afterpiece

{{Short description|Short theatrical or musical piece following the main attraction}}

An afterpiece is a short, usually humorous one-act playlet or musical work following the main attraction, the full-length play, and concluding the theatrical evening.p24 "The Chambers Dictionary"Edinburgh, Chambers, 2003 {{ISBN|0-550-10013-X}} This short comedy, farce, opera or pantomime was a popular theatrical form in the 18th and 19th centuries. It was presented to lighten the five-act tragedy that was commonly performed.

A similar piece preceding the main attraction is a curtain raiser.

An example is The Padlock by Charles Dibdin, first performed in London in 1768.