DRAMA TYPESOne- Act Plays

One- Act Plays

Is similar to a short story in its limitations. There is a complete drama within one act. It is brief, condensed, and single in effect. One situation or episode is presented, permitting no minor plots or side actions that may distract attention for the single purpose and effect being developed. Characters are few in number, quickly introduced, and very limited in character development. Dialogue and Plot must carry the action forward smoothly and quickly.

DEFINITION 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 known as "flash drama" has emerged as a popular sub-genre of the one-act play, especially in writing competitions. The origin of the one-act play may be traced to the very beginning of drama: in ancient Greece, Cyclops, a satyr play by Euripides, is an early example.

Elements of One- Act PlayThemePlotCharacterDialogue

Theme Theme necessary Ask yourself: What is the play about? Revenge? Self- discovery? Mind needs to be clear about the theme Characters, plots, and sub- plots need to

point to and support the theme Sub- plots might be missing in one- act

plays

Plot Different in one- act play from a full

length play In a one- act play, there is only time for

one significant event Determining place for hero, where all

can be won or lost Events leading to this, can be included

without being shown to audience The events that follow must be inferred

or understood by the audience

Character There is not much area to develop all

the characters The hero or the protagonist’s character

needs to be more developed and focused on

The antagonist can be developed to show conflict

Some other characters can also be a little bit developed to move the story forward

Dialogue Economy is the key aspect here Each line must be crafted carefully to

focus on the theme, the incident and the character of the protagonist

The dialogues need not be terse, but concise and full of meaning

Dialogues irrelevant to the plot, must be altered or omitted immediately

ActivityQ. Write a short one- act play which involves two characters following the guideline given below.o First students imagine the situation they

want to write about and write it down on a blank sheet of paper

o Then they brainstorm the situation to come up with ideas involving:

o the details of the characters, including their

relationship and the nature of the problem being

explored (two friends, son and father, daughter and

father, husband and wife …),

o the topic they are talking about

o the problem that arises in their conversation

o the time and background of the conversation, i. e.

the setting

o how the play starts and how it ends

Students may then:

Work by themselves or with a partner Do the drafting at home Do editing in the classroom with the

help of classmates or teacher Read out the play to the class

Topic suggestions an older woman, hoping that a film of her life story

would both make her rich and free her from her dangerous past

Pamela, a divorced career girl from the suburbs, rides the commuter train back and forth to her glamour job in London. However, Pamela's latest romantic coupling threatens to veer off the track

Revenge is a dish best enjoyed cold, and Grace has been cooking up hers ever since her husband dumped her for Paulette, a younger lighter Second Mrs. Marwick.

Aspiring Playwright calls on Dionysus and Euripides for help in winning a drama contest.

Group of unemployed people in support group try to keep their spirits up while their desperation level rises. Drama