10-MINUTE PLAYS
by Tara Meddaugh
Tara's ten-minute plays are excellent choices for festivals, theatre contests, forensics competitions ("duo interp"), for schools, colleges, and studies. If you have an interest in using one of her short plays, please contact her for permission. You can find excerpts below and links to purchase full copies.
THERE ONCE WERE TWO CLOUDS IN THE SKY
A quirky comedy/drama
When two clouds realize their time existing is quickly running out, they attempt to find some sort of purpose for their lives so their legacy will live on (Creating lightning? Writing poetry?). Yet their own listlessness is dragging them down, and the pressure of dissipating in a matter of minutes is a bit distracting, to say the least. When one cloud proposes a risky way to extend their existence, they must decide together, if what they must give up is worth what they might gain.
Two clouds try to find meaning (or not) with their very limited time on this earth…before their dissipate and disappear forever.
“Unassumingly sweet and joyous, packing profound punch in a single line.”
~Jacqueline Reid, co-founder, actor and director of Fusion Theatre
DETAILS
Cast: 2 any gender
Genre: Comedy, dramatic comedy, heightened
Age: Any age
Setting: The sky
Time period: Present
Running time: 10-15 minutes
Click here for a free excerpt of There Once Were Two Clouds in the Sky, or click below for the complete play. This play was the winner of the 2023 Bradford Gromelski Jury Award from Fusion Theatre, in Albuquerque, NM.
Two clouds strive to find meaning (or not) in their very short existence before they dissipate and disappear forever… This is a comedic/dramatic play for 2 actors (any gender/any age), with a running time of approximately 10-15 minutes. This play is the winner of the 2023 Bradford Gromelski Jury Award at Fusion Theatre in Albuquerque, NM.
20 MAGICAL MINUTES OF DARKNESS & SILENCE & PEACE
A dark comedy/drama 10-minute play
Grace, a raccoon, is begrudgingly charged to find, and bring back, her fellow raccoon who has gone missing after a shocking personal tragedy. When she finally finds the depressed Joffrey in a train station parking lot, he refuses to come back with her. Yet. Because he has something important he has to do first. In this parking lot. And he needs her help.
DETAILS
Genre: Dark comedy/drama
Setting: Parking lot
Cast: 1 male, 1 female (although flexible casting)
Age: late teens-late adulthood
Running time: 10-15 minutes
Good for: outdoor theater, 10-minute play festival, duo interp, showcases, festivals, play related to grieving, connections, friendship, tragedy, dealing with depression
Click here to download a free excerpt from 20 MAGICAL MINUTES OF DARKNESS & SILENCE & PEACE.
Click below for the complete dark comedy play, 20 MAGICAL MINUTES OF DARKNESS & SILENCE & PEACE.
In this 2-person 10-minute dark comedy/drama, Grace, a raccoon, is begrudgingly charged to find, and bring back, her fellow raccoon, Joffrey, who has gone missing after a shocking personal tragedy. When she finally finds the depressed Joffrey in a train station parking lot, he is carrying around a large garbage bag and refuses to come back with her—yet. He is reeling in grief, and in order to find solace and closure, he has to do something first. At this parking lot. With the garbage bag. And he needs her help. This is a play where our characters are raccoons. They talk about cat food, pizza from a dumpster and being tired when staying awake during the daylight. But at its core, is a story about love, loss, pain, grief and ultimately friendship—which is entirely human.
PITFALLS AND TREASURES
A dark comedy/drama/comedy
Mary and Andrew are lonely and troubled seagulls, each ostracized by their former flocks. When Mary embarks on the desperate challenge of removing twine wrapped around Andrew’s leg, they both must decide how much to trust each other in the hope of finding a better life.
DETAILS
Genre: Dark comedy/drama/comedy
Cast: 2 (1 female, 1 male)
Set: Minimal, a parking lot
Running time: 10 minutes
Great food: outdoor theater, 2 person play, 2-hander, competitions, festivals, play about animals, allegories, play about friendship, loyalty, trust, loneliness, fending for yourself, selfishness, a play about seagulls, birds
CLICK for a free excerpt of Pitfalls and Treasures by Tara Meddaugh.
CLICK below for a complete digital copy of Pitfalls and Treasures by Tara Meddaugh
This is a 10-minute 2 person dark comedy/drama/comedy play. Mary and Andrew are lonely and troubled seagulls, each ostracized by their former flocks. When Mary embarks on the desperate challenge of removing twine wrapped around Andrew’s leg, they both must decide how much to trust each other in the hope of finding a better life.
Two rabbits flee for their lives, holding onto hope that a mysterious secret Moon River Raft will carry all Woundeds to a perfect land. But things are never what they seem in the middle of the night…at a creepy river bank…in a forest…under the moon… Are they?
DETAILS
**NOTE: This is not quite 10-minute play. It runs around 15 minutes, but fits within the realm of many typical 10-minute plays.
Genre: Dark comedy/drama/heightened
Cast: 2 female, but can be any gender
Age: Teen-adult
Setting: Riverbank, night
Time period: Present
Running time: Around 15 minutes
When the rabbit, Selina, breaks her leg, she knows she will not survive long in a forest filled with predators. While the rest of her rabbit colony has ostracized her as a “magnet of death,” her sister, Meredith, remains loyal and plans to keep her safe by hiding her in a tree stump forever. But when Meredith discovers Selina has left the stump and gone to a creepy river in the middle of the night, Selina reveals a secret she has learned from the elder-rabbits: The Moon River Raft is arriving tonight and will take all Woundeds to a perfect place where injuries are healed and no predators exist. Selina pleads with Meredith to come with her, but Meredith has serious doubts. As the Moon River Raft approaches, their fate becomes clear and their loyalty to each other is truly tested.
Click here to read an excerpt of the dark comedy play, The Moon River Raft. Click below for the complete digital copy of the short play, The Moon River Raft.
