What is a one act play? A one-act play is a dramatic work with a single act, which is usually performed without any breaks or intervals. One-act plays are typically shorter than full-length plays, lasting between 10 and 40 minutes, and often have a single setting, plot, and theme.

At CHS, the one-act play is competitive, part of the Minnesota State High School League. Students will perform the play competitively at least twice - once at conference, and again at sub-sections, with the opportunity to earn a spot in section and state competitions.

2024-25 One Act

An original one-act play based on the historic 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire in New York City. Through words, movement and music, four young women share their dreams, thoughts, fears and feelings about their ultimate destinies. An Italian immigrant, Vincenza, shares her last night on Earth with romance, smiles and dancing. Tessa celebrates her life with a story about her brother and mother. Sisters Lena and Yetta meditate on the strength and endurance of moving from Russia to America and the parallels of moving from life to the afterlife. Touching and poetic, this piece illuminates the definition of human courage.

About the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire: On March 25, 1911, the Triangle Shirtwaist Company factory in New York City burned, killing 146 workers. It is remembered as one of the most infamous incidents in American industrial history, as the deaths were largely preventable–most of the victims died as a result of neglected safety features and locked doors within the factory building. The tragedy brought widespread attention to the dangerous sweatshop conditions of factories, and led to the development of a series of laws and regulations that better protected the safety of workers. You can read more here.

Audition Information

Rehearsal Schedule

Performance & Contest Dates