines assemble in the library cafe to discuss what the day holds in store for them
Download first part of "We have All The Time In The World"

“ Flight Zero One”    Canadian Air-Crash Drama by Tony Breeze  7f & 5m  ISBN 1872758215 £4.00 each  Royalties £25pp
 A small plane has crash-landed in a blizzard in the middle of the Canadian Rockies and its passengers have to spend the night together in a disused fur-trappers cabin.  They are all on their way somewhere: a pregnant young woman and her partner on their way to see a specialist; a frail old man and his wife on their way to see their grandchildren; a doting mother and her precocious daughter on their way to a TV audition; a grumpy businessman on his way to his next deal and two police officers on their way to court with their Red Indian prisoner.
Download first part of "Flight Zero One"

" Fresco” Black Comedy by Alan Phillips  3f & 3m  ISBN 9781873130438  £4.00 each Royalties £25pp
 Bianca returns from Northern Australia where she has lived with the Yolgnu tribe, studying their customs, their rock paintings and has even joined in their ceremonial dances (naked).  Her local church needs a mural for the hall and Bianca plans a fresco inspired by Aboriginal art but she comes up against Unity who is a confirmed spinster and whose deceased father raised the money which will pay for the fresco ... friction ensues
Download first part of "Fresco"

" Ticking" Post-Holocaust Drama by Tony Breeze  6f or 6m or unisex  ISBN 1-872758-05-3  £4.00 each Royalties £25pp
Set in a subterranean living complex in post-nuclear Britain the inhabitants have been convinced by the governing authority that no life exits on the surface.  A rebellious individual leads a group into a forbidden area to show them something that will change their minds – an old-fashioned watch that has dropped down from above and is still ticking - but his uprising is quashed when one of the conformists deliberately destroys the article and the others reluctantly return to their conformity
Download first part of "Ticking"

“ Undercoats” Weird Welsh Family Comedy by Roger Pinkham   3m & 3f    ISBN 1-873130-00-7 £4.00 each Royalties £25pp
A black comedy of life in a Welsh household - dad's mad on DIY - mum wants to be an opera singer - son's a vandal and daughter's looking for Mr Right.  Already performed by Equity South & East, this bizarre view of life and death has many home truths at its centre and will have you laughing all evening
Download first part of "Undercoats"

" Diaghilev’s Bag" Searing Suicide Drama by Tony Breeze  3m + 1 child    ISBN 1-872758-04-5  £4.00 Royalties £25pp
The play opens with three men in overalls picking up something from the ground in the middle of the night.  They could be park-keepers or council workmen but they are not.  They are in fact policemen at the scene of a horrific suicide on a railway line and have just finished putting pieces of human torso into a bag.  Their attitudes to the gruesome task are vastly different, their sergeant can't cope and the play concludes with a symbol of hope for the future, a runaway child coming on the scene and wanting to know what's in the bag.
Download first part of "Diaghilev's Bag"

" Left Hand, Right Hand" Doctors' Surgery Drama by Hazel Salisbury 5f & 2m  1-873130-08-2 £4.00 each Royalties £25pp
We see a conflict between a young male doctor with his knowledge of modern computers versus an elderly female doctor whose knowledge of her patients is all kept in her head but computers don’t always win and the apparent winners of conflicts sometimes have their own share of problems.
Download first part of "Left Hand, Right Hand"

" Examination"  Exam Stress Drama, Students of either sex plus 3f & 2m adults  ISBN 1-872758-15-0   £4.00 each Royalties £25pp
The examination room is being prepared, the students file in but one girl comes in late.  The exam begins but the late student stands up and silently refuses to take part in the proceedings.  No-one can understand why until the end of the play when we learn that her boyfriend has taken his own life the night before due to the stress of the forthcoming exams.
Download first part of "Examination"

" A Freudian Slip"  Psychiatrist Comedy by Mike Wright 2f & 1m One Act 1-873130-11-2 £4.00 each Royalties £25pp
Another observant comedy in which a smooth, self-confident psychiatrist receives a new female patient with a very unusual problem - she can't stop throwing herself at any man that she meets - any man, that is, except f or the psychiatrist himself
  Download first part of "A Freudian Slip"

" Zoo"  Human Safari Park Comedy by Tony Breeze 7f & 6m & Children    ISBN 1872758-17-7  £4.00 each Royalties £25pp
A trip to the zoo in reverse - this time it's the behaviour of the humans which is being observed by a group of futuristic monkeys who were the ones who won the evolutionary race.  First performed by Whitley Chapel Young Farmers Club, Hexham and after winning several rounds of the National YFC Drama Competition reached the final in Blackpool.
Download first part of "Zoo"

" The Story of Peter Grimes" Seafaring Drama by Andrew Beattie Group Casting 1-873130-15-5  £4.00 Royalties £25pp
Set during a harsh East Anglian winter, the play centres on a fisher-man, Peter Grimes, a violent but lonely figure shunned by the community who suspect him of murdering two apprentice boys.  The action moves from seashore to alehouse culminating in a dramatic chase and ending.
Download first part of "Peter Grimes"

