55+ Short One-Act Musicals – The Full List
Are you planning a production without an intermission or researching one-act musicals for a project? From intimate storytelling to fast-paced narratives, these shows make the most of their shorter run time. Here’s the full list of one-act musicals, sorted alphabetically.
One-Act Musicals
Music/Lyrics: Jason Robert Brown Book: Dan Elish, Robert Horn
Musical Type: Contemporary (2007)
Cast Size: 11+
Music/Lyrics: Lin-Manuel Miranda
Musical Type: Contemporary (2014)
Cast Size: 6
Music/Lyrics/Book: Ryan Scott Oliver
Musical Type: Contemporary (2012)
Cast Size: 5+
Music/Lyrics: John Bucchino Book: Harvey Fierstein
Musical Type: Contemporary (2007)
Cast Size: 10
Music: Marvin Hamlisch Lyrics: Edward Kleban Book: James Kirkwood, Nicholas Dante
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1975)
Cast Size: 26
Music: Alan Menken Lyrics/Book: Lynn Ahrens Book: Mike Ockrent
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1994)
Cast Size: 18+
Music/Lyrics/Book: William Finn Book: James Lapine
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1998)
Cast Size: 10
Music/Lyrics/Book: Michael R. Jackson
Musical Type: Contemporary (2019)
Cast Size: 7
A Very Merry Unauthorized Children’s Scientology Pageant
Music/Lyrics/Book: Kyle Jarrow
Musical Type: Contemporary (2003)
Cast Size: 10
Music: Duncan Sheik Lyrics/Book: Steven Sater Book: Jessie Nelson
Musical Type: Contemporary (2019)
Cast Size: 12+
Music/Lyrics: Gary Adler, Michael Patrick Walker Book: Kevin Del Aguila
Musical Type: Contemporary (2004)
Cast Size: 5
Music: Green Day Lyrics/Book: Billie Joe Armstrong Book: Michael Mayer
Musical Type: Contemporary (2009)
Cast Size: 10+
Music/Lyrics: Stephen Sondheim Book: John Weidman
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1990)
Cast Size: 12+
Music/Lyrics: Michael Friedman Book: Alex Timbers
Musical Type: Contemporary (2008)
Cast Size: 12+
Music/Lyrics/Book: Irene Sankoff, David Hein
Musical Type: Contemporary (2013)
Cast Size: 12+
Music/Lyrics: Various Lyrics/Book: Nick Blaemire Adaptation: Madeline Smith
Musical Type: Contemporary (2015)
Cast Size: 25+
Elegies for Angels, Punks and Raging Queens
Music: Janet Hood Lyrics/Book: Bill Russell
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1989)
Cast Size: 30+
Music/Lyrics: Stephen Sondheim Book: James Goldman
Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1966)
Cast Size: 10
Music/Lyrics/Book: William Finn Book: James Lapine
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1990)
Cast Size: 7
Fantastically Great Women Who Changed the World
Music/Lyrics: Miranda Cooper Music: Jennifer Decilveo Lyrics: Chris Bush
Musical Type: Contemporary (2021)
Cast Size: 5+
Music/Lyrics: Kristen Anderson-Lopez, Robert Lopez Book: Lindsay Anderson
Musical Type: Contemporary (2007)
Cast Size: 25+
Music/Lyrics: Alan Zachary, Michael Weiner Book: Austin Winsberg
Musical Type: Contemporary (2012)
Cast Size: 7
Music/Lyrics: Various Book: Stuart Ross
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1989)
Cast Size: 4
Music: Jeanine Tesori Lyrics/Book: Lisa Kron
Musical Type: Contemporary (2013)
Cast Size: 11
Music/Lyrics: Robert Wright, George Forrest, Maury Yeston Book: Luther Davis
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1989)
Cast Size: 15+
Music/Lyrics: Stephen Trask Book: John Cameron Mitchell
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1998)
Cast Size: 2
Music/Lyrics/Book: Michael John LaChiusa
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1994)
Cast Size: 10
Music/Lyrics: David Byrne Music: Fatboy Slim
Musical Type: Contemporary (2013)
Cast Size: 10+
How the Grinch Stole Christmas!
