The 90-Second Cut
A Year 12 student is directing a 12-minute self-devised piece for assessment. The examinable performance must run within a strict time limit, and the student's first cut runs 13 minutes 40 seconds. The piece has five scenes: a 2-minute opening movement sequence, a 4-minute naturalistic dialogue scene, a 90-second monologue, a 3-minute choral scene, and a 3-minute closing scene. The student's teacher notes that the dialogue scene 'has three endings' and that the choral scene repeats its opening image twice. The student wants to cut the monologue entirely because 'it is the easiest to remove'. Two actors have only one line each in the dialogue scene and are worried about being cut.
1. Advise the student on where to make cuts, using dramatic function rather than ease of removal as the criterion. Show your reasoning with the timing figures.
Read the worked answer
The student needs to remove at least 1 minute 40 seconds (13:40 to 12:00), and should build in a safety margin - aim to cut around 2 minutes so the piece runs about 11:40.
Criterion: dramatic function, not ease of removal. The monologue is not the obvious cut. A 90-second solo is usually a load-bearing beat - it is where the audience is given access to a character's interior. Removing it may save 90 seconds but cost the piece its emotional centre. The student's reasoning ('easiest to remove') is an editorial convenience, not a dramaturgical argument.
Where the time actually is:
- The dialogue scene is 4 minutes and 'has three endings' - that is a structural redundancy. Collapsing three endings to one could plausibly save 45–60 seconds without losing any plot or character information.
- The choral scene repeats its opening image twice - a repeated image is a directorial choice, and one repetition is usually enough. Trimming one repetition might save 20–30 seconds.
- The opening movement sequence at 2 minutes can often tighten by 15–20 seconds through cleaner transitions.
Recommendation: cut the dialogue scene's extra endings (about 50 seconds), remove one choral repetition (about 25 seconds), tighten transitions and the opening (about 30 seconds), and find the remaining time in pacing rather than deletion. Keep the monologue. Reassure the two one-line actors that their lines are not the problem - the scene's structure is - and that their presence can be preserved even as the scene is shortened.
2. The two actors with one line each are anxious about being cut. Explain how the director should handle this, and what principle should guide decisions about small roles.
Read the worked answer
The director should address the anxiety directly and honestly, and should separate two questions: does this role serve the piece? and is this actor's contribution valued? They are not the same question.
Principle: a small role is justified by function, not by line count. A one-line character can be essential - a messenger who delivers the turning point, a witness whose reaction reframes a scene, a presence that creates an ensemble texture. If the line carries plot information or a shift in the scene, it stays; if it is decorative, it can be absorbed or cut. The director should be able to say what the role does, not just how many words it has.
Handling the anxiety:
- Be transparent about the process - explain that cuts are being made for time and structure, and that the dialogue scene is being reshaped, not the actors removed.
- Where possible, redistribute rather than delete: if a line must go, the actor can be given a non-verbal function (a look, a movement, a position in the ensemble) that keeps them in the world of the play.
- Give the actors a real voice in the room - ask them what their character wants in the scene, so the cut is a shared dramaturgical decision rather than a top-down removal.
- Be clear about what is decided and when, so anxiety does not fill the vacuum.
The director should also model the criterion publicly: if the monologue is being kept while a one-line role is examined, the ensemble can see that decisions follow function, not favouritism or convenience.