Intermission

recess between parts of a performance

An intermission or interval is a break in a performance of play or opera. An intermission may be twenty minutes or longer: time for people to have a drink and time for the performers to relax. Plays and operas are usually divided into acts. The intermission will come where there is a suitable break between the acts. There are a few operas (e.g. those by Richard Wagner) which are so long that there may be two intermissions.