FEATURES OF A

ONE-ACT PLAY
 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, 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.
•
• 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.
What are elements of One-Act plays?
• THEME
• CHARACTER
• PLOT
• DIALOGUE
 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.
 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.
 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.
 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/short, but
must be concise and full of meaning.
 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.
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.