Good One Act Drama Plays for amateur theatre and community theatre

Drama (N-Z)


	No Smoke by Derek Webb (2m, 4f) apx 50 mins School student Ella has a crush on Paul Taylor, her violin teacher. Her mother sees a post about this on Ella’s Facebook page and, after discussing it with her friends which just amplifies the perception she has of this out of proportion, she reports Paul to the Police. Events snowball quickly, both emotionally and physically, but is Paul guilty or innocent? Surely there’s no smoke without fire?

	Once An Actress by Tony Layton (1f) apx 40 mins Bored with her factory job, Sara attends an audition and is amazed when she gets a part. Through this catalyst she attends drama school and afterwards lands an acting job touring Welsh schools, both of which provide her with valuable new life skills. Her bubble is burst though, when she gets no more acting jobs and has to retrun to the factory. A superb single-hander for a competent actress.

	One, Two... TREE by Adam Colclough (3m, 3f; min 1m, 1f) apx 30 mins One couple, three stories: when, then & again. Over a fifty-year period, we witness the seed of a relationship being planted and the eventual blossoming. Teenagers, Drew and Jane meet under a tree, then drift apart, only to meet there again 20 years later, and marry. 30 years after that they return to the tree to take some tough decisions.

	Pals by Mike Tildesley (3m) apx 50 mins Following a disastrous trench raid in the First World War, Freddie finds his friend George lying in a shell hole with a shrapnel wound in his stomach. The two men soon face a moral dilemma as they are joined in the shell hole by Albert, a man who seems very out of place in the front line. As the play progresses, we discover the reasons that each of the three men joined up and learn the true meaning of what it is to be pals.

	Phantom Of The Arts Centre by Geoff Buckingham (3m, 2f) Apx 50 mins A small team of volunteers take over a disused building that was a factory during World War 2, has a colourful history and a cellar. There is a strange noise from the cellar. Sally discovers a World War 2 veteran, who is still on duty, but their moving conversation is interrupted. The veteran disappears, but then returns to find that he and Dolly may have met before. This play reveals the friction between members of a volunteer group and also the impact and heartbreak of war-time romance.

	Play On Words (3m, 1f) apx 60 mins Prize Winner A moving tale of friendship, a knock-about farce of quick-witted punning and a surreal blend of theatre and reality - all mixed into one truly unique theatrical battle between Stoppardian wit and Beckettian calamity. In 2007, Tom Crawshaw's script for 'Play On Words' won the Oxford University New Writing Festival and he was awarded the Cameron Mackintosh New Writing Award.

	Remembrance Day by Bev Clark (5m) approx 45-50 mins A story of one family’s conflict against a backdrop of global war over five generations. Starting in 2006, the action moves back to 1916 and then on to 1991. A young, troubled, teenager meets with a stranger from the past... but why has he come and what can Darren learn from him? A multi-award winning one act play at AETF & NDFA 2009 and 2014.

	Remembrance Day by Tony Layton (5f) Apx 40 mins Leanora - a 'difficult' patient, has been moved from one nursing home to another, and the new staff are not too happy with her. During a visit by her daughter and grand-daughter, some family skeletons are revealed. Forced into a corner by all around her, Leanora decides it is time to tell the 'truth' behind the rift.

	Reverie (2m, 3f) apx 60 mins Prize Winner James embarks on a quixotic adventure to harness the power of his dreams and live forever. But once you’ve opened the door to infinite possibilities can you ever truly live in the real world? A funny, poetic and bittersweet tale of love, perfection and flying too close to the sun.

	Sanctuary by Tom Casling (5m, 3f) Apx 50 mins Sanctuary [noun] /ˈsaŋ(k)tjʊəri/ : refuge or safety from pursuit, persecution, or other danger. The play explores this by creating a situation based partly on fact and partly on fiction. The plot is simply that a man is about to be deported. He has exhausted all the possible legal options to remain in the country, and, these having failed, he seeks refuge in his local church claiming sanctuary.

	Seasons In The Sun by Tom Casling (4m, 2f, 4m/f) Apx 35 mins Neil Young and his wife take an impromptu cycling/camping holiday to recapture memories of their youth and to re-live some of the happier times of their life when things were simpler. What Neil and his wife hadn’t planned for were the other holiday makers of a very different time and generation and their prying inquisitiveness.