Rabbits, Meredith and Selina, flee for their lives, holding onto a mysterious hope that a moon river raft will bring them to a perfect land. This is a dark comedy play for 2 actors (written as female, but casting is flexible/any gender) with a running time of approximately 15 minutes.
Lester meets with his old friend and struggles to reconcile his conscience with a government request for using his Chemical Plant during World War 2.
DETAILS:
Genre: Drama, Period piece 1940s
Cast: 2 male,
Age range: 50s-70s
Setting: Study of a wealthy estate
Running time: Around 15 minutes
Tags: 2 person play, all male cast, play for mature actors, great for competitions, duo interpt, period drama, period comedy, realistic, friendship, war, 1940s, WW2, strong male roles
*This play is a stand-alone 10-minute play or is also found in the collection of short plays called The Victory Garden Plays.
Click here for a free excerpt to the play, LESTER AND JERRY & THE CHEMICAL PLANT.
Lester meets with his old friend and struggles to reconcile personal morals with a government “request” for using his Chemical Plant.
*This play for 2 male actors, 50s-60s, runs around 10-15 minutes
Click below for the complete full-length play, THE VICTORY GARDEN PLAYS, from which Lester and Jerry & The Chemical Plant comes.
While soldiers fight abroad in WW2, those remaining in Westchester County strive to make a difference on the Homefront by creating Victory Gardens, supplementing limited food supply. But the pressures on the homefront extend much further than simply growing produce. A child worries her failing rooftop garden is an omen of misfortune for her father’s return from a POW camp. An infertile woman throws her purpose into feeding neighborhood families. A wealthy man whose chemical plant is commissioned by the government for war purposes struggles with how to leave a meaningful legacy not tainted with warfare. These stories, and more, are given light in The Victory Garden Plays, a series of vignettes chronicling people’s journeys with their new realities of love, growth, life and death.
RUBY AND MILLIE & THE DYING CUCUMBERS
a comedy/drama
While her father is in a POW Camp during WWII, the young Ruby has been charged with leading her apartment building’s rooftop victory garden back in White Plains, NY. Her older sister, Millie, carrying weighty responsibilities of her own, has been searching for Ruby tonight and finally finds her on the rooftop. While Millie tries to convince Ruby to come inside to bed, Ruby discovers some of her vegetables are dying, and fears this is a harbinger of bad news for her father and the war.
DETAILS:
Genre: Comedy, drama, Period piece 1940s
Cast: 2 female (1 female around 7-12 years old, 1 female around 15-20 years old)
Setting: Rooftop Garden of an apartment building, 1943
Running time: Around 10 minutes
Tags: 2 person play, all female cast, play for youth, young person play, child actor, teen actor, tween actor, great for competitions, duo interpt, period drama, period comedy, sister relationship, realistic, sisterly love, strong female roles, passes Bechdel Test
*This play is a stand-alone 10-minute play or is also found in the collection of short plays called The Victory Garden Plays.
Click here to read an excerpt of the 10-minute play, Ruby and Millie and The Dying Cucumbers.
Click below for the complete digital copy (immediate download) of Ruby and Millie and The Dying Cucumbers.
This is a 10-minute comedy/drama play for 2 female actors, age around 10-20 years old, set in 1943. While her father is in a POW Camp during WWII, the young Ruby has been charged with leading her apartment building’s rooftop victory garden back in White Plains, NY. Her older sister, Millie, carrying weighty responsibilities of her own, has been searching for Ruby tonight and finally finds her on the rooftop. While Millie tries to convince Ruby to come inside to bed, Ruby discovers some of her vegetables are dying, and fears this is a harbinger of bad news for her father and the war.
*This play is a stand-alone 10-minute play or is also found in the collection of short plays called The Victory Garden Plays.
This ten-minute play is part of a selection of short plays which comprises The Victory Garden Plays. It may be performed within the Victory Garden Plays production, or it may stand alone, as a 10-minute play, as featured here. CLICK below for a complete digital copy of the production, The Victory Garden Plays (which includes this 10-minute play, as well as 4 other 10-minute plays, and 2 monologue plays)
While soldiers fight abroad in WW2, those remaining in Westchester County strive to make a difference on the Homefront by creating Victory Gardens, supplementing limited food supply. But the pressures on the homefront extend much further than simply growing produce. A child worries her failing rooftop garden is an omen of misfortune for her father’s return from a POW camp. An infertile woman throws her purpose into feeding neighborhood families. A wealthy man whose chemical plant is commissioned by the government for war purposes struggles with how to leave a meaningful legacy not tainted with warfare. These stories, and more, are given light in The Victory Garden Plays, a series of vignettes chronicling people’s journeys with their new realities of love, growth, life and death.
THE BRONZE LINING
A drama/comedy
When two estranged sisters attempt to bond during a hike after their mother’s death, they confront whether there may be too much damage between them to repair.
DETAILS
Cast: 2 female
Age: 20s-30s
Genre: Drama, comedy, dramedy
Running time: 10-15 minutes
Setting: Woods
Click here for a free excerpt of The Bronze Lining.
Click below for the complete 10-minute play, The Bronze Lining.
When two estranged sisters attempt to bond during a hike after their mother’s death, they confront whether there may be too much damage between them to repair.
This is a 2-person, all-female, cast, running approximately 10 minutes.
DON’T CLOSE THE DOORS
A thriller monologue
by Tara Meddaugh
Abigail, a ghost in Stephanie’s closet, is sorry she must use her limited powers to freeze Stephanie in place, but what she must share with Stephanie is so dire that sometimes these things must be done. While at first, it appears Abigail’s ominous presence is a threat to Stephanie, as Abigail relays the tragedies which have left her paralyzed in Stephanie’s closet, we realize it is Abigail who desperately needs Stephanie’s help to end her heartbreaking torture.
