Very Short

Plays

Northern Lights

Coming to terms with her mother's grief, Skye tries to re-connect at a music festival, which turns out to be anything but.

Drama

A New Garden

When a green-fingered vicar and his wife begin digging up the vicarage lawn for "unusual" flower beds, the gossiping village of Little Gittings starts to rot from the inside out

Comedy

A Table in the Corner

Following the loss of her closest relatives, Jess re-visits old haunts, and finds her future.

Drama

1M, 2F

Playing Pilchards

After a life changing accident, Brian continues to go to work day after day, even participating in the Christmas party - but nobody can bear to tell him that his wife is dead.

Drama

1M, 2F

Wholesome, festive play for young children

When Jack Frost Stole the Stars

Comedy

Approx 20 young people 6 – 11 years old – gender unspecified

The Morning After

Brian and Eliza meet on a dating app for seniors. But next morning brings a confrontation with reality. A winner in the Woolton Drama Group (Liverpool) Taste of Funny Festival 2025.

Comedy

1M, 2F

Just One Wish

Jane gets more than she bargained for when she opens her new book.

Comedy

1 M, 1 F, 1 either

A light hearted short play for four women to have fun with.

Tuesday Afternoons with Angel Cake

Victoria is a pillar of the community, an angel it could be said, but it appears at an event that Victoria has organised, there is another angel in their midst, one of the more avenging kind.

Comedy

4 females

Unfinished Business

A quirky short play, inspired by Jane Austen's unfinished novel, 'Sanditon'

Comedy

2M, 3F, 1M/F (very small part).

Requiring a simple set depicting a room in Emma Woodhouse’s home.

Swipe Right

A modern adaptation of Emma by Jane Austen

Comedy

2M, 2F

Nous and Nonsense

A short play loosely inspired by Sense and Sensibility

Drama

3F (2 younger, 1 mature), 1M

A Different Life

A stranger at a funeral reveals a secret. Inspired by Jane Austen's 'Persuasion'.

Drama

1m, 1f

Palette of the Mind

An exciting opportunity for two female-presenting actors to portray compelling historical figures from vastly different worlds - united by a shared mission.

Drama

2 female

A simple set requiring a chair and a table and two mugs of tea.

The Playwright

A prize-winning play about entering playwriting competitions - and J B Priestley

Comedy

1 man, 1 woman of similar age; or 2 women (mother/daughter)

One simple set - a bench on a station platform.

The Next Train to Arrive

Why is Paul waiting for a train that isn't going to stop? A winner at the 2025 Ilkley Playhouse 8x8x8 festival

Drama

1 man, 1 woman

A Sort of Low-Key Epiphany

An aspiring journalist finds her voice

Drama

Daisy, in her 30s, Kathryn, in her 50s, Teddy, in his 30s

Two chairs and a table with a cafeteria ambience.

A Summer School Story

When Tom and Fiona meet in the cafeteria at Summer School there's more than just spicy noodles on the menu.

Comedy

1 man, 1 woman

Two chairs, a table and a game of snakes and ladders.

Zoology on a Triple

When snakes and ladders isn't a game.

Drama

1 mature man, 1 older woman, 1 gender neutral adult.

Tied

When two dog-loving strangers meet. A winner at the 2025 Ink Festival.

Comedy

1 man (approx. 55) 1 woman (approx. 59). No dogs required.

Scope for set design – could be kept very simple.

Hummanequins

All is not what it seems in the Howard Department Store window in this slightly spooky drama.

Drama

5 parts – all parts are not gender specific.

A short play with simple set requirements.

Bucket List

Two old acquaintances meet again and discuss old times. Except - there's a twist.

Drama

2 women (aged approx 35 to 50 and 60+)

You Saw Me Standing Alone

A chance meeting leads to an unlikely friendship in this poignant story of the enduring power of love. A winner at the 2022 Ilkley Playhouse 8x8x8 festival.

Drama

2 women (aged approx 50+), 1 teenager

Happily Ever After

A reflection on the role of marriage in society in 1916 and 2024

Drama

3 young women

A Pinter Milk

A sinister vignette from the Theatre of Menace

Drama

1 woman, 1 man

A dark comedy with a surprising twist. Simple set.

BARF

Prize-winning dark comedy. Why is Pauline so pleased that the appliance repairman is single?

Comedy

1 woman, 1 man

The Brassica Quartet

Ebony and Ivory vie to create the best musical alternative to harps beyond the pearly gates.

