> I'm in the process of writing a one-act play. I'll submit it next sememster when they pick which ones to produce. But I've never written a play before and was wondering if anyone knew what characteristics a one-act play should have. I know the conflict needs to be introduced quickly, but is there anything else in particular? Google wasn't much help.
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> Ga"'Look at the sunset. It just amazes me... that big ball of fire spinnin' around us through the sky.'"halia

I tried writing a play once, but never finished it. You are on the right track. I would say that with only one act, you have to get in there fast with characters, plot, and conflict. The one I started only had one character who talked to himself a lot. Keeping the parts to a minimum is probably a good idea in a short play, but I should have included someone for him to talk to. Maybe that's why I couldn't finish it. It's been a long time ago, but I think I was aiming for a single scene and one act. I worked at the Community Playhouse, a little theatre group in Nashville, and also worked on plays in high school and college. It seems like there was always a performance that included several one-act plays instead of one longer one. They must have been very forgettable, because I can't remember much about any of them. I was a crew member, never an actor, so I guess I was more concerned with making sure the set didn't fall down. Once during a performance of "Mister Roberts" the set actually did start to fall down, but several members of the crew grabbed it and held it in place until tbe end of the act. I wasn't back stage that time. I was selling Cokes in the lobby.
How"still rambling a little"ard