In my experience, Act I is usually longer than Act II (in two-act stage plays). I don't know if there is a specific or conscious reason for this; the only thing I can think of is that since intermission will come between the two acts, you don't want your audience sitting longer between the beginning of the show and intermission, than between intermission and the end of the show. (This is one of those unfortunate situations where art is compromised by insignificant details such as people needing to go to the bathroom and stuff of the like.)
If I knew more about "proper" writing (and did things like outline my stories before sitting down and writing), I could give a better answer, referring to "rules" that talk about the rising action and denouement, and how the former is usually longer than the latter, which would make Act I longer than the fallin-action Act II (since the break between them comes right before/at the climax). Now, if you're talking about the three-act structure film professors like to jabber on about, then your stage-play Act I is their acts one and two, and your stage-play Act II is their act three. (If that makes any sense.)
:)
Criss, la Reina
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