Music: Mel Marvin Lyrics/Book: Timothy Mason
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1994)
Cast Size: 8+
Music/Lyrics/Book: John Forster Book: Delia Ephron, Judith Kahan
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1984)
Cast Size: 20+
Music/Lyrics/Book: Kristen Anderson-Lopez, James-Allen Ford, Russ Kaplan, Sara Wordsworth
Musical Type: Contemporary (2010)
Cast Size: 11
Music/Lyrics/Book: William Finn
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1979)
Cast Size: 4
Music: Barbara Anselmi Lyrics/Book: Brian Hargrove
Musical Type: Contemporary (2011)
Cast Size: 13
Music: Zina Goldrich Lyrics/Book: Marcy Heisler
Musical Type: Contemporary (2004)
Cast Size: 6-15
Music: John Kander Lyrics/Book: Greg Pierce
Musical Type: Contemporary (2015)
Cast Size: 9
Music/Lyrics: Ellie Greenwich & Friends Book: Anne Beatts
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1984)
Cast Size: 15+
Music: Brad Ross Lyrics: Ellen Greenfield, Hal Hackady
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1999)
Cast Size: 3
Music/Lyrics: Howard Goodall Lyrics/Book: Stephen Clark
Musical Type: Contemporary (2010)
Cast Size: 7
Music/Lyrics: Michael Friedman Book: Alex Timbers
Musical Type: Contemporary (2013)
Cast Size: 17+
Music/Lyrics/Book: William Finn
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1981)
Cast Size: 5
Music/Lyrics: Stephen Sondheim Concept: Craig Lucas, Norman René
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1980)
Cast Size: 2
Music/Book: Will Aronson Lyrics/Book: Hue Park
Musical Type: Contemporary (2016)
Cast Size: 4-7
Music/Book: Joe Kinosian Lyrics/Book: Kellen Blair
Musical Type: Contemporary (2011)
Cast Size: 2
Music/Lyrics: Jeff Bowen Book: Hunter Bell, Susan Blackwell
Musical Type: Contemporary (2012)
Cast Size: 4
Music: Stephen Flaherty Lyrics/Book: Lynn Ahrens
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1990)
Cast Size: 10+
Music/Lyrics: Adam Gwon
Musical Type: Contemporary (2008)
Cast Size: 4
Music/Lyrics: Stephen Sondheim Book: James Lapine
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1994)
Cast Size: 12+
Music/Lyrics/Book: Rick Hip-Flores
Musical Type: Contemporary (2014)
Cast Size: 15+
Polkadots: The Cool Kids Musical
Music/Lyrics: Douglas Lyons Music: Greg Borowsky Book: Melvin Tunstall III
Musical Type: Contemporary (2016)
Cast Size: 4
Music/Lyrics: Kate Diaz Lyrics/Book: Tina Landau
Musical Type: Contemporary (2024)
Cast Size: 5
Music/Lyrics/Book: Brooke Maxwell, Jacob Richmond
Musical Type: Contemporary (2015)
Cast Size: 7
Music/Lyrics: Various Book: George Keating, Scott Ferguson, Kyle Hall
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1993)
Cast Size: 6
See Rock City and Other Destinations
Music: Brad Alexander Lyrics/Book: Adam Mathias
Musical Type: Contemporary (2010)
Cast Size: 7+
Music/Lyrics/Book: Toby Marlow, Lucy Moss
Musical Type: Contemporary (2017)
Cast Size: 6
Music: Andrew Lloyd Webber Lyrics: Don Black
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1979)
Cast Size: 1
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
*Can be performed as either a one act or a two act musical
Music/Lyrics: William Finn Book: Rachel Sheinkin
Musical Type: Contemporary (2005)
Cast Size: 9
Music/Lyrics: David Yazbek Book: Itamar Moses
Musical Type: Contemporary (2016)
Cast Size: 15+
Music: Chris Miller Lyrics: Nathan Tysen Book: Mariana Elder
Musical Type: Contemporary (2010)
Cast Size: 10
Music/Lyrics/Book: Jason Robert Brown
Musical Type: Contemporary (2001)
Cast Size: 2
Music/Lyrics/Book: Kait Kerrigan, Bree Lowdermilk
Musical Type: Contemporary (2017)
Cast Size: 4
Music/Lyrics: Neil Bartram Book: Brian Hill
Musical Type: Contemporary (2006)
Cast Size: 2
Music/Lyrics: Neil Bartram Book: Brian Hill
Musical Type: Contemporary (2014)
Cast Size: 8, 13, or 16
Music/Lyrics/Book: Max Vernon
Musical Type: Contemporary (2017)
Cast Size: 10+
Music/Lyrics/Book: Michael John LaChiusa Book: George C. Wolfe
Musical Type: Contemporary (2000)
Cast Size: 15
Music/Lyrics/Book: Dave Malloy
Musical Type: Contemporary (2024)
Cast Size: 6
Music/Lyrics/Book: Jonathan Larson
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary/Contemporary (1990/2001)
Cast Size: 3
Music/Lyrics: Jeff Bowen Book: Hunter Bell
Musical Type: Contemporary (2006)
Cast Size: 4 + 1 Pianist
Music: Jeanine Tesori Lyrics/Book: Brian Crawley
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1997)
Cast Size: 11
Music: Jeffrey Lunden Lyrics/Book: Arthur Perlman
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1992)
Cast Size: 7
Music/Lyrics/Adaptation: Stephen Schwartz Music/Lyrics: Craig Carnelia, Micki Grant, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Mary Rodgers, Susan Birkenhead, James Taylor Adaptation: Nina Faso
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1977)
Cast Size: 6+
Music/Lyrics: Jeff Lynne, John Farrar Book: Douglas Carter Beane
Musical Type: Contemporary (2007)
Cast Size: 9+
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Author: Stacy Karyn
Stacy Karyn is the founder of Theatre Trip, author of The Thespian’s Bucket List, and creator of The Cast Album List. She holds a BA in theatre and a TESOL drama certificate, with experience working and interning in Broadway and Off-Broadway theaters.