“ The Happiness Tree”  Social Commentary Comedy by Tony Breeze 5f & 5m (doubling) or 38 single ISBN 1-872758-19-3 £4.00 each Royalties £25pp
An allegorical comedy about people in a far-off land who, though living in poverty, are willing to put up with their lowly humdrum existence until one day a tree is discovered that bears fruit which will change their lives.  The fruit of The Happiness Tree makes everyone extremely happy but all is not well as the happiness begins to spread, eventually affecting the stability of society as people begin to forget their place.  What does the establishment do?  They ban it, of course, making it’s possession illegal, but when all attempts at controlling it fail, they are eventually forced to do what any civilized society will do with such a problem – tax it!
Download first part of "The Happiness Tree"

" The Game"  Football Evening Comedy by Christine Henderson 6 females ISBN 1-873130-25-2  £4.00 each Royalties £25pp
We see a group of women gathering in the kitchen of a friend while their partners are watching the big football game on the TV next door and what they reveal has to be heard to be believed
Download first part of "The Game"

" The Hen Night"  Pre-Marriage Confessional Comedy by Christine Henderson 5 females ISBN 1-873130-26-0 £4.00 each Royalties £25pp
Debs is getting married and all the girls gather at Sharon’s house.  They take much pleasure in telling her what her future partner is really like but in the end it is Debs who has the last laugh.
Download first part of "The Hen Night"

" The Door Was Open" Boy Scout Comedy  by Virginia Hobart 1f &1 boyscout  ISBN 1-873130-29-5 £4.00 each Royalties £25pp
Charlotte is an ageing hostess who is preparing for a party and remembers the glory days from her past, when she is interrupted by a boy scout who is looking to do his good deed
Download first part of "The Door Was Open"

" For The Birds"  Humorous Monologue for 1m by Virginia Hobart ISBN 1-873130-28-7 £3.00 Royalties £15
Frank Tossel is an old man who used to work on the Canadian Railroad and now lives alone, arguing with his neighbour, the neighbour’s cat and the Social Services who are trying to get him out.
Download first part of "For The Birds"

" A Lot To Do With Love" Comatose Husband Drama by Virginia Hobart  2f & 1m ISBN 1-873130-27-9 £4.00 each Royalties £25pp
Lucas used to be a successful antiques dealer until he had his car accident and now lies comatose in bed being visited by two women – one is his wife and the other his lover.  Everything is fine until the two accidentally arrive at the same time.
Download first of "A Lot To Do With Love"

" City of Dreams" Mexican Escape Drama by John C. Bird  1f & 1m  ISBN 1-87313033-3 £4.00 each Royalties £25pp
Fred Newman used to be a local government accountant until he had heart problems and was given early retirement.  The play finds him alone in a hotel room in Dallas having fled both Britain and his unhappy marriage in order to follow his dream.  He meets a Mexican chambermaid who is also fleeing a bad situation and for a while it looks like the two of them may have a future together.
Download first part of "City of Dreams"

" Far Country"  Modern Prodigal Daughter Drama by Patrick Collins 5m & 8f  ISBN 1-873130-30-9 £4.00 each Royalties £25pp
We all know the story of the Prodigal Son from the Bible.  This play cleverly brings the story up to date with a daughter who goes away to London leaving her mother and sister at home.  When things start to go wrong and her money is all spent, she wonders whether she'll still be welcome back at home.
Download first part of "Far Country"

" Looking After Norman"  Invisible Cat Comedy by Stewart Brown 4f & 2m  ISBN 1-873130-34-1  £4.00 each   Royalties £25pp
“Norman” is a cat but we only see him through the actions of the actors.  The story is told by a girl’s teddy bear and tells of an aged lady who has to go into a residential home and had to find a home for her cat.  The family take Norman in but then he gets temporarily lost only to be found at the end.  Toured in Scotland by a professional group.
Download first part of "Looking After Norman"

" A Box Set" - Three one-act plays about greed by Pete Wood ISBN 1-873130-35-X  £3.00 each Royalties £15pp
(i) The Box   2m
George is about to spend the night living in a cardboard box when he is accosted by Sid who informs him that to do so he will have to pay rent to him
Download first part of "The Box"
(ii) The Box Room   Monologue by Bernard (an unmarried man)
Sidney had ended up living with Bernard and was found dead in strange circumstances.  Bernard relates how the police came to see him but he didn’t quite tell them everything
Download first part of "The Box Room"
(iii) Closing The Box 1 female & 1 male
George is a failed property speculator and Sarah is his wife.  They have a lengthy and bitter conversation revealing how they really feel about each other.  We learn that Sarah has been planning to get rid of George for a while but the ending isn't quite as she expects.
Download first part of "Closing The Box"

" It Is Christmas, After All" Seasonal Monologue for 1m by Lyndon House  ISBN 1-873130-36-8 £3.00  Royalties £15pp
Melvyn is a sensitive Welshman living alone with his ailing mother.  This three scene monologue, tells in wonderfully warm style, of all the good times that they used to have at Christmas ... but Mam hasn't been well and all good things must come to an end eventually ...
Download first part of "It Is Christmas ..."