DETAILS:
Genre: Thriller/drama
Age range: 20s-40s
Cast: Female
Time period: Contemporary
Setting: A bedroom closet in an old house/apartment building
Running time: Approximately 10 minutes
Good for: Scary monologue, competitions, conferences, festivals, monologue slams, spooky, creepy, Halloween theater, twist in expectations, ghost, dramatic story, characters dealing with loss, loneliness, grief, desperation, pleading, needing help, stuck.
To read a free excerpt of Don’t Close the Doors, click here.
CLICK below for a complete digital copy of Don’t Close the Doors by Tara Meddaugh
In this 10-minute dramatic/thriller/tragic monologue play for a female actor:
Abigail, a ghost in Stephanie’s closet, is sorry she must use her limited powers to freeze Stephanie in place, but what she must share with Stephanie is so dire that sometimes these things must be done. While at first, it appears Abigail’s ominous presence is a threat to Stephanie, as Abigail relays the tragedies which have left her paralyzed in Stephanie’s closet, we realize it is Abigail who desperately needs Stephanie’s help to end her heartbreaking torture.
ALFRED AND LILY AND THEIR MARVELOUS TANK IN THE FOREST
An absurdist, dark comedy
When Alfred and Lily are transplanted to a mysterious tank in the forest, they must decide if they will trust their new benefactors or find a way to escape.
DETAILS
Genre: Dark comedy/absurdist
Cast: 1 male, 1 female
Set: Minimal, a tank in a forest (may be impressionistic)
Running time: 10 minutes
CLICK for a free excerpt of Alfred and Lily and Their Marvelous Tank in the Forest.
CLICK below for a complete digital copy of Alfred and Lily and Their Marvelous Tank in the Forest.
When Alfred and Lily are evacuated from their pond and placed in a mysterious tank in the forest, they must decide if they should trust their “benefactors” or make an attempt to escape—before it is too late.
This is a 10-minute dark comedy play for 2 actors (1 m, 1 f), late teens to any age adult. The set is minimal, merely an impression of location (a tank in a forest).
Check here for a free excerpt to a YOUTH VERSION of Alfred and Lily and Their Marvelous Tank in the Forest. This version contains edited dialogue in the first two (2) pages of the script to remove any sexual innuendo. Appropriate for teens, middle schoolers and high schoolers. Click below for the complete digital copy of this edited YOUTH VERSION of Alfred and Lily and Their Marvelous Tank in the Forest:
When Alfred and Lily are evacuated from their pond and placed in a mysterious tank in the forest, they must decide if they should trust their “benefactors” or make an attempt to escape—before it is too late.
This is a 10-minute dark comedy play for 2 actors (1 m, 1 f), late teens to any age adult. The set is minimal, merely an impression of location (a tank in a forest).
This version of Alfred and Lily and Their Marvelous Tank in the Forest contains edited language in the first two pages to remove an adult innuendo. You may read a script excerpt here, which includes the edited pages.
RUBY AND MILLIE & THE OLD CHEMICAL PLANT
A comedy/drama
Sisters, Ruby and Millie have always been extremely close—from Millie caring for Ruby during the strain of WW2, to Ruby watching out for Millie’s bad knees. Neither one can imagine life without the other by her side. But now they struggle with decisions that may, for the first time in 60+ years, take them far away from each other.
DETAILS
Genre: Drama/Comedy/Dramedy
Cast: 2 female
Age range: 50s-80s
Set: Community garden, 1990s
Running time: 10-15 minutes
CLICK for a free excerpt to Ruby and Millie & The Old Chemical Plant
CLICK below for a complete digital copy of Ruby and Millie & The Old Chemical Plant
Sisters, Ruby and Millie have always been extremely close—from Millie caring for Ruby during the strain of WW2, to Ruby watching out for Millie’s bad knees, now that they are in their 60s. Neither one can imagine life without the other by her side. But for the first time, they struggle with decisions that may, for the first time, take them far away from each other.
This dramatic/comedic play has a running time of around 10-15 minutes, and is for 2 female actors, 50s-70s.
Ruby and Millie & The Old Chemical Plant stands alone as its own short piece, but was originally written for the full-length play, The Victory Garden Plays, and is the 7th and final movement in that play.
A NOTE ABOUT THE PIECE:
Ruby and Millie & The Old Chemical Plant was originally written and performed as part of the full-length play, The Victory Garden Plays. The Victory Garden Plays is a 7-piece collection of short individual plays encompassing journeys of individuals on the American home front during WW2. The opening movement of The Victory Garden Plays portrays sisters, Ruby and Millie, as a child and teenager, struggling to maintain their rooftop garden, while their father is a prisoner of war overseas. That play can be found here as RUBY AND MILLIE AND THE DYING CUCUMBERS. In the 4th movement, Frank and Jerry & The Chemical Plant, we experience the story of a wealthy chemical plant owner whose factory is requisitioned by the government and used for war purposes. In an effort to create his own meaningful legacy during war times, the plant owner decides to offer up some of his land to be used by the community for growing fruits and vegetables. Five decades later, the chemical plant is gone, but the allotment of a community garden, in that space, still remains. And here, in Ruby and Millie & The Old Chemical Plant, now in their 60s, we meet Ruby and Millie again, fifty years after their rooftop garden. This is the final piece from The Victory Garden Plays. It may also stand alone as its own complete short play.
Click below to read the entire play, The Victory Garden Plays.
While soldiers fight abroad in WW2, those remaining in Westchester County strive to make a difference on the Homefront by creating Victory Gardens, supplementing limited food supply. But the pressures on the homefront extend much further than simply growing produce. A child worries her failing rooftop garden is an omen of misfortune for her father’s return from a POW camp. An infertile woman throws her purpose into feeding neighborhood families. A wealthy man whose chemical plant is commissioned by the government for war purposes struggles with how to leave a meaningful legacy not tainted with warfare. These stories, and more, are given light in The Victory Garden Plays, a series of vignettes chronicling people’s journeys with their new realities of love, growth, life and death.
