Searching for One-Acts

This pathfinder will assist you in finding great one act plays in Theatre Alberta’s library collection. If you need more help, our librarians welcome any questions you may have regarding your search.

Visit our Library

A great way to start your search is by visiting our library either in person or online. You can find a complete list of resources in our collection by accessing our online catalogue. To locate one act plays, use these suggested department codes, keywords, and phrases to search the catalogue:

Department Codes to Browse or Search in the Catalogue

To search the catalogue for Call Numbers, perform the following search:

  1. Click the Advanced tab in the blue menu bar
  2. Click the button beside Department Code
  3. In the search field, enter one of the suggested Department Codes and click Search

Suggested Department Codes:

  • COA Canadian One Acts
  • GOA General One Acts
  • YOA Young Adult One Acts
  • CHO Children’s One Acts

Searching for One-Acts in our Published Indexes

Theatre Alberta publishes indexes that contain detailed information on scripts in our collection. These indexes are updated in March of every year and can be viewed online by going to Library Indexes in the Library menu on our website.

The following indexes, which include the number of actors and a brief synopsis of each play, list one-act plays in our collection:

  • Canadian One-Acts
  • Canadian One-Acts in Collections
  • One-Act Comedies (1-3 actors)
  • One-Act Comedies in Collections (1-3 actors)
  • One-Act Comedies (4-6 actors)
  • One-Act Comedies in Collections (4-6 actors)
  • One-Act Comedies (7+ actors)
  • One-Act Comedies in Collections (7+ actors)
  • One-Act Dramas (1-3 actors)
  • One-Act Dramas in Collections (1-3 actors)
  • One-Act Dramas (4-6 actors)
  • One-Act Dramas in Collections (4-6 actors)
  • One-Act Dramas (7+ actors)
  • One-Act Dramas in Collections (7+ actors)
  • Children’s One-Acts
  • Children’s One-Acts in Collections
  • Young Adult One-Acts
  • Young Adult One-Acts in Collections

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Recommended Titles

The lists below have been previewed by us and selected for this topic. Theatre Alberta has many of the suggested titles in these documents; however, we do not have all of them. For additional information on a specific title, search our catalogue or the Internet.

Popular Titles for High School:

Publisher Recommended Titles for High School:

Some suggested Canadian collections containing one act plays:

  • Cues and Entrances edited by Henry Beissel
  • Dialogue and Dialectic: A Canadian Anthology of Short Plays
  • Instant Applause vol. 1 & 2
  • NextFest Anthology vol. 1 & 2 edited by Glenda Stirling
  • Rhubarb-O-Rama! edited by Franco Boni
  • Seven Short Plays from Theatre Ontario edited by Doucette and Shand
  • Snappy Shorts at Tarragon Theatre
  • Taking the Stage
  • Ten Canadian Short Plays edited by John Stevens
  • Three on the Boards edited by Kit Brennan
  • Women Write for Theatre vol. 1 edited by Maimie Harner

Some suggested International collections containing one act plays:

  • 20/20 Twenty One Act Plays from 20 Years of Humana Festival
  • 24 Favorite One Act Plays edited by Bennett Cerf
  • Around the World in 21 Plays: Theatre for Young Audiences edited by Lowell Swortzell
  • Best American Short Plays
  • The Best Short Plays
  • Best Student One Acts vol. 4-7 edited by Lauren Friesen
  • Fifteen American One Act Plays edited by Paul Kozelka
  • Humana Festival Plays
  • International Connections
  • International Plays for Young Audiences edited by Roger Ellis
  • Introduction to Modern One-Act Plays edited by Marshall Cassidy
  • More One Act Plays for Acting Students edited by Norman A. Bert and Deb Bert
  • New Connections
  • New Connections 99: New Plays for Young People
  • New One-Act Plays for Acting Students edited by Norman A. Bert and Deb Bert
  • Off-Off Broadway Festival Plays
  • Shell Connections
  • Short Plays of Theatre Classics edited by Aurand Harris
  • Snapshot: A Dramatic Anthology
  • Theatre for Young Audiences: 20 Great Plays for Children edited by Coleman A. Jennings
  • Thirty Famous One-Act Plays edited by Bennett Cerf