One Act Festival

The One-Act Festival is an annual theatre festival that different high schools and districts all across the United States hold.

The different districts are each separated into groups and then compete against each other by doing a one-act play. Plays such as Almost Maine, Spoon River, "The Boys Next Door" and Away From Here are some examples of the plays that have been used in the festival.

The festival is separated into different levels: Regionals, States, and Area (New England, Mid West, etc.). There is no National stage of competition. The Area level is purely a festival. It is a showcase of the best in each state, not a competition.

In order to qualify for the subsequent stages of the festival, a school must achieve first place (Given to two schools) in the initial stage. Judges score on the basis of the actors' performances as well as the technical crews' speed and efficiency.

For a recently published study of the one-act play, see Stephen Murray, Taking Our Amusements Seriously. LAP, 2010. ISBN 978 383837 6080.