	Ship Of Fools by Chris Lambert (4m, 1f) Apx 50 mins In the middle of the 19th century, a desperate group of starving villagers wreck a ship that holds no food or money, just society's unwanted - a ship full of fools. This sharply dramatic play tells their story. It was initially envisaged as an allegory of the arguments against Care in the Community (ie the abandonment of seriously ill patients and the lack of round the clock care) however the period setting allows for various other readings.

	Sisters And Their Secrets by Ron Nicol (1m, 3f) 50 mins The Dunstan sisters meet for their father’s birthday, looking back on their childhood, recalling their strict upbringing and revealing their best kept secrets. Carrie is pregnant and Fay is gay, but Hester insists she has nothing to hide. The discovery that Father is dead leads to arguments and accusations until his killer eventually confesses. The ironic prediction that Father is capable of rising from his deathbed is fulfilled – but his eventual death is unexpected.

	Something Beginning With C by Tony Layton (8m, 6f) Apx 40 mins (Can be doubled down to 3m, 3f) Mike Carter is a 'Jack the Lad'. Life is a game of 'beer and skittles', and marriage and its associated responsibilities of fatherhood are not on his agenda. However, life has the habit of throwing up the occasional cruel hand, and one of these is dealt unexpectedly to Mike. On a visit to the Doctor, he is told he has cancer, 'the big C', and although he tries to carry on as he has before, he begins to realise that there is more to life than 'pints of beer and pulling birds'. Through his adversity Mike faces up to his own mortality. A deeper appreciation of life is awakened in him as he seeks out the one person who can make him happy.

	Such A Blessing by Liz Dobson (1m, 2f, 2m/f) Apx 45 mins After 25 years of marriage Bert and Dora Lewis’s prayers were answered when they became parents to Carol who, now an adult, has been seriously ill in hospital. Bert and Dora have been called in to speak to the Doctor, expecting to hear news of her recovery. However, his news is about to destroy their lives when DNA tests have proved that neither Bert nor Dora are Carol’s biological parents. With their lives in tatters, it’s unthinkable that further revelations could lead to total devastation for the family, but that is indeed what lies ahead.

	The Audition by James Johnson (2f) 60 mins (Full Length version available) Strong Content How far will an actress go to get a part? How far does the Director need to push? A psychological drama exploring the relationship between Director and actress at an audition where the normal rules and etiquette have been dispensed with. A most unusual play.

	The Brown Felt Hat by Tony Layton (8f) Apx 40 mins (Could be doubled down to 6f) Ann (and her daughter, Beth) arrive in 1942 from Wales, to escape the bombing and work in her sister Pat's hotel. The work is demanding, and Pat works them hard. Each of the women has a battle to fight and fears to conquer. The brown felt hat is a symbol of good times, of well-being, of self esteem and of magical escape. It is a prop which helps the wearer to escape the ugliness of war.

	The Bus Stop by Margaret Holbrook (1m, 1f) Apx 50 mins Jacki is waiting for a bus, listening to music, minding her own business - that is until Keith comes along and invades her space. He wants someone to talk to, wants them to be friends until the bus turns up. A bus that’s delayed. As they share their secrets and fears, Keith’s life challenges are brought to the fore along with the past that still troubles him.

	The Café Sirocco by Tony Layton (3m, 2f, 1m/f) Apx 40 mins Henry and Melissa, an unhappily married middle-aged couple, have each arranged a secret rendezvous with would-be lovers. Unfortunately, not only have they chosen the same restaurant, but their new lovers work together in the same office. Lying and deceit are used by the couple to bolster their hum-drum lives, tactics which soon unravel when the two couples inevitably encounter each other.

	The Canary Cage by Diana Raffle (1m, 3f) Apx 45 mins Three women are locked in a cellar. One of them is psychotic. Two are in danger. Only one survives. This play has the power to send shivers down the spines of the audience and keep them guessing until the end.

	The Condor And The Maiden by Dermot Murphy (3m, 3f) Apx 65 mins When Pedro gets back to Bolivia from Argentina he tells Lucía, his sister-in-law and her daughter, Clarisa, they must get off his long absent brother’s land. Lucía is determined not to give into him, but she is pregnant by his younger brother, Domingo, and owes money to an NGO. A hail-storm destroys her crop of flowers, and Pedro is abusing Clarisa. Maritza, the community worker, shows her how she can keep her house and her land.

