An
intermission (American, Canadian English) or
interval (British English) is a recess between parts of a
performance or production, such as for a
theatrical play,
opera,
concert, or
film screening. It should not be confused with an
entr'acte (French: "between acts"), which, in the 18th century, was a sung, danced, spoken, or musical performance that occurs between any two acts, that is unrelated to the main performance, and that thus in the world of opera and
musical theatre became an orchestral performance that spans an intermission and leads, without a break, into the next act.