creative writing one act play module

• How to Cite
• Language & Lit
• Rhyme & Rhythm
• The Rewrite
• Search Glass

What are One Act Plays?

8 steps for writing a one act play, other notes, one act play: definition, elements and writing tips.

If plays are the small siblings of movies, then a one act play is the infant of the family. One act plays take place in only one scene and are generally less than an hour long, making them very different than a full-length play. While they are short plays, however, they are still complete stories.

For this reason, they can still be difficult to write if you don't know how to go about the process. Below are steps that will help you brainstorm during your playwriting and develop a great one act play that rivals Shakespeare. Become a more well rounded dramatist by following these simply step.

1. Choose a Subject

​Choose a subject to cover in a brief one scene act play.​ A short story works best. Remember to give the one act play the necessary plot, action and characters to make it a complete story. Research other one act plays to get ideas and inspiration for yours. It is best if this subject also leads to the action of the play as well.

2. Develop the Action, Then the Dialog

​Develop the action first, then compose the dialog before you decide anything else.​ Keep the plot simple for a one act play and it should move consistently throughout the play. The rising action should be quick and not have many subplots to keep in mind time.

3. Develop the Characters

​Develop the characters.​ Write out a main character sketch beforehand to help you flesh out your characters and bring them to life. Give your characters a motive in life (or lack thereof) and up the stakes by making them face a problem. This is central to any story.

4. Generate the Setting

​Generate the setting.​ The setting for a one act play will be one scene, but you have to still develop the scene so the audience sees everything about the story line. Include as many of the five sense as you can. Lighting helps the setting. Make sure you write in notes about how the lighting should look.

5. Add in Stage Directions

​Add in the stage directions after you write the action.​ Write notes about how each character should respond and what props you'll need. For example, if the characters should be facing another direction and talking to another character, note it in the script.

6. Find Performers for Each Part

‌ Find performers that fit each part. ‌ Hold auditions to find the right actors and actresses. Be upfront with them about whether this gig is a paying gig or a volunteer gig.

7. Make Copies for Cast Members

‌ Make copies of the play for each cast member. ‌ Save the document in case you need extra copies. Give copies of the one act play to each member of the stage and prop handling too.

8. Practice the Play

‌ Practice the play. ‌ Ask for feedback from all the people involved in the play. Hire or ask an expert to help with the production too. Hold one final practice before opening the show. This should be a dress rehearsal. Treat this final as the real thing and tie up any loose ends.

​Determine your audience​ to help you decide what and how to write. Having a distinct turning point in your one act play will help the audience stay engaged as well.

​Avoid adding anything to the play that doesn't move the plot forward to the final conclusion. Limiting the number of characters may help the plot not drag along as well. Your one-act play should reach a conclusion by the end of the play and leave a resolution with the audience.

Exploring english literature and other examples of one-act plays may help you better write your play as well.

• Get some ideas on writing plays
• Determine your audience to help you decide what and how to write.
• Avoid adding anything to the play that doesn't move the plot forward to the final conclusion.

Madi Reade is currently a student in her junior year at the University of Missouri studying Journalism with an emphasis in Strategic Communications. She lives an active lifestyle and maintains an organized weekly routine to ensure academic success. Throughout her academic career, she has remained committed to bettering her writing and editing abilities with a plan to pursue a career after university that will allow her to employ these skills effectively.

Creative Writing by Casey Clabough

Get full access to Creative Writing and 60K+ other titles, with a free 10-day trial of O'Reilly.

There are also live events, courses curated by job role, and more.

The Believable One-Act Play

In This Chapter

• Stage matters
• Making the play work
• Spoken audio
• Unspoken audio

Full-length plays that have a three-act format can last for more than 2 hours. By contrast, one-act plays are essentially short plays telling a complete story. They are enacted against the backdrop of a single scene and may last for about 30 to 60 minutes.

A budding playwright can get acquainted with the basics of playwriting by learning to write a one-act play. The format and content of the play is largely determined by audience, so it helps to know the target audience in advance. However, if you don’t know for sure, you can ...

Get Creative Writing now with the O’Reilly learning platform.

O’Reilly members experience books, live events, courses curated by job role, and more from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers.

Don’t leave empty-handed

Get Mark Richards’s Software Architecture Patterns ebook to better understand how to design components—and how they should interact.

It’s yours, free.

Check it out now on O’Reilly

Dive in for free with a 10-day trial of the O’Reilly learning platform—then explore all the other resources our members count on to build skills and solve problems every day.

One-Act Play: Creative Writing Unit for Groups or Individual Students

• Word Document File

Description

Questions & answers, writing guy.

• We're hiring
• Help & FAQ
• Privacy policy
• Student privacy
• Terms of service
• Tell us what you think

• help_outline help

iRubric: Creative Writing Unit: One-Act Play rubric

• Playwriting

Princeton Students Create One-Act Musicals in Spring Atelier Course

• Theater & Music Theater

Photo highlights from readings of short one-act musicals created in "A Blank Page: Creativity, Collaboration, and Adaptation" Atelier course

Photo by Jon Sweeney

Students in the 2024 spring Princeton Atelier course, “A Blank Page: Creativity, Collaboration, and Adaptation” concluded their semester performing the short one-act musicals they created in class.

The course, taught by Tony Award-nominated composer Dave Malloy and Lucille Lortel Award-winning director Annie Tippe , invited aspiring playwrights, composers, directors, and performers of all levels to explore creativity and collaboration through the form of musical theater. Students studied various musicals and their source materials in tandem with writings and creative exercises in preparation for these performances, which took place on April 22 in the Berlind Theatre Rehearsal Room.

• Learn more about the Atelier Program at Princeton.
• Learn more about the Lewis Center for the Arts at Princeton.

Press Contact

Steve Runk Director of Communications 609-258-5262 [email protected]

Visual Arts Senior Kapili Naehu-Ramos ’24 Discusses their Exhibition, Moʻo

Dance student Storm Stokes ’24 premieres choreographic project supported by Alex Adam ’07 Award

Annie Tippe

Dave Malloy

• Photo Gallery
• Atelier Course Archive

Receive Lewis Center Events & News Updates