DRAMA

2. BUT BEFORE THAT,
WHAT IS A ONE-ACT PLAY?
 A one-act play is a play that has only one act, as
distinct from plays that occur over several acts.
One-act plays may consist of one or more scenes.
In recent years,[when?] the 10-minute play has
emerged as a popular subgenre of the one-act
play, especially in writing competitions.
 A one-act play is a short piece of drama that
consists of only one act. It usually has one or
more scenes, but does not exceed one act


3.  The One-Act Play, very popular in the
20th century, is regarded by many as a modern
product. But this is far from the truth. One-Act
Plays were written and staged throughout the
18th and the 19th centuries, as “The Curtain
Raisers” or “The After Pieces”.
 The origin of the one-act play may be traced to
the very beginning of drama: in ancient
Greece, Cyclops, a satyr play by Eurupides, is an
early example.

4. What are elements of One-Act
plays?
THEME
CHARACTER
PLOT
DIALOUGE

5. Theme
 The one-act needs to have a theme or
thought just as a full-length does. What
is the play about? Revenge? Self-
discovery? Whatever your choice, it
needs to be clear in your mind what your
theme is.

6. Character
 There is really only enough time in this
to get to know one character well -- the
hero.
 In the short time that the one-act play is
going, it is the hero's event that the
audience is experiencing; again, there
isn't time for more than that.

7. Plot
 This is much different in the one-act
than in the full-length. For a full-length
play, the plot is the series and sequence
of events that lead the hero (and the
audience) on the journey. In a one-act
play there is really only time for one
significant event.

8. Dialogue
 Economy is the key here. Each line
must be crafted carefully to focus on the
theme, the incident, and the character of
the protagonist. The dialogue need not
be terse, but must be concise and full of
meaning.

9. It’s features are:
 Some common characteristics of most
one-act plays are that they are written in
a concise manner, there are no breaks
in the action.
 They have fewer characters than a full-
length play.
 Most often, there is a single setting,
 The action begins right at the start of the
play.

10. What is the difference
between the one act play and
full length play?
 A one-act play differs from a full-length
play in that it has only one act.
 This one act can contain several
scenes, but is usually significantly
shorter than a full-length play, which has
several acts, each of which may contain
several scenes.