How do fiction stories differ from dramatic stories that are meant to be performed?

Perhaps the greatest difference between fiction novels and
short stories and theatrical drama is the limited scope of the stage for which the play
is written. Plays are written to be performed within the restrictive size of a stage
unlike the other fictional styles, which can encompass a virtually unlimited scope. For
example, the novel The Red Badge of Courage is set on the
battlefield of Chancellorsville, Virginia. The story includes long marches, hundreds of
soldiers on both sides, horses, cannon, and large battle scenes. Such a story could
hardly be told on a small stage. Dramatic works are usually written with the size of the
stage in mind. For example, the stage of the Park Performing Art Center in Union City,
NJ is 68 feet long and 28.5 feet deep with a 40 feet high arch. Many theatres are much
smaller.

Another primary difference is the necessary use of
dialogue found in plays. While fictional novels and short stories can tell much of their
story through narrative, dialogue is an essential part of the play: The characters must
tell the story, not the author.