From Three Acts to Bedroom Minutes: Micro-Theatre Compression and Bedroom Theatre as a Micro-Spatial Method of Intimate Performance

This study examines short-form theatre through the lens of spatial constraint, proposing Bedroom Theatre as a method of micro-spatial dramaturgy. While short-form performance is often understood primarily in terms of duration, this paper argues that micro-space—particularly the culturally coded environment of the bedroom—plays a crucial role in shaping dramaturgical strategies and audience reception. The study combines qualitative desk research on micro-theatre ecosystems with a practice-based analysis of five pilot performances (N=5). Using thematic analysis of observational data, the research identifies recurring reception patterns including concentrated affect, silence, delayed articulation, and recognition-through- intimacy. The findings suggest that Bedroom Theatre intensifies performance by coupling temporal compression with spatial intimacy and ethically bounded proximity. The paper contributes a transferable typology of bedroom- based incidents and positions micro-spatial dramaturgy as a framework for future research and practice in intimate performance.