A stage performance; a play or part of a play in representation on the stage. Also in figurative contexts. Obsolete.

The presentation of characters and action on the stage; performance; (also) an instance of this.

The action, means, or manner of presenting something to view; theatrical, pictorial, or symbolic representation; a display, an exhibition, etc. Now…

In early use: †stage performance generally; acting (obsolete). Now: spec. the rehearsal or performance of a single scene, esp. used as a means of…

plural. Dramatic compositions or representations; the drama. Also transferred and figurative.

= dramatic, n. Obsolete. rare.

Dramatic or theatrical acting.

A theatrical matter; a dramatic performance.

†(a) ‘play-acting’, histrionic ceremony (obsolete); (b) the work of an actor or of a theatrical company; dramatic representation; also, a dramatic…