one-act
No intermission needed
A one-act play runs without intermission, typically lasting under an hour.
The format demands economy—fewer characters, simpler sets, compressed action.
One-act festivals showcase multiple short plays in a single evening.
As an adjective: a one-act comedy, one-act competition.
Recreation or staged drama
- dramaTheatrical art or turmoil
- curtain-raiserPreliminary theatrical performance
- sketchHasty informal drawing
- vignetteBrief evocative description
monologue · playlet · performance · staging · production · script · dialogue · scene
Arrangement of interconnected parts
- expositionSystematic explanatory presentation
- climaxPoint of greatest intensity
- resolutionFormal decision or determination
- unityWholeness through cohesion
tension · economy · craft · Chekhov · anthology · collection · published
Struggle for supremacy
- showcaseCabinet for displaying items
- submissionYielding to another's will
- adjudicationFormal decision on disputes
- selectionChosen item or items
program · anthology · bill · evening · series · workshop · amateur · student
Condensed media format
- condensedMade more compact
- briefShort in duration
- compactTightly packed together
- unifiedCombined into one
contained · minimalist · concentrated · streamlined · economical · tight · focused · uninterrupted
play
Recreation or staged drama
- dramaTheatrical art or turmoil
- curtain-raiserPreliminary theatrical performance
- sketchHasty informal drawing
vignette · monologue · playlet · performance · staging · production · script · dialogue · scene · curtain
structure
Arrangement of interconnected parts
- expositionSystematic explanatory presentation
- climaxPoint of greatest intensity
- resolutionFormal decision or determination
unity · tension · economy · craft · Chekhov · anthology · collection · published
competition
Struggle for supremacy
- showcaseCabinet for displaying items
- submissionYielding to another's will
- adjudicationFormal decision on disputes
selection · program · anthology · bill · evening · series · workshop · amateur · student · fringe
short-form
Condensed media format
unified · contained · minimalist · concentrated · streamlined · economical · tight · focused · uninterrupted · continuous
- dramaTV drama, television drama, drama school, playwright, character study
- ACT typesscene, monologue, dialogue, soliloquy, curtain call
- types of playtragedy, comedy, drama, farce, musical
- short playsshort play, playlet, sketch, skit, curtain raiser
- preludesprelude, overture, chorale prelude, introduction, intro
- theater typesmusical, comedy, tragedy, drama, farce
one-actfull-length
Extending the entire distance
three-act · two-act · epic drama · feature-length · grand opera