Selected One-Act Plays

The one-act play is one of the most important literary forms in vogue today. Perhaps the principal reason for its popularity both in the drawing-room and on the stage is its brevity, and its efficacy in giving good and thoughtful entertainment in about an hour’s duration. The position of the one-act play in relation to the full- length drama is similar to that of the short story vis-à-vis the novel. Just as a short story is not an abbreviated novel the one-act play is by no means a shortened or truncated full-length play. Although its compass is limited, it is a work complete in itself and having artistic integrity. Its brevity determines its scope and the play has its own technique of treating a subject. It deals with one significant aspect of human experience: it may either be the depiction of a crucial moment which brings out effectively the quality of a character or of an incident that leaves its fateful impact on life, or it may be the evocation of atmosphere playing a momentous role in a given situation. There is, however, little scope in the one-act play for change or development either in character or plot. The limited canvas does not admit of depicting adequate motivation for change.

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