There are the plays that students can perform, then there are the ones they WANT to perform. Playscripts specializes in publishing plays that were written with student actors in mind.
Below is a selection of short and full-length dramas that speak TO students, not at them.
Click on the titles for more details. And remember, Playscripts offers lengthy free samples with up to 90% of each script, absolutely free to read. Just click on the 'READ FOR FREE' button for any title. Enjoy!
Dark Road
Laura Lundgren Smith
When Greta, a young girl living in Nazi Germany, reads that the nearby women's concentration camp is hiring guards, she sees it as a chance to find her place in the world and provide for her sister Lise. But soon she learns the reality of her duties...
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Drama
40 - 45 minutes
8 W, 3 M, 1 Any (9-26 actors possible: 9-20 W, 0-6 M)
40 - 45 minutes
8 W, 3 M, 1 Any (9-26 actors possible: 9-20 W, 0-6 M)
Anon(ymous)
Naomi Iizuka
Separated from his mother, a young refugee called Anon journeys through the United States, encountering a wide variety of people -- some kind, some dangerous and cruel...
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Drama
90 minutes
6 W, 5 M, (11-35 actors possible: 6-20 W, 5-15 M)
90 minutes
6 W, 5 M, (11-35 actors possible: 6-20 W, 5-15 M)
Lockdown
Douglas Craven
In a dark classroom, eight students sit in an "official lockdown," not knowing if it's just a drill or an actual emergency...
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Drama
20 - 35 minutes
4 W, 4 M, 1 Any (9-11 actors possible: 3-8 W, 4-8 M)
20 - 35 minutes
4 W, 4 M, 1 Any (9-11 actors possible: 3-8 W, 4-8 M)
Peter/Wendy
Jeremy Bloom
In this lyrical, atmospheric interpretation of Peter Pan, Jeremy Bloom strips the familiar story down to its emotional essence...
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Comedy/Drama
65 - 75 minutes
3 W, 2 M, 2 Any (7-30 actors possible: 3-30 W, 2-30 M)
65 - 75 minutes
3 W, 2 M, 2 Any (7-30 actors possible: 3-30 W, 2-30 M)
The Most Massive Woman Wins
Madeleine George
Challenging, brutal and hilarious, four women of various shapes and sizes sitting in the waiting room of a liposuction clinic explore their perceptions of body image...
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Comedy/Drama
30 - 40 minutes
4 W,
30 - 40 minutes
4 W,
Trap
Stephen Gregg
MENACHAP, CALIFORNIA. An incomprehensible event: every person in the audience of a high school play falls unconscious--every person but one. Using interviews with witnesses, first responders, and the investigators pursuing the case, a theatre ensemble brings the story of the strange event to life...
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Documentary Theatre/Horror
75 - 85 minutes
12 W, 10 M, 5 Any (10-46 actors possible: 5-46 W, 2-46 M)
75 - 85 minutes
12 W, 10 M, 5 Any (10-46 actors possible: 5-46 W, 2-46 M)
And
Alan Haehnel
Aaron has something big on his mind, and he's having trouble getting it off his chest. He grapples with the fact that billions of different moments are happening simultaneously -- the comic next to the tragic, the life-changing next to the mundane...
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Drama
30 - 40 minutes
10 W, 4 M, (12-17 actors possible: 5-12 W, 2-10 M)
30 - 40 minutes
10 W, 4 M, (12-17 actors possible: 5-12 W, 2-10 M)
Lafayette No. 1
Mandy Conner
As the yellow fever epidemic ravages the streets of 1816 New Orleans, no one thinks of the orphans known as the Forgotten--except for Lizzie Landry. But when the epidemic entangles Lizzie's fate with those of the Forgotten, they all must band together...
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Drama
35 - 45 minutes
8 W, 7 M, (15-25 actors possible: 8-13 W, 7-12 M)
35 - 45 minutes
8 W, 7 M, (15-25 actors possible: 8-13 W, 7-12 M)
All I Really Need to Know I Learned From Being a Zombie
Jason Pizzarello
In today's chaotic, challenging world, we often don't know where to turn for help. Little did we know that life's most valuable lessons lie within the undead...
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Dramedy
35 - 50 minutes
2 W, 2 M, 14 Any (5-45 actors possible: 0-45 W, 0-45 M)
35 - 50 minutes
2 W, 2 M, 14 Any (5-45 actors possible: 0-45 W, 0-45 M)
And a Child Shall Lead
Michael Slade
This is the heroic and true story of children coming of age in Terezin, the "Jewish city" established by the Nazis near Prague as a way station before the death camps. In the face of unspeakable horror, these children use their determination and creativity to build lives filled with hope and beauty...
