55+ Short One-Act Musicals – The Full List of Shows
Are you looking to stage a shorter show without an intermission? Or are you conducting research on one-act musicals for an upcoming project? Here’s a full list of one-act musicals, sorted alphabetically.
To define the scope of this list, musicals will be included below if they are labeled as ‘one act’ or if they do not feature an intermission.
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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: 15
Music: Marvin Hamlisch Lyrics: Edward Kleban Book: James Kirkwood, Nicholas Dante
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1975)
Cast Size: 26
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+
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: 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/Book: Michael John LaChiusa
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1994)
Cast Size: 10
Music: Fatboy Slim Music/Lyrics: David Byrne
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: 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 Rene
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1980)
Cast Size: 2
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: Brooke Maxwell, Jacob Richmond
Musical Type: Contemporary (2015)
Cast Size: 7+
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
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: 18
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: Andrew Lloyd Webber Lyrics: Don Black
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1979)
Cast Size: 1
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: Jeffrey Lunden Lyrics/Book: Arthur Perlman
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1992)
Cast Size: 7
Songs: Craig Carnelia, Micki Grant, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Mary Rodgers, Susan Birkenhead, James Taylor Songs/Adaptation: Stephen Schwartz 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, a TESOL drama certificate, and has worked and interned with Broadway and Off-Broadway theaters.