Comedy

2M, 2 any

Raisin, Donut, Bacon Sandwich

Pigeons sit on a lamppost lamenting the loss of habitat in the local park, and vying for the crumbs that humanity drops.

Comedy

1F, 2 any

Chocoholics Anonymous

A support group, set up for individuals with a chocolate addiction, meets weekly under the guise of being a book club.

Comedy

Lighthearted, festive play for young children

Where’s Rudolph?

We can’t do Christmas without Rudolph

Comedy

Approx 11 young people 6 – 11 years old – gender unspecified

The Unblocking of a Bladder

Is it hope that causes all our problems? A winner at the 2026 TakeTen festival on the theme of Angels.

Comedy

2 people. Gender non-specific.

Stuck in the Middle

John and Stella are enjoying eternity together, but their peace is shattered when Mary arrives. A winner in the Chesil Theatre TakeTen Festival 2026

Comedy

1M, 2F

Kill Gill

It's bad enough to be stranded on a desert island...

Comedy

2M, 1F

The Small Print

In his jovial holiday mood, George just cannot help himself and is unable to resist temptation. If only he had read the small print.

Comedy

2 male, 1 female, 1 male or female

A simple set depicting a futuristic space ship.

The Goldilocks Zone

A short science fiction play set in deep space en route to exoplanet Kepler 452b.

Drama

1M, 1F, 1M/F

A Lady... In Red!

Jane Austen's Lady Susan in ten minutes

Drama

1M, 3F (including one 16-year-old)

Pride

A short play loosely inspired by Pride and Prejudice.

Comedy

3F (late 20s, 30s and 50s)

Ego Ergo Sum

Who is the biggest narcissist?

Comedy

2M, 1F

Vignette inspired by Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen

In Devotion and Hope

Be careful what you wish for

Drama

2 females early to mid 20’s 1 male in 40’s

This play is packed with humour and a touch of nostalgia, offering actors a delightful opportunity to relive their teenage years and have some real fun on stage.

Merseyside Mash-Up

The school band discovers the Mersey sound. A winner in the Woolton Drama Group (Liverpool) Taste of Funny Festival 2025.

Comedy

2 men, 3 women (though there is some flexibility).

Malcolm and Karen are trapped in some kind of storeroom. There is a high step ladder in there and some other detritus, including a few empty cardboard boxes. The lighting is rather subdued throughout and it is eerily quiet (and warm).

Snakes and Ladders

Can Malcolm and Karen escape from a locked cupboard? Winner at the Hebden Bridge Festival.

Comedy

1 man, 1 woman. Middle-aged

Children’s play – adventurous and fantastical

A Carnival of Clever Animals

A book takes a group of children on an unexpected adventure

Drama

10 – 25 actors aged 7 – 11 years

Hiraeth

Two women strike up a conversation during their bus journey and discover an unspoken bond.

Drama

2 women (aged 60+ and 20-30)

Frost on the Glass

Charles would like to meet the daughter he's never seen. Debbie has ideas of her own.

Drama

1 man (early 60s), 1 woman (early 40s)

The Birthday Bench

A harmless annual ritual hides the darker side of wilful ignorance.

Drama

1 man (60+), 2 women (60+ and 40)

Here Comes the Sun

The outcome of a pregnancy test determines the play's conclusion

Drama

2 women (aged approx 35 to 45 and 60+)

Departure Lounge

An influencer meets her nemesis at a very inconvenient moment.

Comedy

2 women (one aged 18 to 40 and one younger), 1 adult (any age and gender)

A short play which requires only a cafe table, 2 chairs and some cups of coffee.

Towels on the Bathroom Floor

Home is important - even after you've left it. A winner at the "From Scratch III" competition.

Drama

1 mature man, 1 young woman, 1 mature woman - non-speaking

Bubbles

What does the champagne really celebrate?

Drama

1 woman, 1 man

A short play which requires only a comfy chair and the sound track of a song thrush. Funny, poignant and thought provoking.

The Song Thrush

“‘The Song Thrush' is a beautiful exploration of memory, family and the power
of birdsong.” MO&NA Theatre Company, a winner at the "From Scratch II" festival.

Drama

4 characters or 3 with doubling, male or female.

Firing Blanks

A curious game of snakes and ladders. A winner in the Chesil Theatre Take Ten festival 2024.

Comedy

1 man, 1 woman, 1 either