Dana and Cody are on a blind date. On Zoom. During a pandemic. Despite the awkwardness, they strive to find a connection during a very isolating time. And...well, someone has to clean up cat pee...
This 10-minute rom-com play is written especially for video chatting, so no production questions like "should we read that stage direction?" or "how do we act out that fall?" Your audience can step into Cody's and Dana's private world for a moment--backgrounds, chats, cats on laps and all.
DETAILS
Genre: Comedy, romantic comedy, rom-com,
Cast: 1 male, 1 female, 20s
Set: 2 zoom screens/kitchen/apartment
Running time: 10 minutes
Great for: Zoom readings, zoom performances, actor rehearsal, streaming, light comedies, finding connections, slice of life, “kitchen zoom realism”,” sweet, poignant, real life commentary on 2020 pandemic,
CLICK for a free excerpt to the 10-minute zoom play, A Human Body to Hug
CLICK below for the complete digital copy of A Human Body to Hug
Dana and Cody are on a blind date. On Zoom. During a pandemic. Despite the awkwardness, they strive to find a connection during a very isolating time. And...well, someone has to clean up cat pee...
This 10-minute rom-com play is written especially for video chatting, so no production questions like "should we read that stage direction?" or "how do we act out that fall?" Your audience can step into Cody's and Dana's private world for a moment--backgrounds, chats, cats on laps and all.
WHAT’S INSIDE THE EIFFEL TOWER COFFEE MUG
A dark comedy, absurdist play
On their 10th wedding anniversary, Rebecca finally reveals to Henry a secret collection she has been hoarding. But what Henry sees inside his souvenir coffee mugs may change their marriage forever. (Hint: It’s not coffee)
DETAILS
Genre: Dark comedy, absurd, stylized language,
Cast: 1 male, 1 female
Age range: 20s-40s
Setting: A kitchen, suburbs of NYC
Time period: 1920s feel, but could be contemporary stylized
Running time: approximately 10 minutes
Great for: duo interp, competitions, festivals, performances, readings, zoom, 2-person play, stylized language, exploring grief, tension, marriage, beauty and the grotesque, connections, love, distance, pain
CLICK for a free excerpt of What’s Inside The Eiffel Tower Coffee Mug.
CLICK below for a complete digital copy of the 10-minute play, What’s Inside The Eiffel Tower Coffee Mug.
On their 10th wedding anniversary, Rebecca finally reveals to Henry a secret collection she has been hoarding. But what Henry sees inside his souvenir coffee mugs may change their marriage forever. (Hint: It’s not coffee)
*This is a dark comedy 2-person play for 1 male and 1 female actor. Running time is approximately 10 minutes.
MARSOPA’S TALE
A fantastical drama
Marsopa is the lone mermaid of her sea, but enjoys the company of her best friend and water-sister, a dolphin named Stone. But when Stone considers starting her own family, Marsopa faces the idea of being truly alone. That is - until she makes eyes with an intriguing fisherman... Now Marsopa must call into question the truth of mermaid and human legends, and decide what she is willing to risk for the possibility of creating her own fate.
DETAILS
Genre: drama (comedy), fantastical
Cast: 1 female, teen to young adults
Setting: A rock, a sea. May be impressionistic.
Running time: Approximately 10 minutes
Great for: Theater performances, competitions, thespian festivals, drama festivals, one-act play festivals, ten-minute play festivals, solo performances.
Click here for a free excerpt to Marsopa’s Tale.
Click below for a complete digital copy of Marsopa’s Tale (once purchased, you will be given a link to download the script).
Marsopa is the lone mermaid of her sea, but enjoys the company of her best friend and water-sister, a dolphin named Stone. But when Stone considers starting her own family, Marsopa faces the idea of being truly alone. That is - until she makes eyes with an intriguing fisherman... Now Marsopa must call into question the truth of mermaid and human legends, and decide what she is willing to risk for the possibility of creating her own fate.
This is a dramatic monologue play for 1 female actor with a running time of approximately 10 minutes.
A LIFE SPURRED INTO MEANINGFUL ADVENTURE
A drama/comedy fairy-tale play
When Goldilocks and Little Bear find themselves alone in the forest, they must decide if they will embark on a new future together.
DETAILS
Cast: 1 f/1 m, or 2 females
Set: A forest, minimal
Genre: Comedy/Drama/Children/Teen/fairy tale/fantastical
Running time: 10-minute play
CLICK for a free excerpt of A Life Spurred into Meaningful Adventure.
CLICK below for a complete digital copy of A Life Spurred into Meaningful Adventure (once purchased, you will be given a link to download the script):
When Goldilocks and Little Bear find themselves alone in the forest, they must decide if they will embark on a new future together.
-This is a 10-minute comedy/drama for 2 actors with a minimal set.
RUTH AND HARRY & THE DINNER PARTY
A drama/comedy
While preparing for a dinner party, Ruth reveals a well-kept secret to her husband, which jeopardizes their future as a family.
DETAILS
Cast: 1 f/1 m
Age: characters are in their early 20s, and may be played by teens through young adults
Set: A dining room, 1940s
Genre: Drama, Comedy, 1940s
This play touches on ideas/topics of infertility, adoption, prejudice, war, acceptance, marital expectations. It starts in a comedic light way where it seems Ruth is too concerned with keeping up appearances, while her husband is easy-going and encouraging. However it takes a turn where we see what Ruth is hiding and how “keeping up appearances” mean more than they seem. At the same time, a darker side emerges from Harry.
CLICK for a free excerpt to Ruth and Harry & The Dinner Party
CLICK below for a complete digital copy of Ruth and Harry & The Dinner Party
While preparing for a dinner party, Ruth reveals a well-kept secret to her husband which jeaopardizes their future as a family.
