Understanding Parts of a Play
Oct 31, 2025
When we attend a theatre production, be it a school’s Rangmanch performance in Delhi, a Marathi Sangeet Natak in Mumbai, or a street theatre piece in Kolkata, we witness a beautifully structured dramatic world unfold. But behind every captivating dialogue and movement lies a carefully built architecture: acts, scenes, characters, dialogue, set design, costumes, the essential parts of a play.
In this blog, we explore these parts, how they work, and how Indian writers and dramatists can use them effectively.
What is a play?
A play is a form of literature meant for performance, dialogue between characters, staged action, and often a live audience. Unlike a novel or film, it leans heavily on immediate interaction and space.
In the Indian context, think of a stage play in your school, or a street play (nukkad natak) staged in your colony to raise social awareness. These are plays in action.
Acts: The macro divisions
Just like a novel is divided into chapters, a play is divided into acts. Each act groups together scenes that share a broader narrative purpose.
• Many plays or Indian adaptations (Hindi, Bengali, Tamil) use a two-act or three-act structure.
• Three-act structure is particularly common:
1. Act One sets up the characters, conflict, and world.
2. Act Two deepens conflict, raises stakes.
3. Act Three resolves the conflict, brings closure.
For example, imagine a play about family migration from a village to Mumbai.
• Act One introduces the family, the village, their challenges.
• Act Two shows their struggles in the city (jobs, housing, identity).
• Act Three resolves whether they adjust, succeed, or return.
Acts help the audience mentally “breathe”, a short intermission between acts gives time to reflect and reset.
Scenes: The micro units
Within each act, you have scenes. A scene is a unit of storytelling with a clear start and end, often set in a specific location or time. In Indian plays, a scene might shift from a roadside chai stall (Mumbai) to a home in Delhi to a train station.
Scenes do several things:
• Move the plot forward
• Reveal character
• Show changes in time or place
• Provide emotional beats
Transitions between scenes matter, seamless changes keep immersion; abrupt or jarring shifts can confuse the audience.
Core elements of a play
Dialogue
Dialogue is the spoken exchange between characters. It reveals motives, conflicts, and emotions.
In an Indian play, dialogue might include:
• Dialects (Bengali, Bhojpuri, Tamil)
• Cultural idioms or idiomatic Hindi
• Code switching (English + Hindi)
Good dialogue is not just “characters speaking”, it advances the plot and reveals character. Avoid filler lines; every speech should matter.
Characters
Characters are the heart. In any play:
• Protagonist(s): The driver(s) of the story
• Antagonist(s): Opposing forces or obstacles
• Supporting characters: Friends, relatives, society
Character arcs, how characters change across the play-give emotional satisfaction.
For example, in a play about caste discrimination in rural India, your protagonist might start unaware or passive, later become an advocate, face backlash, and ultimately transform (or perish).
Design aspects that bring the play to life
Set / Stage Design
Set design crafts the world. Even on a modest school stage, clever sets can transport audiences:
• A painted backdrop of red Fort + skyline for Delhi
• A rickety railway compartment frame for a train scene
• Street lamps, chai tables, village huts
In Indian theatre, budget constraints push designers to be inventive, folding flats, multi-purpose props, symbolic minimalism.
Costume / Wardrobe
Costumes communicate:
• Era (1950s India vs modern)
• Region (Punjabi suit, saree, kurta pajama)
• Socioeconomic status
In Maharashtra’s Tamasha or Loknatya, costumes are often vivid, symbolic. In urban plays, clothing may be simple but meaningful. Designers must ensure costumes are durable, easy to change, and aligned with the vision.
Bringing It Together: An Example
Let’s imagine a short play:
Title: Aam Ki Meethi Yaadein
Theme: Nostalgia, urban migration, identity
• Act One: A small village in Uttar Pradesh, two brothers decide to move to Delhi. Scenes show home, farmland, farewell.
• Act Two: The city, struggles with jobs, rent, loneliness, identity clash.
• Act Three: Climactic confrontation: which brother returns, which stays; resolution.
We’d define clear scenes, craft dialogues that feel local (Hindi dialect, references to chai stalls, bus stands), design sets with a few key props (migrant’s suitcase, dim lights), and costumes that reflect youth in jeans vs rural cotton kurta.
Why It Matters for Writers & Directors
• Structure gives shape — a loose “storytelling” often leads to confusion.
• Knowing these parts helps you plan your play, rehearse scenes, and manage transitions.
• With limited resources (common in Indian theatre), you can choose which elements to emphasize: a powerful dialogue, minimal stage, meaningful costume.