Tag Archives: award winning one act play

The Restaurants are Screaming – period drama

period drama

THE RESTAURANTS ARE SCREAMING – PERIOD DRAMA

In this period drama set at the end of the second world war, Ludwig has been living with his daughter, Marcia and his son in law, Joe for the past three months. The play focuses on an abusive father, who now he is old, struggles to understand the consequences of his actions as well as the effect he has on other people. The play draws parallels between his two adult children freeing themselves from their abusive father, the death of the old way of life and the rebirth of the new way of life as the allies win the war in 1945.

Under the title “Draw Me a Picture”, this play was the subject of an National Endowment for the Arts fellowship in 1977.

Author: James B. Campbell

Genre: Period drama

Type: One act play

Cast: 4M 1F

Ages of the actors: 1 elderly, two middle aged, two adult M any age

Suitable for: All ages

Length: Twenty to twenty five minutes

Set: An industrial suburb of a large industrial city. The time is “V-J Day”, 1945, early evening. The kitchen of JOE and MARCIA’s apartment. There is a bedroom door, UR and a bathroom door UL. A door to the front part of the apartment and the outside is DL. There is a window, R. Besides the usual kitchen furnishings of the time, there is a stand-up radio console, a table and two chairs.

Level of difficulty: 7/10 – the play reads as a straight play, but there is a lot of hidden meaning which should be conveyed to the audience

Read a Sample of the Script




Cost is $10 for this digital play which was the subject of a National Endowment Fellowship

Contact Off The Wall Plays with any questions about The Restaurants are screaming

Copyright © 1977 2014 James B. Campbell

Like this play? Other period dramas that we stock:

Behind the Nets – one act period drama
Yvette – period drama romance set in Paris
A House Divided – civil war play in 4 acts

Ugly art – One Act Romantic plays

one act romantic plays

UGLY ART – ONE ACT ROMANTIC PLAYS

Set in an art gallery, ‘Ugly Art” explores the relationship between a man and a woman. When an ex boyfriend of Rebecca’s calls out of the blue and leaves a message to meet him at an art exhibition, her curiosity is piqued and she goes along, taking her husband, Michael with her. The painting of a dancing woman and her revelations about her previous relationship bring into context how Michael and Rebecca feel about each other and where their relationship is going.

Read about award winning playwright Terry Roeche. Other two handers by Terry Roeche

Reviews

Edmonton Journal, Edmonton, Canada

PRODUCTION HISTORY

Edmonton Fringe Festival 2009
Produced by Dreamscape Theatre, UK
Melfort Amateur Dramatics – SK, Canada – 2018
Nirak Films, UK – 2020

5 out of 5 Stars

Art is a subjective creature. One gallery patron sees a monochromatic masterpiece; another sees nothing more than red paint… Back and forth goes the dialogue like a piping hot potato, keeping our attention for the full 75 minutes… It’s a hoot, but perhaps it’s because we catch a glimpse of ourselves in each couple that Red Wine & Canvas resonates so strongly.

The State Newspaper names Ugly Art Best of 2001 in South Carolina
Columbia, South Carolina
Produced by Chapin Community Theatre 2001

“It ran for only three says, but “Ugly Art,” at Chapin Community Theatre, was a thought-provoking, moving, and occasionally funny series of playlets set in an art gallery filled with monochromatic paintings… “

Redditch Advertiser, Worcesterhire, England
Produced by Mouthpiece Theatre, Worcestershire, England 2004

Putting on a theatre performance is always a risky business. You don’t know whether the audience will turn off he telly and risk the chance of a waster evening. Mouthpiece Productions remedies this by taking theatre to the people. And if has certainly deliver the goods with its latest festival offering – Ugly Art… The show was a treat – a performance of this quality is worth traveling to watch. The show was light accessible and above all, very entertaining.

Sumter Item, Sumter, South Carolina

Produced by Urban Theater of Sumter 2004
“Three large canvases (blue, yellow and green) one bench and a small table displaying several wine glasses set the stage for “Ugly Art,” written by last year’s South Carolina playwright’s winner Terry Roueche… The play itself is sophisticated dialogue, evoking laughter through seven vignettes that explore a variety of topics – marriage, control, snobbery, fidelity and artistic talk…

Charlotte Observer, Charlotte, North Carolina
Produced by BareBones Theatre 2000

“What a surprise to walk into “Ugly Art” the season-closer by the Barebones Theatre Group, and find it fresh and funny… One-acts plus monologue last a crisp 90 minutes…

ENGLAND – Mouthpiece Theatre
Ugly Art 2005
Ugly Art as Red Wine & Canvas 2008

CROATIA – Dreamscape Theatre (UK)
CANADA – Dreamscape Theatre (UK)
LOS ANGELES – Drama West
The Old Nick theatre, Gainsborough, UK – 2019

Author: Terry Roeche

Genre: One act romantic plays

Type: One act play

Cast: 1M 1F

Ages of the actors: Adult any age

Suitable for: All ages

Length: 15 – 20 minutes

Set: Black box theatre. A square red painting on an easel or on the wall.