	The Difficult Crossing by Andrew Wild (1m, 1f) 30-35 mins A man is asleep and acting out his dreams; a woman is awake and voicing her fears. As their stories unfold and intertwine, we learn that they share the same common cause and, ultimately, that they will find each other. There is scope in the production of this piece to add considerable directorial vision.

	The Ghost Crib by Bev Clark (3m, 3f) 50 mins Nathaniel and Sarah have kept a secret for almost 18 years. Their young daughter Susannah is troubled and haunted by nightmares; they are concerned she could be possessed. They call upon Martha, a woman of medicine and herbs, who helped them in the past. As the girl’s visions become more vivid her parents begin to wonder if their past actions are to blame and they are now being punished. A young man arrives during a storm, they are amazed by his story, but he is not whom he pretends to be. Highwayman Black arrives, the family are surrounded by treachery, and what happens surprises them all.

	The Ghost Of William Shakespeare by Den Stevenson (1m) 35-40 mins William Shakespeare returns in spirit to tell the story of his life, his rise to fame, the wife he married, his life in London, his mistress, and his last few moments on this mortal coil upon which he trod, leaving future generations around the globe unparalleled works from his unequalled quilled hand of genius! A beautiful and poetical soliloquy filled with Shakespeare’s words combined to tell the story of Stratford’s most famous son.

	The Keys To Life by Brian Hutchinson (2m, 2f) 50 mins An abstract drama set within the confused mind of Sara, a woman trapped by dementia. She cannot distinguish between reality and imagination; exacerbated by the madness of humanity; and the recent loss of her beloved husband Will, always at her side in spirit form, throughout the play. A beautiful love story, woven in poetical prose, tinged with pathos and tragedy. The play opens your mind to something bigger; something that has a plan, that just needs unlocking.

	The Man Who Collected Women - a Sherlock Holmes story adapted by Ron Nicol (2m, 5f) apx 35 mins When the unscrupulous Baron Gruner persuades impressionable heiress Violet de Merville to marry him, Lady Hilda Damery approaches Sherlock Holmes for help. With the assistance of Mary Watson, underworld contact Annie Johnson and the Baron’s discarded mistress Kitty Winter, Holmes comes up trumps. Despite being assaulted and left for dead, he steals Gruner’s diary of conquests and prevents the Baron adding to his collection of betrayed women, while Kitty takes her own drastic revenge.

	The Mazarin Stone - a Sherlock Holmes story adapted by Ron Nicol (2m, 4f) apx 35 mins Countess Natalia Sylvina steals a fabulous diamond – the Mazarin Stone - and Sherlock Holmes determines to get it back. In the absence of Doctor Watson, Holmes requests the assistance of Watson’s wife Mary. Countess Sylvina and her strong-arm man Sam Merton confront the great detective in his consulting rooms at Baker Street. The Countess believes she has the upper hand, but is tricked by the use of a dummy into revealing the whereabouts of the precious jewel. Mary arrives with the police, the villains are arrested, and Holmes returns the stone to Lady Cantlemere.

	The People That Live In Boxes by Les Clarke (2m, 2f) 50 mins Multi-Award winning play Joe and Beck live in cardboard boxes at the rear of a factory. They’re not lovers, just friends and Joe basically keeps an eye on Beck as she is a recovering drug addict. Enter Jenny, a mature student doing a thesis on the homeless. Beck refuses to help but Joe answers her questions, ultimately revealing a chilling secret that not even Beck knew about. The play takes an ironic twist when Martin enters late at night having had a few drinks.

	The Pint by Richard Parker (2m) 40 mins Two friends meet for a pint to discuss their lives, their friendship, and their futures. The closest of friends can often be people with opposite characters, and with so much in the past and the future yet to be written, one’s life is set in stone and the other’s is wide open... but whose future is who’s?

	The Seventh Suitcase by Phil Mansell (3m, 2f) 45 mins Underneath the bed of a sleeping old man are already a lot of suitcases, so when another is innocently delivered by Tim to earn a bit of cash, downstairs, the old man’s women friends become very inquisitive about why they keep arriving and what’s inside them. They persuade Tim to take the case keys from around the old man’s neck and open one up to see what’s inside, but the old man wakes up. Can Tim persuade him that all is OK? Regrettably not, and downstairs, another man arrives with a suitcase.