This is a 10-minute dramatic/comedic play for 1 male and 1 female actor.
For a free excerpt, visit here.
This ten-minute play is part of a selection of short plays which comprises The Victory Garden Plays. It may be performed within the Victory Garden Plays production, or it may stand alone, as a 10-minute play, as featured here. CLICK below for a complete digital copy of the production, The Victory Garden Plays (which includes this 10-minute play, as well as 4 other 10-minute plays, and 2 monologue plays)
While soldiers fight abroad in WW2, those remaining in Westchester County strive to make a difference on the Homefront by creating Victory Gardens, supplementing limited food supply. But the pressures on the homefront extend much further than simply growing produce. A child worries her failing rooftop garden is an omen of misfortune for her father’s return from a POW camp. An infertile woman throws her purpose into feeding neighborhood families. A wealthy man whose chemical plant is commissioned by the government for war purposes struggles with how to leave a meaningful legacy not tainted with warfare. These stories, and more, are given light in The Victory Garden Plays, a series of vignettes chronicling people’s journeys with their new realities of love, growth, life and death.
KNOCKING LOUDER
An absurdist dark comedy
Carol adores, but neglects, the newborn baby placed in her custody. When her sister, Lilah, insists the baby be returned to his mother, Carol takes extreme measures to ensure she keep the infant.
DETAILS
Cast: 3 female (all female cast)
Genre: Dark comedy/absurdist comedy/drama
Set: a living room and doorway, minimalist
Length: 10-minute play
Click for a free EXCERPT OF TEN MINUTE PLAY, KNOCKING LOUDER.
Click below for a complete digital copy of Knocking Louder
Carol adores, but neglects, the newborn baby placed in her custody. When her sister, Lilah, insists the baby be returned to his mother, Carol takes extreme measures to ensure she keep the infant.
This is an absurd/dark-comedy 10-minute play for 3 female actors. The set is minimal: a living room and doorway.
UNDER THE ASHES
An absurdist drama
Emmett frantically searches for keys to his private office which he thinks his wife has hidden. But before Lorna will answer his questions about the keys, she insists on telling him about her day, including the mysterious trinket she says her lost son has sent her.
DETAILS
Cast: 1 male, 1 female
Genre: Absurd drama
Set: a living room
Length: 10-minute play
CLICK to read a free excerpt of the ten minute play, FREE EXCERPT OF THE 10-MINUTE PLAY, UNDER THE ASHES ASHES.
CLICK below for a complete digital copy of Under the Ashes (once purchased, you will be given a link to download the script):
This is a ten-minute absurd drama for 1 male and 1 female.
Emmett frantically searches for keys to his private office which he thinks his wife has hidden. But before Lorna will answer his questions about the keys, she insists on telling him about her day, including the mysterious trinket she says her lost son has sent her.
JACK AND DEAR RAVEN
a fairy tale comedy/drama
Jack didn’t give it much thought when he climbed up the 15,000 foot beanstalk. But now that he has reached the clouds, he is starting to miss his mother, his turkey, and even his fence post. Unfortunately, he appears to be stuck and unable to climb back down the slippery stalk which was so easy to climb up. When a roving black bird passes by, Jack solicits his company and aid in figuring out how on earth he should now get down the beanstalk he has carelessly climbed up. Unless, of course, he is not meant to climb down.
DETAILS
Cast: 2 male, or 1 m/1 f
Genre: Comedy/Drama/fantastical/fairy tale
Set: On a tall beanstalk, up near the clouds
Length: 10-15 minutes
*Earlier draft entitled, The Beanstalk.
Click here to read a free excerpt of Jack and Dear Raven.
CLICK below for a complete digital copy of Jack and Dear Raven (once purchased, you will be given a link to download the script):
Jack didn’t give it much thought when he climbed up the 15,000 foot beanstalk. But now that he has reached the clouds, he is starting to miss his mother, his turkey, and even his fence post. Unfortunately, he appears to be stuck and unable to climb back down the slippery stalk which was so easy to climb up. When a roving black bird passes by, Jack solicits his company and aid in figuring out how on earth he should now get down the beanstalk he has carelessly climbed up. Unless, of course, he is not meant to climb down.
-This play runs around 15 minutes, for 2 actors (2 m or 1 m/1f), with a minimal set.
JUMPING THE WIND
A dark comedy/absurdist
The flower on which Pollen V-6 and Pollen K-10 have lived their entire lives has wilted and is dying. If they do not make a dangerous jump to a fresh flower, Cat will destroy the flower and any remaining pollen that night. All other pollen have already made the jump to presumed safety, but Pollen V-6 has been too frightened to leave. She doubts the legend that anything better lies beyond. The leader, Pollen K-10, has remained behind with her, and has to decide how long he will stay to rally her before his own safety is in jeopardy. Jumping the Wind is a story of leaving the familiar, taking risks for the promise of something better. It’s the story of facts versus hope. And a story of friendship and trust.
DETAILS
Cast: 1 male, 1 female (2 females, OR 2 males)
Genre: Absurd, Dark comedy, Comedy
Set: A dying flower
Length: Ten-minute play
*Jumping the Wind was originally written and performed as part of the full-length play, Movements of the Wind. Movements of the Wind is a 5-piece collection of short intertwined plays journeying the challenges of garden inhabitants as they confront the volatile effects of Mother Nature through their lives.
CLICK for a free EXCERPT OF TEN MINUTE PLAY, JUMPING THE WIND.
Click below to purchase the entire 10-minute play, Jumping the Wind (once purchased, you will be given a link to download the script):
Two pieces of pollen must make the daring jump from a dying flower to a fresh one, and one is not ready to go.
-Jumping the Wind is a 10-minute comedic/dramatic play with great roles for 2 actors (roles may be male or female). It requires a minimal set.
