Speaking as a teacher of young actors, I know how ridiculously hard it can be to find good material for them to learn and perform in drama classes. You know what you’re looking for—at the very least, you’ll know it when you see it! But finding scenes for young actors often finds you scrolling through typo-ridden film and tv transcripts online, butting up against subscription paywalls, or hitting up that dusty shelf in your drama classroom for a dog-eared copy of The Real Inspector Hound (no shade to Mr. Stoppard.)
This article contains a list of free, original practice scenes for young actors. These scenes sit across the comedy and drama genres, and would be perfect for teenage actors in drama classes. They carry some age guidelines and content warnings, but may be useful for groups beyond these classifications based on the skill level and maturity of your pupils. These scenes for young actors would be ideal for scene study, script analysis or even for use in a showcase.
One last thing: as with all of our free script resources on StageMilk (listed at the bottom of this article), this page will be updated periodically with fresh material. So keep checking in for new scripts on the regular!
Now, with the above gripe around finding free material out of the way, I’m going to step out of teacher role and into that of a playwright. The reason it’s hard to find copyright-free scripts is because writing is hard and it’s not worth nothin’. It takes a great deal of effort and consideration from a writer, only to see it used for free with little consideration as to their long-term wellbeing.
One of the reasons StageMilk is eager to provide this resource is to support drama teachers—to whom all of us in this industry owe our livelihoods and passions. But let us take this opportunity to say when it comes to written material for classes: pay it forward when you can. Buy the playwright’s work online if you can, talk to your HOD about investing in local material or patronising a nearby theatre company.
These scripts utilise StageMilk’s in-house formatting style, which is designed to make the scripts easy to read. Unlike a screenplay, which is decked out with all sorts of visual information, there is relatively little on the page for actors to draw from. Have your students pay close attention to the stage directions, but encourage them to imagine the world and the blocking of the scene beyond that.
The same can be said for character. With the information on the page as a starting point, what can students learn about these characters? How can they build them up and bring them to life? Most importantly, what do these characters want? Either as a preceding exercise, or something you utilise with one of these scripts when working in a class, we recommend exploring our article on script analysis with your pupils.
NB: While names and genders are specified in these scripts, we would greatly encourage yourself and your students to look past these and select material that they find themselves drawn to. Names and pronouns can be changed to reflect the best casting available. In fact, they most certainly should be!
Age Range: 12 – 18
Genre: Comedy
Length: 2 mins
Synopsis: Two friends egg each other on to complete a dare.
Performance Notes: Find the stakes of this scene. Just because it’s comedy doesn’t mean that the feeling of whether or not Derren and Gus complete the dare shouldn’t feel like a life or death undertaking! Also, while it is mentioned above, this is a perfect comedy scene to gender swap to non-male-identifying characters. Have fun!
Age Range: 12 – 15
Genre: Drama
Length: 2 mins
Synopsis: Sam confronts Ash over a discovery made during the school day.
Performance Notes: This is a tough encounter for both of these characters. Think on their ‘moment before’—the thing that has happened to them that has led them to this scene, this particular moment. Also consider the staging: how can you use the proximity and body language of these characters to suggest how they feel?
Age Range: 12 – 16
Genre: Drama
Length: 2 – 3 mins
Synopsis: Two friends clash over a creative project.
Performance Notes: Pay attention to the subtext in this scene. What’s this interaction really about? Is it about making movies? Or is it about growing up and growing apart? Final Cut is another great example of the ‘moment before’. How long have they been filming for? Are they tired, angry, frustrated? The more reality you can bring to the beginning of this moment, the more truthful it will feel when the characters begin to clash.
Age Range: 14 – 17
Genre: Comedy
Length: 2 – 3 mins
Synopsis: Tonye commiserates with best friend Emily over a terrible first date.
Performance Notes: Take the time to work on rhythm and pace in this piece. Emily and Tonye are very close, and are expert communicators with one another, so pick a quick tone that allows for some meaningful pauses to occur. For Tonye’s retelling of the date, engage with the concept of imagery: try to paint the picture for Emily (and therefore the audience) about how the date was, as well as how these images make Tonye feel. Finally, spend some time on the ending. What does it mean? How do these characters really feel about one another? And does this modify the scene in any interesting or significant ways?