Level of difficulty: A conversational piece with movement 6/10

Read a Sample of the Script




Cost $10 for this award winning previously produced play

Contact Off The Wall Plays with any queries about Ugly Art

Copyright © December 2014 Terry Roeche and Off The Wall Play Publishers

Like this play? Other one act romances:

Naked – a one act romantic comedy about the pitfalls of internet dating
The Window – one act about marriage – and a window
Aracanum – one act play about friends and love

One act play – award winning one act plays

one act drama

ONE ACT PLAY – AWARD WINNING ONE ACT PLAYS

One act play won the Lace Market New Writing Competition in Nottingham UK (2014)

We are greeted by a middle aged couple in bed, roused from their slumber by Dvorak’s New World symphony, synonymously paired with Hovis to us Brits, bedecked in nightcaps that even Mrs Bennet would shy away from. Broad Yorkshire accents start the piece right from the off, each character’s monologues displaying to the audience their ideas of culture. The woman describes Les Miserables and the benefits of beards, the man speaks of the latest production of Two Gentlemen of Verona.

The stereotypical Northernisms continue with talk of whippets, flat caps and pipes, peppered with ‘by gums’ and ‘by ‘ecks’. That is until one of the characters shatters the fourth wall by pointing out the audience sitting in front of them. Thus the play starts to descend into unfamiliar territory. The characters discuss the existence of their creator, i.e the playwright himself. Growing ever more bold in their gestures towards their maker they dare to dream of a world outside the bed they woke up in. Even their dreams are clichés, dropped into their head by the writer, with talk of a house in the mountains by babbling brooks.

The dialogue descends into a sort of stream of consciousness ramble we might find in Joyce, about how they have come to exist and the basic differences between masculinity and femininity. This mirrors one of the woman’s first remarks at the beginning when she says that only a man could have created such a cruel existence. Here is when the play reaches its climax, a cruel twist at the end proves the woman right when they come to escape…

Author: Matt Fox

Genre: One act comedy-drama

Type: Award winning one act plays

Cast: Two: 1M 1F

Ages of the actors: Adult (middle aged)

Length: 30 minutes

Set: A couple in a bed with fake legs (pillows)

Level of difficulty: 8/10 – engaging the audience and keeping their attention in this dialogue driver play

Read a Sample of the Script




Cost is $10 for this award winning one act play

Contact Off The Wall Plays with any queries about One Act Play

Copyright © December 2014 Matt Fox and Off The Wall Play Publishers

Over My Dead Body – one act ghost plays

OVER MY DEAD BODY – ONE ACT GHOST PLAYS (comedy)

 

one act ghost plays

A ghost and her husband are prepared to haunt the house below before they’ll let their family sell the house that has been theirs for three generations. Miranda and Ben have been quite happy living in their haunted family home their entire lives. And now that they have passed on and joined the realm of family ghosts as well, they are looking forward to an afterlife spent with their children and grandchildren.

Unfortunately, their children (more specifically their daughter in law) have other plans. Plans that involve selling the more then slightly haunted house and moving to Florida. Plans that Miranda simply won’t have…

OVER MY DEAD BODY, was a finalist in the One Act Play Competition of The Arts Club of Washington (D.C.) and also won First Prize in The Little Theatre of Alexandria One Act Play Competition in 2014.

Production History

Rhosgoch Y.F.C. – 2016.
Washtenaw International High School Drama Club, MI, USA – 2016
Wyvern Players Society, AB, Canada – 2016
Holy Rosary Convent – Edenvale, South Africa – 2017
Callan Macra, Co Kilkenny, Ireland – 2021
Indian Springs School, AL, USA – 2021
Buck Creek Players, Inc., IN, USA – 2022
Robbinsville High School, NJ, USA – 2023

Read about award winning playwright Jean Blasiar.

Author: Jean Blasiar

Genre: Comedy, ghost story

Type: One act  ghost plays

Cast: Eight actors, 8, 5M 3F

Ages of the actors: 20’s to 60’s

Suitable for: All ages

Length: Forty five minutes

Set: Split level – an upper level or loft for the ghosts and the dining room downstairs.

