the power of silence

In a play, silence in dialogue is not absence — it’s action.

Silence is the moment when:

• A character can’t say what they want

• A character won’t say what they know

• Power shifts without words

• Meaning lands instead of being explained

Silence is where the audience does the work.

What silence does onstage

1. Reveals power

Who can stay silent longer usually holds control. A pause can dominate a scene more than a speech.

2. Exposes desire

Silence often marks the gap between what a character wants and what they’re brave enough to ask for.

3. Creates danger

A pause after a line is a loaded weapon. The audience senses what might be said next.

4. Lets subtext breathe

Dialogue carries intention. Silence carries consequence.

Types of silence:

• Resistant silence – refusal, defiance

• Protective silence – hiding, self-defense

• Listening silence – a character changing in real time

• Overwhelmed silence – the moment language fails

• Weaponized silence – punishment, control

Each kind should do something different to the scene.

Writing silence on the page

Avoid vague stage directions like:

(Pause.)

Instead, anchor silence to action or intention:

• (She waits for him to finish lying.)

• (He almost speaks. Doesn’t.)

• (Silence. The offer is still on the table.)

The actor needs why, not just when.

Pauses aren’t decorative. They’re timed refusals:

• A pause after an offer = the offer remains active

• A silence before an answer = the answer is already costly

• A silence that outlasts comfort = someone has won

Actors don’t “wait.” They withhold.

The craft takeaway

Silence works when:

• A decision has been made but not voiced

• Speech would reduce leverage

• The room must feel the shift before it’s understood

Rule: If silence changes the hierarchy of the scene, it’s dialogue.

Rehearsal truth

Silence only works if:

• The actor knows what thought is occurring

• The silence changes the temperature of the room

• Something is at risk if the silence breaks

Dead air is unmotivated silence. Charged silence is dialogue without words.

A rule of thumb

If a silent moment could be replaced by a line of explanation, cut the line and keep the silence.

That’s where the play lives.

For an example of silence used to effect, see the preview sample of my play, Awake.