Sometimes you need a small show. You have a small program, you have advanced students who want to take on something substantial, you have a director’s class and need small cast shows for them to direct, you want to do some character analysis exercises with your students. (Want some classroom exercises for small cast plays? Click here and here!)
All of these plays on this list are one acts and call for a cast of 5 or less.
Click the link and you’ll be taken to the webpage for each play. There you’ll get the details and read sample pages.
All the best with your search!
Mummu
Cast Size: 4
Inspired by an ancient Sumerian myth depicting one of the first Mesopotamian gods. What can a reed, a feather, and some cow parts accomplish? You can never make something without unmaking something else. A fabulous alternative to Western fables!
Stressed
Cast Size: 4
Stress is driving this quartet of teen characters crazy, so much so they can’t stop talking about it. This play is a symphony of sound and character. An excellent piece for advanced actors.
Flaky Lips
Cast Size: 2
Two young women live in separated societies. One skin colour on this side. One skin colour on that side. They have never seen what the other looks like, until circumstances throw them together. A challenging acting opportunity and a great choice for classroom study.
Camel Dung and Cloves
Cast Size: 4
Sara enjoys the ritual of making and drinking tea. She pays Empy to join her at a tea party. But what are Sara's motives? What about the bones in the black box? And what exactly is in the tea? Rich and eccentric roles for girls.
Ellenalicemonajune
Cast Size: 4
Ellen, Alice, Mona, and June share those uncomfortable truths that only close friends can tell each other, particularly about a boyfriend who wears red leather pants. A fabulous character piece.
The Pretty Princess Dollhouse for Pretty Princesses
Cast Size: 2
Gabi wants to be a writer. Elena wants a family to love and a happy life.Two friends, on the verge of their adult life, realize they have very different viewpoints on how they want to live.
Master of Puppets
Cast Size: 3
Mrs Slattimore speaks to teen couples about communication. She wants Joanie to see she wears bossy pants and Chuck already has a mom. Will the Truth Puppets help them?
Franz Kafka Cancels His Cell Phone Plan
Cast Size: 5
A modern absurdist play that puts elements from three of Franz Kafka’s works into the context of the everyday absurdities of our 21st century lives. Excellent for classroom study.
Virtual Family
Cast Size: 5
A look at a soothing world where there is complete dependency on technology. When technology takes away all your ills, conflicts, and concerns, you become a happier human being. Right?
Bonus:
Tuna Fish Eulogy
Cast Size: 4
Want to give your students a real challenge, either acting, directing, or analyzing? Tuna Fish Eulogy is a ladder play with all the text running in vertical columns rather than in a standard format. The tragedy of a young boy's death is examined. As the story unfolds, the mysteries start to pile up: Was it suicide? Could it have been prevented? Who is responsible?
by Lindsay Price Canadian Author
Two girls live in two communities that have been separated by a wall for a hundred years.
by Alan Haehnel
Stress is driving a teen quartet crazy - so much so they can't stop talking about it. This play is a symphony of sound and character.
by Colleen Neuman
Ellen, Alice, Mona, and June share those uncomfortable truths that only close friends can tell each other.
by Dara Murphy Canadian Author
Sara enjoys tea parties. But camel dung and cloves are two things that should never end up on the table. The twists never stop coming in this play.
by Christian Kiley
A look at a soothing world where complete dependency on technology takes away all ills. But is everything really perfect?
by Jeffrey Harr
The guidance counsellors of Ambrose High have decided to speak to senior class couples about the power of communication.
by Kirk Shimano Canadian Author
A one act play inspired by an ancient Sumerian myth depicting one of the first Mesopotamian gods.
by Emma Fonseca Halverson
Gabi is suffering from metaphoric asthma. The walls are closing in and she can’t breathe.
by Kirk Shimano Canadian Author
A modern absurdist play that puts elements from three of Franz Kafka’s works into the context of the everyday absurdities of our 21st century lives.
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