Level of difficulty: 7/10 – some special effects with wind/lights/sounds

Read a Sample of the Script




Cost is $11 for this award winning best selling play script

Contact Off The Wall Plays with any queries about Over my dead body

© October 2014 Jean Blasiar and Off The Wall Play Publishers

Like this play? Other funny ghost and thriller scripts:

Mister Hislop’s dating Agency – funny ghost story script
The Basement – one act comedy thriller
You do love me, don’t you – funny then scary psycho thriller in one act

 

Prelude to Macbeth – modern Shakespeare plays

 

modern Shakespeare play
The Thurso players in their winning performance

PRELUDE TO MACBETH – MODERN SHAKESPEARE PLAYS

This award winning one act play is a prequel to Shakespeare’s Macbeth. The story of how Macbeth becomes Thane of Glamis and how he meets Lorna Stewart who becomes his wife – Lady Macbeth. The play is written in blank verse – the style fashionable with playwrights of Shakespeare’s era.

Macbeth’s first wife has just died. Battle weary and devastated by his loss he decides to give up being a soldier. Duncan doesn’t want to lose Macbeth. He offers him the title of Thane of Glamis if he will agree to continue as his general. Macbeth knows he will either have to accept the offer – or flee into exile. Duncan won’t take no for an answer.

Prelude to Macbeth won the 2010 Seahorse Award for best stage play at the Moondance Film Festival in America. At the Wilmslow Guild Drama Festival 2010 it received the Adjudicators Award for the most original piece of theatre.

It was also awarded the trophies for highest directing mark and overall winner at the SCDA Caithness District festival of one act plays in Scotland in 2016.

FURTHER PRODUCTION HISTORY

Artist’s Playground – Quezon, Philippines – 2016
Second round performances Artist’s Playground – Quezon, Philippines
Wauwatosa East High School – Tosa East Players, WI, USA – 2022
Smoky Hill High School, CO, USA – 2022

Read about playwright James Chalmers.

Author: James Chalmers

Genre: Shakespearean tragedy, modern Shakespeare plays

Type: One act play

Length: Forty minutes

Number of actors: Eight, 4M 4F

Ages of the actors: Teenage to elderly

Suitable for: All ages

Set: A simple stage set is suggested – for example free standing flats (1m wide x 2m high) in an arc across the playing area – painted a neutral colour such as grey. Entrances and exits can be between the flats or in front of them. The flats suggest rocks like Stonehenge or castle battlements.

Level of Difficulty: 7/10 – this play is written in the same style as Shakespeare wrote, achieving the right flow of the words is paramount.

Read a Sample of the Script




Cost is $10 for this award winning script

Contact Off The Wall Plays with any queries about Prelude to Macbeth

© August 2014 James Chalmers and Off The Wall Play Publishers

Like this play? Other classic type plays:

The Scepter has departed – play about how modern day Israel was made
Lies You can’t make up – play about JFK

But I’m French – one act romantic comedy plays

one act comedy plays

BUT I’M FRENCH – ONE ACT ROMANTIC COMEDY PLAYS

Charles is convinced that he’s actually French – to the extent that he speaks in a French accent, and talks garbled ‘French’ to total strangers that he meets. This annoys his girlfriend, Penelope to no end. When he befriends two confused French girls and talks to them in ‘French,’ Penelope is embarrassed and begs him to stop. But Charles won’t be deterred and thinks he knows a way to convince Penny that he is in fact French.

‘But I’m French’ is the 2009 winner of the Little Fish Theater’s – Pick of the Vine Play Contest. San Pedro, California. It was also selected for Lee Street Theatre’s SIX IN THE CITY 10 Minute Original Play Festival 2009 Salisbury N.C. It  won first place in the 2007 Porter Fleming Writing Competition sponsored by the Greater Augusta (GA) Arts Council and was selected for Barestage Theatre’s “Six 15s @ Eight” New Plays Festival 2005.

Further Production History

Parish Episcopal School. Texas, USA – 2016
South Albany High School Theater Arts, Oregon, USA – 2016
Infinite Imagination, Alberta, Canada – 2017
Darien High School, CT, USA – 2018
Mehlville High School, MO, USA – 2019
Nirak Films, Warwichshire, UK – 2020
Jesuit Philelectic Society, Jesuit High School, LA, USA – 2021
South Tama County High School, IA, USA – 2021

Read more about playwright Terry Roueche.

Author: Terry Roueche

Genre: One act romantic comedy plays

Type: One act play, two hander play

Length: Ten to Fifteen minutes

Number of Actors: Two, 1M, 1F

Ages of the actors: 20’s – 30’s.

Set: It can be set anywhere as it is a conversation.

Level of Difficulty: 6/10 – a fun, easy place that will be enjoyed by the audience and actors alike.

Read a Sample of the Script

pay now shakespeare

Cost is $11.00 for this multi award winning digital play script. Just Click Shakespeare!

Contact Off The Wall Plays with any queries about But I’m French

Like this play? try our other Romantic Comedies:

A Blind Date – a short one act romantic comedy
Aldous Remembers – a play about bringing the romance back into a marriage
Guy meets girls – a comedic monologue
Arcanum – a one act comedy about friends and love