“ The Bridge” African Drama by Rosemary Kyarimpa   6F & 5m + extras ISBN 1873130384  £4.00 each  Royalties £25pp
The Bridge is set in a remote African village, dominated by traditional beliefs, and under the rule of Kikoombe, a traditional chief. The play opens with anxiety-ridden villagers, disturbed by the news that a European doctor is set to work in their area. The village witch doctor’s powers are at stake, and magical divination reveals the spirits are angered by the looming foreign disaster. Urgent action must be taken to forestall the wrath of the ancestors’ spirits.  The pact is sealed, and appeasement of the angry spirits will be brought about by a cleansing ritual marriage between black and white.
Download first part of "The Bridge"

 " The Female Man"  African Drama by Moses P'Ado 5f & 5m & 3 children  ISBN 1-873130-31-7   £4.00  each  Royalties £40pp
A play about Africa by an African with a message for the West. The author is a Ugandan barrister who gives us a unique insight into African society today and shows us how women are still treated  as second-class citizens with second-class expectations. The story tells of a stepmother who mistreats her stepdaughter viciously, resorts to witchcraft and even hires a "hit man"  to try and get rid of her but the plan goes terribly wrong and in the end the end the stepdaughter succeeds against all the odds and becomes a successful architect.
Download first part of "The Female Man"

" Incident in a Station Buffet"  Short sketch by Tony Breeze   2f & 3m  ISBN 9781872758251  £3.00 each  Royalties £15pp
We hear the sounds of a busy railway station and see three tables in the station buffet.  At one sit two loud-mouthed youths who are noisily discussing their sexual conquests from the night before.  At the second sits a plain, unmarried woman nervously eating a sausage roll.  At the third sits a well-to-do woman impatiently flicking through a glossy magazine.  A young man enters carrying a tea tray.  He is looking to meet someone for the first time ... his birth mother.
Download first part of "Incident in a Station Buffet"

" The Bitch"  Drama by Rob Chicken  6f & 4m   ISBN: 9781873130544   £4.00 each  Royalties £25pp
Christine is a teenage girl whose parents' marriage is on the rocks and she's constantly being told by her mum that her dad, Greg, is a womaniser who is having an affair with someone at work.  When dad tries to show affection towards his daughter, her mind has become so corrupted that she throws back his birthday present and eventually goes missing.  The police suspect the worst until a letter is received by one of the teachers proving the girl is fit and well and she becomes just one more statistic in the Missing Persons Register.  Greg falls on hard times, loses his job and in a drunken depression hits a tree in his car and is fatally injured.  Unaware of this, his daughter Christine is one day traced by an aunt to a hotel in the states where she's working as a waitress.  She tells the girl all the news from home and Christine returns to the UK but when her mother is found dead, the police want to know if she did it ...  
Download first part of "The Bitch"

" Tell Them I Care"  Dramatic sketch by Tony Breeze for two females  ISBN: 9781872758268  £3.00 each  Royalties £15pp
A social worker arrives at Chrissy's council flat.  Chrissy's two young children are in the temporary care of the Local Authority after her violent partner was arrested by the police.  The social worker's task is to try and persuade Chrissy that, due to the ongoing relationship with the partner, the best thing for the children would be for her to sign them over permanently to the Local Authority.
Download first part of "Tell Them I Care"

" All Done By Magic"  Romantic Comedy by Susan Meredith  2f & 3m  ISBN: 9781873130551  £4.00 each  Royalties £25pp
When Alice attempts to find her Great Romance using her uncle Harry’s newly acquired magic powers, he proves to be more of a hindrance than a help. Harry is busy trying to solve his own problems, and they soon find themselves at cross purposes. To make matters worse, Harry’s well-meant remedies consistently misfire leading to chaotic comic situations.
   Download first part of "All Done By Magic"

"Crossing the Line"  Drama about conflict between two abstract artists  2m & 1f  ISBN:9781873130568  £4.00 each Royalties £25pp
Piet Mondriaan was an artist born in 1872 Holland who later moved to Paris where he was integral in the formation of a group of abstract artists & designers.  His work involved the reduction of all objects to blocks of colour surrounded by horizontal and vertical black lines but he split from the group when one of his colleagues proposed the introduction of diagonal lines.  This play describes the angry rift that occurred between the two of them.
Download first part of "Crossing the Line"

" Affairs of State"  Comedy about political intrigue in high places  2f & 2m ISBN 9781873130506   £4.00 each  Royalties £25pp
A high ranking female politician has a husband who is a "loose cannon."  She is advised by her leader that it will cost her future promotion unless she "gets rid of him" in some way.  She decides to seperate and to see him only in secret but the pair of being are tailed by a nosey-parker newspaper reporter which produces the  weirdest comic results.
  Download first part of "Affairs of State"



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