A one-act play must include the following elements and characteristics: The plot must circle or center on a single incident. The action in the play should be quite fast. The viewer should understand the conflict. Characters should be restricted to two to seven, with one distinct primary character. There should be a clear resolution of the conflict. The goal of analysis is to discover what the play is about. This can only be done by careful study of the text itself. Analysis begins with an overview of the work as a whole. Its purpose is to identify its major themes and ideas. These are then examined in detail for particular words or phrases that may shed light on the author's intentions. Analysis involves reading all or part of the play with attention to language use, scene changes, character development, and theme. It may also involve studying photographs or drawings of the set, interviews with actors who have played the role, or observations of rehearsals or performances. As analysis proceeds, relevant information will begin to accumulate which can then be used to create a detailed picture of what the play is about. This understanding can then be applied to future interpretations of the work. Analysis is an ongoing process that does not have to be completed once the play has been performed. Actors make changes to their scripts during production, so analysis needs to be flexible enough to accommodate new information that arises during rehearsal or performance.