The break in the middle of the show, usually 15 to 20 minutes.
Most full-length plays and musicals have one intermission, roughly halfway. It is your chance to stretch, use the restroom (the line moves fast if you go right away), get a drink, and read about the second act in the program. The lobby lights flash or a chime sounds a few minutes before the show resumes. Some shows run straight through without one; the listing or the box office will say.
Also seen as: intermissions