THE SCENT OF COCONUT HAD HAUNTED HER FOR DAYS
A drama/comedy
A newlywed Woman chooses unusual methods to communicate to her husband that she is not happy she might be pregnant. Her husband, in turn, finds ways to ignore the situation he does not wish to address. As the Woman becomes increasingly obsessed with a backyard weed garden growing in her picnic table, the dissonance in their marriage escalates.
DETAILS
Cast: 1 male, 1 female
Genre: Drama/Comedy
Set: minimalist, impressions of rooms in a house
Length: 10-minute play
Click for a free EXCERPT OF TEN MINUTE PLAY, THE SCENT OF COCONUT HAD HAUNTED HER FOR DAYS.
Click below for a complete digital copy of The Scent of Coconut Had Haunted Her for Days (once purchased, you will be given a link to download the script):
A newlywed Woman chooses unusual methods to communicate to her husband that she is not happy she might be pregnant. Her husband, in turn, finds ways to ignore the situation he does not wish to address. As the Woman becomes increasingly obsessed with a backyard weed garden growing in her picnic table, the dissonance in their marriage escalates.
-The Scent of Coconut Had Haunted Her for Days is a 10-minute dramatic/comedic play for 2 actors (1 female, 1 male). The set is minimal, either realistic or impressions of rooms in a house.
HOLDING GINGER
A drama/comedy for teens
When Jenna breaks a special gift a boy gave her older sister, they are not only faced with broken glass to clean up, but they are also faced with the changing dynamics of their family.
DETAILS
Cast: 2 female (1 teen & 1 child, or 1 young adult & 1 teen)
Genre: Comedy/Drama/Teen
Set: Minimal, a house
Length: 10-minute play
CLICK for a free EXCERPT OF TEN MINUTE PLAY, HOLDING GINGER.
CLICK below for a complete digital copy of Holding Ginger (once purchased, you will be given a link to download the script):)
When Jenna breaks a special gift a boy gave her older sister, they are not only faced with broken glass to clean up, but they are also faced with the changing dynamics of their family.
-This is a 10-minute drama/comedy for 2 young female actors, with a minimal set.
WHEN MARSHMALLOWS BURN
A dark comedy/absurdist thriller
Sammy and his mom are enjoying roasting marshmallows by the fire, under the full moon, when something very strange starts to happen. Sammy’s arms look a little furry. His teeth look a lot like fangs. And he has a sudden urge to kill squirrels—and eat them raw. What (or who) else will he have an urge to kill? Is there anything his mother can do to stop him, or can she ultimately accept and love him? This is a dark comedy about a boy becoming a werewolf, but it’s also a story about needing acceptance and love, in the face of evolving identity.
DETAILS
Genre: Dark comedy/absurdist/thriller/dramatic
Cast: 1 female, 1 male or 2 female (1 role is gender neutral)
Set: Minimal, a back yard, around a fire pit
Running time: 10 minutes
Great food: Halloween play, spooky, eerie, thriller, 2 person play, 2-hander, competitions, festivals, play about mystical creatures, play about a werewolf, play for adult and child (adult actor can play child)
CLICK for a free excerpt for When Marshmallows Burn by Tara Meddaugh.
CLICK below for a complete digital copy of When Marshmallows Burn by Tara Meddaugh
Sammy and his mom are enjoying roasting marshmallows by the fire when something very strange starts to happen. Sammy’s arms look a little bit different. His teeth look a little bit different. He has a sudden urge to kill squirrels. What else will he have an urge to kill? And is there anything his mother can do to stop this?
This is a 10-minute dark comedy/absurdist thriller for 2 actors (1 female, 1 male or 2 female. Flexible casting: 1 role is gender neutral.) For a free excerpt, click here. If you wish to perform, please complete the performing rights form and email to Tara.
TWO CHRISTMAS TREES ON THEIR WAY TO THE GREAT PYRAMID OF GIZA
A 10-minute drama/comedy
Christmas-ish Play
by Tara Meddaugh
Dear Tree and Darling Tree have lived the past 8 years side-by-side on the Christmas Tree Farm. But as the family with matching Santa hats and an axe keeps checking them out, they realize: one of them is going to be chopped down. Now. Will they live on together as stumps in the ground, or will they be separated to live for a time as a Christmas Tree in people’s homes? And is there any way they can escape this impending fate? This is a thoughtful piece about our brief time on this earth, what we leave behind, and what we do with the time and loved ones we have. In the voice of two Douglas Firs.
DETAILS:
Genre: Drama/Comedy/Christmas-ish
Running time: Around 10 minutes
Cast: 1 m, 1 f (although any gender is fine)
Age: late teens to 80s
Setting: A Christmas Tree Farm, the Sunday after Thanksgiving
Click here for a free excerpt to the play TWO CHRISTMAS TREES ON THEIR WAY TO THE GREAT PYRAMID OF GIZA. Click below for the complete play:
In this drama/comedy for 2 actors running about 10 minutes, Dear Tree and Darling Tree have lived the past 8 years side-by-side on the Christmas Tree Farm. But as the family with matching Santa hats and an axe keeps checking them out, they realize: one of them is going to be chopped down. Now. Will they live on together as stumps in the ground, or will they be separated to live for a time as a Christmas Tree in people’s homes? And is there any way they can escape this impending fate? This is a thoughtful piece about our brief time on this earth, what we leave behind, and what we do with the time and loved ones we have. In the voice of two Douglas Firs.
THE TENTH OAK TREE
A comedy/drama
Carrot and Potato, lifelong friends despite the opposing nature of their heritage, try to get an important letter to Carrot's lost children.
DETAILS
Cast: 2 females (or 1 m/1f, or 2 m)
Genre: Comedy/drama, 10 minute play
Set: a garden
Running time: 10-minute play
Click for a free excerpt to the ten-minute play, The Tenth Oak Tree.
