By
Angela Orlando
Arizona Daily Wildcat
For theater graduate student Rachel Joseph, writing a one-act play is an exercise in practical minimalism.
"In the one-act, you really have to show, not tell," Joseph said. "There is usually only one action in a one-act. The writer should introduce the conflict very early."
One-act authors must understand the script on an elemental basis because of the concise brevity of the art form. One-act plays should employ less than one hour of stage time.
Some famous playwrights who have dabbled in the art of the one-act include Anton Chekov, Sam Shepard, Tennessee Williams, David Mamet and Tom Stoppard.
Last year, a University of Arizona spring theater workshop produced Joseph's one-act play, "And This Before Leaving."
Joseph said her plays are typically non-traditional in subject matter. She breaks the actions of her one-acts apart - more than most playwrights might - and makes use of symbolism as a mood-setting technique.
For example, as a result of living in cloudy Seattle, Joseph often incorporates rain into her one-acts.
She described her writing voice as "lyrical, language-based and poetic."
One-acts are to full-length plays as short stories are to novels. And just as writing short stories can be a tool for aspiring novelists, one-acts serve as steppingstones for future writers of long scripts.
"Writing one-acts is a good way to learn to write full-length plays," Joseph said. "You write the first draft and then cut out anything extraneous. One-acts are a place where a theater writer can grow."
Unlike in full-length plays, a one-act does not offer enough time for plot or character exposition.
"I prefer one-acts that are in-and-out," she said. "They should cut to the chase."
