1. Drama Scenes and Short Plays
About.com's growing library of original scenes, one acts, and ten minute plays. Recent additions include: "12 Angry Pigs" and "Cinema Limbo." Also included, scenes from classic plays. All royalty free plays.2. Free One Act Plays by Doug Bocaz-Larson
Doug Bocaz-Larson has been writing plays since his high school days. An award winning educator, he has taught in Idaho, New Mexico, and even Chile.
His website offers a wide variety of free one act plays (and some full length scripts as well). Most of the plays are light-hearted and witty, many of them perfect for younger drama students.
The free plays may be printed and copied at no cost; however, teachers and directors should obtain permission to perform them. If Doug’s website becomes an invaluable resource to you and your cast, feel free to donate to the playwright, and encourage him to keep up the good work!
3. Public Domain One Act Plays
This website is an excellent resource for royalty-free One Act plays. Their list of over fifty absolutely free plays contains famed authors such as Anton Chekhov, August Strindberg, and F. Scott Fitzgerald.
Although they are free to print and perform, the One Act plays are all over eighty years old. So, if you are in the market for a classic comedy or drama, there is much to choose from. However, for more contemporary plays, visit the website’s main list. Be aware, however, that permission must be obtained from the modern playwrights.
4. Christian-Themed Plays
"The Dramatix Script Archive" offers hundreds of free one-act plays, holiday skits, and short scenes. Whether your church group wants to find entertaining renditions of Bible stories or more serious issue-based dramas, your theatrical needs are fulfilled by this New Zealand based website. Also, if you have written a Christian play that you would like to share with churches across the globe, this is a great place to submit your work.5. Reader Theater Scripts from Hootie the Owl
Perfect for kids, "Hootie the Owl" offers a collection a free children’s plays, appropriate for elementary school. The scripts are playful and imaginative, and quite wonderful considering they were written by an owl named Hootie. Best of all, many of the plays have a cast size of ten or more performers, so many students can participate.The topics range from European fairy tales to American tall tales to mutli-cultural folk tales from all over the world.
6. Historical Plays and Mummers' Plays
The "Traditional Drama Research Group" has compiled a vast collection of plays from England’s distant past. Although American drama teachers might find it perplexing at first, these British plays are terrific for holiday events, historical skits, and Renaissance festivals. Be sure to check out their cool Robin Hood plays and Sword Dance scenes!7. Radio Drama Scripts
The "Generic Radio Drama" website has created a wonderful list of classic radio dramas. Although radio drama and live theater are two very different art forms, these scripts can still be excellent learning resources. There’s a lot of great material too!
- Abbot and Costello
- Flash Gordon
- Little Orphan Annie
- The Lone Ranger
These scripts are suitable for performances within the classroom environment. However, if you are thinking of performing a professional production, check out the website’s discussion on copyright material. You’ll find that some of the radio scripts now belong to the public domain, while others require permission.