	The Truth Untold by Heaton Wilson (5m, 4f; min cast of 6) Apx 60 mins Two close school friends meet again in later life. One is a Minister in the Coalition Government, the other a social services manager. They face each other from opposite sides as controversy rages over the death of a child in care.

	The Waiting by Bev Clark (4f) Apx 50 mins Four women find themselves in a room. At first strangers, they start to uncover their pasts and find they are connected by a web of secrets and lies. The need for forgiveness is their only way out but can they really forgive or are they trapped in the eternal room?

	There's Nobody At The Door by Adam Colclough (1m, 2f, 1m/f) Apx 45 mins Set in the present day about an eighty-year-old woman called Mary and is a reflection of life and love through the eyes of a wife and a mother. Moments of comedy intertwined with loneliness and regret, to show that life has its challenges, but through each generation run the common threads of hope, love and ultimately, happiness.

	Thicker Than Water by Rebecca Gardner Tildesley (2m, 4f, 1m/f) Apx 30-35 mins Five siblings from a dysfunctional family meet in a hospital waiting room to visit their mother during her final hours. As the evening progresses, old family disputes come to the surface, secrets are revealed and after a chance encounter, they finally realise that blood really is thicker than water.

	Waiting For The Whale by Ron Nicol (2m, 4f, 1m/f + 1m/f non speaking) Apx 45 mins Jonah feels that life is treating him harshly and decides to speak out. He acquires a gun and makes a stand in his local Jobcentre, hoping to attract attention and somehow change his life. His attempt is a total disaster, simply confirming that Jonah is condemned to be one of life’s perpetual losers.

	Walk A Mile In My Shoes by Liz Dobson (1m, 2f) 45 mins Following the death of their mother, Sue and Mary begin to clear out the box room in their father’s house. In order to protect their grieving father from more distress, they persuade him to go out while the job is being done. While sorting through old boxes containing shoes, handbags, photographs and old documents, they find some love letters; the contents of which threaten to destroy the precious memories they have of their mum. Unbeknown to them, their father returns unexpectedly and overhears them reading the letters and has to decide how much information he is prepared to share with his daughters, in order to protect their late mother’s memory.

	Watching The Clock by David Challenger (1m, 4f) 50 mins Does Beryl just watch her husband Charlie die from his incurable cancer or is she brave enough to give him a fatal overdose of morphine and face the consequences? She turns to Doreen who awaits her own cancer diagnosis. They agree that Doreen will give Charlie the fatal injection in return for Beryl doing the same for her when the time comes. After Charlie’s death, Beryl is charged with murder, and she expects the dying Doreen to confess. However, Doreen does not have cancer, breaks their pact, and leaves Beryl to face the music. After leaving prison she reveals exactly what happened on the night Charlie died.

	Watching The Magpies by Les Clarke (1m, 2f) 50 mins Multi-Award winning play Dottie, although not a qualified carer, looks after her friend, Rose. The house they rent has been sold for re-development and they have to move. Rose’s illness is becoming worse and the council are having difficulties re-housing them together and time is running out.

	When A Man Knows by Alan Richardson (1m, 1f) 35 mins A man sits alone in a chair. He is hooded, handcuffed and chained. He thinks he is alone, but discovers he is being held captive by an unknown woman. Why? The disturbing truth is chillingly revealed in a powerful two-hander that offers challenging and demanding roles for experienced actors.

	When The Dark Sea Cries by Bev Clark (1m, 1 jnr-m, 8f) 55 mins Eight women: mothers, wives, sisters all share a common bond but nature is a cruel mistress and the longest of nights leads them into the saddest of days. As the storm grows the women wait for their menfolk out on the shore. A stranger seeks shelter from the storm and helps them when tragedy strikes, but in the light and calm of the dawn what new horizons await them? “The monstrous deep devours us – good or bad, weak or strong, and the dark sea cries, but only the wind hears our sorrow”.

	Windfalls by Nicholas McInerny (2m, 1f) approx 60 mins Prize Winner A young and impressionable Priest, Henry Cobb, has just finished a Funeral on a bitterly cold February afternoon when he is confronted by Simone.At first, he has no idea why she stands before him in the Vestry and tries to placate her. But then he learns she was the partner to Duke, a violent criminal whom he visited in prison leading up to his suicide. Simone wants to know if anything he said to Duke led to him taking his own life – and the two are set for a harsh and brutally tender revelation.