Entr'acte

Entr'acte means 'between the acts'. It can mean a pause between two parts of a stage production, synonymous to an <a href="/facts/Intermission/4RvmhHqj">intermission</a> (this is nowadays the more common meaning in French), but it more often (in English) indicates a piece of music performed between acts of a theatrical production. But despite this, an entr'acte is often paired with a longer intermission, as an intermission is usually "between acts." However, there can also be an entr'acte on its own, usually between the two acts without an intermission.
In the case of stage musicals, the entr'acte serves as the <a href="/facts/Overture/CLu2GaBG">overture</a> of act 2 (and sometimes acts 3 and 4, as in <a href="/facts/Carmen/T7ewFqov">Carmen</a>). In films that were meant to be shown with an intermission, there was frequently a specially recorded entr'acte on the soundtrack between the first and second half of the film, although this practice eventually died out.

Entr'acte open-in-new

Entr'acte