It is no secret that theatre is a distinct artistic genre that feels more real and personal than movies. Perhaps one of the reasons why theatre-goers love the experience is because you get to witness the transformations on stage in real time. But imagine a play that just goes on without a break for its entire duration, almost like an extended scene. In theatre, they are called one-act plays.
Definition of one-act play in literature
A one-act play is a form of drama that is written in one act, as opposed to plays that are divided into several acts. It usually has a running time of between 15 minutes to an hour, and focuses on a single event or problem, taking place in a single setting. Unlike full-length plays, one-act plays don't have intervals. They present a concise, focused narrative, making them a popular choice for drama festivals and competitions. An example of a renowned one-act play is The Bear (1888) by Anton Chekhov.
Any play that is shorter in duration and lasts around 10 minutes falls under the category of ten-minute play.
One-act play: a dramatic composition that contains only one act.
A distinct feature of one-act plays is that they are performed without disruption or intervals. A one-act play is usually shorter in duration than a full-length multi-act play and may contain one or more scenes within the act. Sometimes one-act plays may only have one character.
Although it sounds easier to write and produce than the longer format, theatre artists and playwrights attest to the fact that writing and performing one-act plays is extremely difficult and demanding due to limitations of the time frame and stage direction.
One-act play: elements of the story
The one-act play tends to focus on a single theme or situation unfolding over the course of the play. The structure of the play is concise and close-knit. For the same reason, to be successful, the writer of a one-act play must be careful to avoid unnecessary details and scenes.
Despite having only one act, one-act plays might follow the same dramatic structure as full-length plays In contrast to a full-length play, these may not be as distinct and elaborate in a one-act play. The elements of a one-act play, therefore, include a concise introduction to characters and setting, a rising action that leads to a dramatic climax, and a denouement that wraps up the narrative.
Five elements of dramatic structure: Freytag's model
A popular model of dramatic structure proposed by the German playwright Gustav Freytag delineates five elements or components of dramatic structure: introduction, rising action, climax, falling action, and denouement or resolution.
One-act plays also have a fewer number of characters, and the character development might be limited due to constraints of time and space.
One-act play: drama
Like any work of literature, one-act plays may belong to different genres such as satire, romance, comedy, tragedy, realistic plays, fantasy plays, and so on. The earliest record of a one-act play in the history of Western drama is Cyclops by Euripedes. The date of composition of this play is unknown, but it is believed to have been performed at a drama festival in Athens in 5 BCE. Cyclops is a short satire based on an episode from the Homeric epic Odyssey (800 BCE).
Satire: the use of humour, irony and exaggeration in works of literature to ridicule and critique a person or society.
Homeric epic: ancient Greek epic poems attributed to Homer.
In Britain, the one-act plays were staged along with other plays during the fifteenth century but there was a gradual decline in the number of one-act plays being staged compared to the rising popularity of full-length plays.
Fig. 1 - A one-act play is a type of drama that consists of only one act and is complete in itself.
English one-act plays
In the Tudor period (1485-1603), it was a practice to perform short dramatic pieces during intervals between different events or different acts of full-length performances. These were known as interludes. Interludes were performed by both amateurs and minstrels. The subject of the interludes varied, and the plays were farcical or allegorical in nature.
Many of the plays that were performed as interludes are currently considered to be morality plays because of their religious themes and allegorical language. It is important to remember that even though these are closely associated, not all interludes were morality plays and vice versa.
Farce: a comedic performance that uses absurd and exaggerated displays and theatrics that borders on buffoonery. Farce is used in theatre as a tool for social commentary.
Allegory: a poem or a story with a hidden meaning or a moral lesson.
Morality play: a form of drama that was popular in England during the 15th century that often conveyed a moral lesson or religious message.
John Heywood (c. 1497- c. 1580) was a prominent playwright and musician of Tudor England whose interludes helped shape Elizabethan drama. Heywood transformed the nature of interludes by using secular themes.
Secular: devoid of any religious influence
Heywood's works include A Play of Love (c. 1534), The Play of the Wether (c. 1527), Thersites (1537) and The Four P’s (c. 1545).
Modern theatre
After waning in popularity for a while, one-act plays resurfaced through the works of prominent playwrights of modern times. The Scottish playwright Sir James Matthew Barrie wrote some of the finest one-act plays of the twentieth century.
J.M. Barrie is most famous as the creator of Peter Pan (1911), the celebrated story of a young boy. Barrie also wrote several one-act plays, including The Twelve Pound Look (1914) and The Old Lady Shows Her Medals (1918). The latter was adapted into a one-act musical in 1960.
George Bernard Shaw, the Irish playwright who was famous for his witticisms and sharp cultural critiques, also wrote a number of one-act plays.
Augustus Does His Bit (1916), The Glimpse of Reality (1909), and The Dark Lady of the Sonnets (1910) are some of the short plays written by Shaw.
Short plays are popular among amateurs because of their low-production cost and the ease of retaining the audience's attention. Despite the critical acclaim, one-act plays are not as frequently staged as other plays and do not often enjoy the same popularity and prestige among theatre-goers.
One-act play: examples
Here are the names of a few one-act plays that are noteworthy:
- Battle of the Bards (c. 3 BCE) by Theocritus
- Salome (1981) (French) by Oscar Wilde
- The Flying Doctor (1659) by Moliere
- Krapp's Last Tape (1958) by Samuel Beckett
- The Goat, or Who Is Sylvia? (2002) by Edward Albee
- The Beggar and the King (1921) by Winthrop Parkhurst
- A Marriage Proposal (1890) and The Boor (1888) by Anton Chekhov
- Porcelain and Pink (1922) by F. Scott Fitzgerald
- Line (1974) by Israel Horovitz
- Pariah (1889) by August Strindberg
- The Long Christmas Dinner (1931) by Thornton Wilder
- The Sunset Limited (2006) by Cormac McCarthy
- No Exit (1944) by Jean-Paul Sartre
- A Memory of Two Mondays (1955) by Arthur Miller
- Art (1994) by Yasmina Reza
- The Bald Soprano (1950) by Eugène Ionesco
One-Act Play - Key takeaways
- A one-act play is a form of drama that is written in one act, as opposed to plays that are divided into several acts. It usually has a running time of between 15 minutes to an hour.
- Compared to full-length plays, the plot and character development are limited in one-act plays.
- Around the fifteenth century, short plays known as interludes used to be performed during intervals at events and banquets.
- Due to the convenience of staging and duration, one-act plays are popular among amateurs and emerging theatre practitioners.
- Examples of one-act plays are The Bear (1888) by Anton Chekhov, Krapp's Last Tape (1958) by Samuel Beckett, and A Memory of Two Mondays (1955) by Arthur Miller.
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