Click below for a complete digital copy of The Tenth Oak Tree (once purchased, you will be given a link to download the script):
Carrot and Potato, lifelong friends despite the opposing nature of their heritage, embark on the dangerous task to get an important letter to Carrot's lost children.
The Tenth Oak Tree is a 10-minute comedic/dramatic play for 2 female actors (could be flexible with 1 male/1 female, or 2 male). The set is minimal—a garden.
SHARING SOIL
A comedy/drama for teens/children
In soil cultures, prejudices run deep for carrots and potatoes.. But when bully vegetables draw Carrot and Potato together, they must decide if their new friendship is worth risking their safety and rejection from their own garden cultures.
DETAILS
Cast: 2 females (or 2 males, or 1 female/1 male)
Age range: Characters are children, so they may be played by child actors, teens or adults
Genre: Comedy/Drama 10-minute play, teen play, children's play
Set: A garden
Running time: 10-minute play
Click for an excerpt to the ten-minute play, Sharing Soil.
CLICK below for a complete digital copy of Sharing Soil (once purchased, you will be given a link to download the script):
When mean vegetables draw Carrot and Potato together, they must decide if their new friendship is worth risking their safety.
Sharing Soil is a comedic/dramatic 10-minute play for 2 female child actors (could be gender flexible for 1 male/1 female or 2 male). Characters are children, but could also be played by teens, or young adults. The set is minimal, a garden.
GREENHOUSE LIVING
An absurdist dark comedy
When a new tulip arrives in the greenhouse, the long-time residents (a hyacinth, a fern, a poinsettia) make him pay for the fresh air and space he takes up.
DETAILS
Cast: 5 actors (any role may be male or female)
Genre: Absurd, comedy, drama
Set: A greenhouse
Length: 10-minute play
Click for a free excerpt to the 10-minute play, Greenhouse Living Excerpt
Click below for the complete digital copy of Greenhouse Living (once purchased, you will be given a link to download the script):
When a new tulip arrives in the greenhouse, the long-time residents (a hyacinth, a fern, a poinsettia) make him pay for the fresh air and space he takes up.
This is a 10-minute dark comedy/drama/absurd piece for 5 actors (all roles may be male or female).
WAITING FOR WIND
A comedic/dramatic 10-minute play
Two tulips’ lives change for the better when they meet each other at high sun. They have a connection and it is clear they were meant for each other. Yet can they overcome their fears about the future, and lift each other up, despite the stagnant air?
DETAILS
Cast: 1 male, 1 female but flexible casting, as roles can be gender neutral
Genre: drama, comedy, romance, allegory
Set: A tulip garden
Length: Ten-minute play
*Waiting for Wind was originally written and performed as part of the full-length play, Movements of the Wind. Movements of the Wind is a 5-piece collection of short intertwined plays journeying the challenges of garden inhabitants as they confront the volatile effects of Mother Nature through their lives. The first movement of the play is titled, “They wait for the wind,” which is this 10-minute play, Waiting for Wind. The third movement shows the child born to these tulips, when he taken from his outdoor living and forced into the great unknown “indoor paradise,” a greenhouse (you can find that 10-minute piece, Greenhouse Living, here).
CLICK for a free excerpt to Waiting for Wind.
Click below to purchase the entire 10-minute play, Waiting for Wind (once purchased, you will be given a link to download the script):
Two tulips’ lives change for the better when they meet each other at high sun. They have a connection and it is clear they were meant for each other. Yet can they overcome their fears about the future, and lift each other up, despite the stagnant air?
DETAILS
Cast: 1 male, 1 female but flexible casting, as roles can be gender neutral
Genre: drama, comedy, romance, allegory
Set: A tulip garden
Length: Ten-minute play
CLICK below for the entire full-length play, Movements of the Wind, from which Jumping the Wind was originally presented.
As wind sweeps through a garden, its inhabitants must confront the volatile effects of Mother Nature, as well as their own changing nature. The story follows several short, intertwined pieces, as Carrot and Potato, taught to be enemies from birth, struggle to remain friends, Tulip wants more out of life than only her partner, and two pieces of pollen attempt to make a dangerous jump from a dying flower to a fresh one. Through sacrifice and friendship, they must not only survive their trials, but also come to populate another generation.
This play runs approximately 50-60 minutes, with a cast of 5-13+ actors, depending on doubling options. Casting is flexible, as roles may be gender neutral. Actors may be teens through adults. It is an allegorical drama, dark comedy, absurdist piece. The play is structured in 5 10-minute movements.
For more information and to read an excerpt, click here.
FUNERAL FOR A CRAYFISH
a 5 to 10 minute children’s play
For Young Audiences or Actors
Special thanks to 8-year-old, Luke, B. for his design work on this cover.
When a classroom crayfish meets an untimely demise, Ari and Queen must figure out whose crayfish suffered this unexpected fate! It’s going to take some clever detective skills though, because unfortunately, Juliet used the same color permanent marker to dot her crayfish’s back as Ari did! Will the clues they uncover be enough to solve the mystery? This is a 5-minute comedy for children which explores friendship, problem solving and working together! It also includes a fun Question and Answer page all about crayfish!
DETAILS
Genre: comedic, children, young audience, drama
Cast: 2 characters, flexible/inclusive casting
Set: Minimal, a classroom
Running time: around 5-10 minutes
Great food: reader’s theater, problem solving, working together, teamwork, science, flexible casting for any gender, animals, classroom theater, 2-hander, play for 2 actors, friendship
Click for a free excerpt from Funeral for a Crayfish.
CLICK below for a complete digital copy of Funeral for a Crayfish by Tara Meddaugh
When a classroom crayfish meets an untimely demise, Ari and Queen must figure out whose crayfish suffered this unexpected fate! It’s going to take some clever detective skills though, because unfortunately, Juliet used the same color permanent marker to dot her crayfish’s back as Ari did! Will the clues they uncover be enough to solve the mystery? This is a 5-minute comedy for children which explores friendship, problem solving and working together! It also includes a fun Question and Answer page all about crayfish!
