1. Is it a complete story?

A good one-act play has a clear beginning, middle and end, and emotionally engages the audience with the main characters.

This can be challenging for playwrights to achieve in a short space of time. Many writers will start off with a good idea, or a good character, but are not able to make a satisfying story out of it.

The ending in particular has to have some kind of believable or satisfying pay-off for the audience. There is nothing more disappointing than seeing a play with a promising start only to find it fizzle out with a weak ending.

2. Will the audience enjoy it?

We are often drawn to plays for personal reasons - the story resonates with us, or the play presents certain artistic challenges we'd like to explore. However, putting on a play should be about one thing only: the audience.

If you expect someone to pay you to come and see it, you have to deliver on that promise. Give them something that they believe will be worth paying for.

Now the reason why someone might enjoy a play can vary. It can be topical, funny, moving, thrilling, thought-provoking or something that just makes someone feel good - that part is up to you. The main point is, never lose sight of the ultimate goal - to engage your audience.

3. Opt for simple locations

Look for plays that don't require too many different set locations and props.

Each time you have to make a set change, you disrupt the flow and reality of the play. This usually kills interest from the audience.

This means the easiest one-act plays to produce are those that occur across 1 or 2 locations, and require no set change during performance.

Most playwrights will be conscious of this, but some may forget or, if new to playwriting, may not have fully visualised their play on stage while writing.

If you really like a play that has several locations, or shoots quickly from one location to another, be sure to stage your play in such a way (simplicity is key) that you don't have to resort to stopping the play to reset the stage midway through performance.

4. Opt for simple set structures

Because one-act plays tend to be performed in groups of 2 or more on same night, it is best to avoid plays that require complex set pieces. You need to have something which can be put up and taken down again very quickly. The set must also be able to be stored in the wings of whatever facility you are performing in.

When selecting a play, ask yourself: does your theater have the capacity to house the set pieces, while the other play is in production?

5. When producing multiple plays in an evening, lean towards plays with similar themes or intensity.

This helps the entire performance to flow.

It is quite difficult to quickly move from one emotional environment into another. Audience members would not find it easy, for example, to move from an "intense tragedy" to a "light comedy". While it's not impossible, it simply takes a while to adjust, and in a one-act play you don't have a lot of time for that adjustment.

If you are intending on presenting two plays that are dramatically very different, particularly on an emotional level, you can help smooth over the transition by presenting a common theme running through both plays that audiences can latch on to - whether it's stylistic or thematic. For example, love, family, comedy, theft, betrayal, location, etc. The great thing about plays is that you can probably find some kind of thematic or stylistic similarity between most. Present that in your programme, flyer or advertising.

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