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Drama
90 - 100 minutes
4 W, 4 M, (8-30 actors possible: 4-15 W, 4-15 M)
90 - 100 minutes
4 W, 4 M, (8-30 actors possible: 4-15 W, 4-15 M)
The Shape of the Grave
Laura Lundgren Smith
The Troubles raging through Northern Ireland cost sixteen-year-old Colleen half her family, and she sees only one way to give her loss meaning: join the bloody fight for Irish independence from Britain. It seems so simple, but...
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Drama
35 - 40 minutes
4 W, 3 M, 8 Any (9-30 actors possible: 4-15 W, 2-15 M)
35 - 40 minutes
4 W, 3 M, 8 Any (9-30 actors possible: 4-15 W, 2-15 M)
I Don't Want to Talk About It
Bradley Hayward
Being a teenager is hard, and nobody wants to talk about it. Confronting the daily challenges of growing up, this series of monologues and scenes offers a look at a multitude of issues...
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Dramedy
30 - 45 minutes
5 Any (5-32 actors possible: 0-32 W, 0-32 M)
30 - 45 minutes
5 Any (5-32 actors possible: 0-32 W, 0-32 M)
A Voice in the Dark: A Salem Story
Elizabeth Downing
Told through the eyes of a teenager, A Voice in the Dark: A Salem Story is a thrilling and poignant tale from one of the darkest eras in American history...
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Historical Drama
70 - 85 minutes
7 W, 3 M, 5 Any (13-18 actors possible: 7-15 W, 3-8 M)
70 - 85 minutes
7 W, 3 M, 5 Any (13-18 actors possible: 7-15 W, 3-8 M)
What I Want to Say But Never Will
Alan Haehnel
If you could say anything you wanted, without any consequences or judgment, just what would you say? Based on student responses from around the country, What I Want to Say But Never Will explores this simple but intimate question, offering a glimpse into teenagers' most private thoughts...
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Drama
80 - 90 minutes
20 Any (5-76 actors possible: 0-76 W, 0-76 M)
80 - 90 minutes
20 Any (5-76 actors possible: 0-76 W, 0-76 M)
Booby Trap
Ed Monk
In the near future, an American soldier sits in a combat zone, trapped by a land mine. As he waits to see what will happen to him, scenes from his past, present, and future unfold around him.
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Drama
30 - 35 minutes
6 W, 5 M, 6 Any (11-17 actors possible: 5-12 W, 5-12 M)
30 - 35 minutes
6 W, 5 M, 6 Any (11-17 actors possible: 5-12 W, 5-12 M)
Oz
Don Zolidis
Reeling from her sister's death, Beth suddenly finds herself journeying through a world suspiciously resembling the film The Wizard of Oz...
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Comedy/Drama
40 - 50 minutes
4 W, 4 M, 4 Any (8-16 actors possible: 4-8 W, 4-8 M)
40 - 50 minutes
4 W, 4 M, 4 Any (8-16 actors possible: 4-8 W, 4-8 M)
At The Bottom of Lake Missoula
Ed Monk
After losing her entire family in a fatal tornado, Pam, a college sophomore, must embark on an unimaginable journey as she copes with her loss...
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Drama
30 - 35 minutes
3 W, 3 M, 12 Any (13-32 actors possible: 2-16 W, 2-16 M)
30 - 35 minutes
3 W, 3 M, 12 Any (13-32 actors possible: 2-16 W, 2-16 M)
The Other Room
Ariadne Blayde
Austin is a brilliant teenage astronomer who happens to have autism. Lily is his popular classmate who happens to have an interest in astronomy. When a chance encounter after school leads to a growing connection between them, Austin's imagination, intelligence, and constant struggles to connect with the world are revealed in the form of four characters representing his inner life...
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Comedy/Drama
25 - 35 minutes
1 W, 5 M,
25 - 35 minutes
1 W, 5 M,
The Bullying Collection
E. M. Bell and 8 others
We asked ten talented playwrights to write a 10-minute play based on his or her unique take on bullying. The result is this collection....
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Drama/Comedy
100 - 105 minutes
10 W, 5 M, 15 Any (13-95 actors possible: 5-86 W, 5-67 M)
100 - 105 minutes
10 W, 5 M, 15 Any (13-95 actors possible: 5-86 W, 5-67 M)
Fire Exit
Stacie Lents
Everybody at Westfield High School thinks they know what happened the day of the fire. Fire Exit opens in the aftermath, as the community faces what appears to be a prank gone terribly wrong...
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Drama
30 - 35 minutes
3 W, 2 M, 3 Any (4-8 actors possible: 2-6 W, 2-5 M)
30 - 35 minutes
3 W, 2 M, 3 Any (4-8 actors possible: 2-6 W, 2-5 M)
CLICK HERE TO BROWSE OUR SELECTION OF HUNDREDS OF DRAMAS FOR STUDENT ACTORS.