This is a 2-person children’s play, suitable for child actors (or adults performing as children to young audiences). Any gender.
STARING AT THE SLOTH
a 5-minute children’s play
For Young Audiences or Actors
The sloth at the zoo keeps staring at Riley. Is it Riley’s spiky hair? Long nose? Or chocolate milk stain? Can Jaime convince Riley that the sloth is not making fun, but rather, maybe, just maybe, thinks Riley is cool? Staring at The Sloth is a funny, sweet play about friendship, self-acceptance, and of course…sloths!
DETAILS
Genre: comedic, children, young audience, drama
Cast: 2 characters, flexible/inclusive casting
Set: Minimal, outside at a zoo
Running time: around 5-10 minutes
Great food: reader’s theater, accepting oneself, flexible casting for any gender, animals, classroom theater, outdoor theater, 2-hander, play for 2 actors, discussion about bullying, kindness, friendship
CLICK for a free excerpt of Staring at the Sloth by Tara Meddaugh.
CLICK below for a complete digital copy of Staring at The Sloth by Tara Meddaugh
The sloth at the zoo keeps staring at Riley. Is it Riley’s spiky hair? Long nose? Or chocolate milk stain? Can Jaime convince Riley that the sloth is not making fun, but rather, maybe, just maybe, thinks Riley is cool? Staring at The Sloth is a funny, sweet play about friendship, self-acceptance, and of course…sloths!
This is a children’s comedic play for Young Audiences or Young Actors. Running time is approximately 5 minutes. Casting requires 2 actors, with flexible/inclusive gender casting.
PEBBLES AND TAILS
A short children’s play
Scoot, Wiggles and Crunch have been friends since they hatched from eggs in the pond, hiding from predators together, protecting each other, and playing “Kick Pebble” together. But when Scoot realizes that Wiggles and Crunch have developed into froglets, while Scoot remains a tadpole, Scoot feels left behind. Is their friendship strong enough to endure these changing phases? Pebbles and Tails is a story about frogs growing up, but it’s also a story of bravery, kindness, loyalty and friendship.
DETAILS
Genre: Comedy/children/drama (teens and adults can have fun with the roles too!)
Set: Minimal, frogs in pond
Running time: 5-10 minutes (average around 7 minutes)
Cast: 3 actors - any gender
Age range: child to teen; adult actors for young audiences
Good for: outdoor theater, reader’s theater, play about friendship, growing up, finding your place, gender flexible casting, classrooms, fun science
*Pebbles and Tails includes a Frog Q & A related to the script and Five (5) Cool Facts about Frogs!
Pebbles and Tails is part of Tara Meddaugh’s Reader’s Theater series. These are great plays for any age in a theater setting, competition or classroom. But as Reader’s Theater, they are designed to make reading aloud enjoyable for children. Children don’t need to memorize or “perform,” but simply benefit from the act of reading out loud together, in dramatic form. Reader’s Theater can promote fluency, confidence, creativity, empathy, oral expression and connections among peers. Children at home or in the classroom enjoy reading these fun scripts aloud.
Click to read a free excerpt to the play, Pebbles and Tails.
Click below for a digital copy of the 5-minute play, Pebbles and Tails.
Scoot, Wiggles and Crunch have been friends since they hatched from eggs in the pond, hiding from predators together, protecting each other, and playing “Kick Pebble” together. But when Scoot realizes that Wiggles and Crunch have developed into froglets, while Scoot remains a tadpole, Scoot feels left behind. Is their friendship strong enough to endure these changing phases? Pebbles and Tails is a story about frogs growing up, but it’s also a story of bravery, kindness, loyalty and friendship.
This is a 3-person play for child-teen actors or young audiences. Any gender/inclusive casting. Running time around 7 minutes.
What do a box jellyfish, a mako shark, an anglerfish and a tiger shark have in common? They all want to live in the same abandoned shipwreck on the ocean floor! No one wants to share, no one wants to live somewhere else and…uh oh…what if someone can’t help but want to eat someone else? Check out The Shipwreck Solution to discover if these four, very different creatures, can find a way to work it out!
DETAILS
Cast: 4 male or female (gender neutral cast)
Genre: Comedy/children (teens and adults can have fun with the roles too!)
Set: Minimal, a shipwreck in the ocean
Running time: 5-10 minutes
Great for: Reader’s theater, engaging children in theater in a fun way, learning about sea creatures (in a fun way!), equal roles for 4 children, a play with 4 non-gender-specific roles
*The Shipwreck Solution includes a “Yes, It’s True” page featuring fun facts referencing the animals you read about, as well as a glossary with a few key terms.
The Shipwreck Solution is part of Tara Meddaugh’s Reader’s Theater series. These are great plays for any age in a theater setting, competition or classroom. But as Reader’s Theater, they are designed to make reading aloud enjoyable for children. Children don’t need to memorize or “perform,” but simply benefit from the act of reading out loud together, in dramatic form. Reader’s Theater can promote fluency, confidence, creativity, empathy, oral expression and connections among peers. Children at home or in the classroom enjoy reading these fun scripts aloud.
Click to read a free excerpt to the play, The Shipwreck Solution.
Click below for a digital copy of the 5-minute play, The Shipwreck Solution.
What do a box jellyfish, a mako shark, an anglerfish and a tiger shark have in common? They all want to live in the abandonned shipwreck! No one wants to share, no one wants to give it up, and…uh oh…what if someone wants to eat someone else? Check out The Shipwreck Solution to discover if these four, very different creatures, can find a way to work it out!
This 5-10 minute comedic play has 4 characters (all can be male or female), designed for children, but teens and adults will have fun with these roles too!