Age Range: 15 – 17
Genre: Comedy/Drama
Length: 3 – 4 mins
Synopsis: Bella and Hunt wait outside the vice principal’s office for punishment. (Note: some coarse language.)
Performance Notes: Find some distinction between these characters—how they act and speak and carry themselves. However, beware that you don’t play into stereotypes for either character; this is a scene that relies on the actor successfully subverting that first image. The writer doesn’t give us a lot to go off for why these characters are there. Can you come up with something that fits and justifies the actions and behaviour of Bella? Spend some time fleshing out the shared history of these characters and what the larger context of the story might be.
In this section, you’re going to find some resources designed for use in filmmaking and screen acting classes. These scripts are shorter than those provided above, and are more visually descriptive. This allows the actors to get a sense of the difference between stage plays and screenplay formatting.
Our recommendation is to cast this film and then select a director and cameraperson. The director’s job is to shape the performance and block the scene, and the cameraperson’s job is to shoot the thing (all in a single take can be a fun challenge) and ensure the story is being told. Where’s the most correct place to put the camera? Is it focused on the person talking, or the reaction of their scene partner?
Cast: 3
Age Range: 7 – 17
Genre: Comedy
Length: 2 mins
Synopsis: Ash’s plans for a day off are thwarted by the zombie apocalypse.
Performance Notes: As with all comedy scenes, this piece works best when played absolutely straight. Spend time on the ‘moment before’ and given circumstances, which will help ground the piece and make it feel more realistic. It’s also worth developing a character relationship map between Ash and Taylor: a lot will change depending on whether or not they’re friends, enemies, rivals, etc.
Filming Notes: Comedy is all about shooting wide and shooting close. For this piece, less will be more—especially for the reveal of the zombie half way through. Can the zombie be framed in the background of the scene somehow, only to feature at the end when needed?
Cast: 4
Age Range: 7 – 17
Genre: Sci Fi
Length: 3 mins
Synopsis: A rescue mission on an unknown planet reveals a greater threat.
Performance Notes: This is a great scene to drill objectives—what each character wants and how that creates a clash. While the three characters are on a rescue mission, they have different goals in mind for themselves, which creates tension for the Captain who has to keep the team on task.
Filming Notes: Science fiction stories are driven by ideas, not effects. Don’t focus on creating a believable set, focus instead on making the world feel ‘real’ and ‘lived-in’, and the characters believable. The audience won’t worry about the technical aspects if they care about the people in the film.
Cast: 3
Age Range: 7 – 17
Genre: Comedy/Crime
Length: 2 mins
Synopsis: Detective Jones and Harper investigate the murder of famed dolphin cloner Professor Clay.
Performance Notes: Pay particular attention to character objectives: while the detectives are technically there to solve a crime, their goals actually involve each other: to train the rookie and to make their mentor proud. And a quick note on the dolphin transformation. This moment rewards bold choices from performers, who can heavily lean into the ridiculousness.
Filming Notes: The successful reveal of Professor Clay’s status requires some thought. Is there a way to frame Harper’s reading of the lab tech log so that Clay appears behind the detectives, creating suspense for the audience?
Cast: 3
Age Range: 7 – 17
Genre: Comedy/Fantasy
Length: 2 mins
Synopsis: Duelling wizards duke it out in the Cavern of Souls.
Performance Notes: There’s no denying that this is an extremely silly script. The key to its success is for the actors to take it completely seriously. Ask them to consider the stakes of the piece, and how this might help them bring truth to the performances.
Filming Notes: Short of a special effects budget, there’s no way to make the spells look real when filming. Think of this as a challenge: how can you film this and use the movement of the camera to suggest a great deal of power is being thrown across the space? As always, if the actors sell it as real, it will look a lot more convincing than even the most technical CGI fireball.
So there you have it: fresh scenes for young actors ready to be pulled apart and put on stage! If you’re looking for more material for students, there are a few other pages below that might be helpful. Please be aware that not all material will be suitable for younger ages.