bhāṇa (English spelling) bhana

Japanese: bhāṇa（英語表記）bhana

...The subject matter of the Prakarana is at the discretion of the author, and it usually deals with love, but may also have a war theme. The number of acts is the same as that of the Nataka. In addition, one of the ten Rupakas is the Prahasana (comedy), a one-act comic farce, and the Bhāṇa, a one-act monologue performed by a single actor. One of the fragments of a play by Ashvaghosha discovered in Central Asia is called an allegorical play (or metaphorical play) in which religious abstractions are personified. Later, Kṛṣṇamiśra (11th century) produced a six-act allegorical play, Prabodhacandrodaya (The Rising of the Moon of Enlightenment), which promoted the doctrine of Vaishnavism, bringing a new style of fashion to the theatre. ...

From Shudraka

…The courtroom scene in the ninth act is particularly famous, and the play contains many other elements of cultural and historical interest. Shudraka is also considered to be the author of an ancient monologue play called the Padmaprābhṛtaka, known as the bhāṇa. [Katsuhiko Uemura]. …

*Some of the terminology explanations that mention "bhāṇa" are listed below.

Source | Heibonsha World Encyclopedia 2nd Edition | Information

Japanese:

…プラカラナの題材は作者の自由で，おもに恋愛を取り扱うが戦争を主題とすることもあり，幕の数はナータカと同じである。このほか10種のルーパカの1種にプラハサナprahasana(笑劇)という1幕のこっけいな茶番劇があり，同じような1幕の通俗劇でただ1人の俳優が演ずる独白劇バーナbhāṇaもある。中央アジアで発見されたアシュバゴーシャの戯曲断片の一つに，宗教的な抽象概念を擬人化して演技させる寓意劇(または譬喩劇)とよばれるものがあるが，後にクリシュナミシュラKṛṣṇamiśra(11世紀)は，ビシュヌ派の教義を宣揚した6幕の寓意劇《プラボーダチャンドローダヤPrabodhacandrodaya(悟りの月の出)》を出して劇壇に新しい形式の流行をもたらした。…