Test your basic knowledge |

Theatre Basics

Subject : performing-arts
Instructions:
  • Answer 50 questions in 15 minutes.
  • If you are not ready to take this test, you can study here.
  • Match each statement with the correct term.
  • Don't refresh. All questions and answers are randomly picked and ordered every time you load a test.

This is a study tool. The 3 wrong answers for each question are randomly chosen from answers to other questions. So, you might find at times the answers obvious, but you will see it re-enforces your understanding as you take the test each time.
1. The first all-black show to pay at a top Broadway theatre






2. Characters were not individuals but types; standard roles included scholar - lover - hero - maiden - old woman - coquette - virtuous wife - and acrobatic warrior-maiden






3. Contemporary form of Sanskrit Theatre - dramatized version of the Hindu epic poems Ramayana and Mahabharata






4. Play that takes place in a mental institution - the audience sits on the stage with the actor-patients






5. Writes the book






6. Type of Islamic theatre - religious drama of Iran which allowed for actors - both professional and amateur - and has been performed in open-air playing spaces and on some occasions in specially constructed indoor stages for hundreds of years

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7. French philosopher and playwright; The Flies (1943) & No Exit (1944)






8. A permanent - professional theatre outside NYC; founded in 1947 by Margo Jones; stage new plays alongside commercial hits and historical plays; appeal to the intellectual audiences that Hollywood seldom serves






9. Founded in 1946 by Julian Beck and Judith Malina; dedicated itself to contemporary social issues and highly political - easthetically radical plays






10. Winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature (2005); The Dumb Waiter (1957)






11. Elmer Rice; about a man named Mr. Zero Who is fired from his job and replaced by an adding machine






12. By Swedish Playwright August Strindberg; fourteen-act play that follows the disconnected logic of a dream






13. Third part of a Noh play - the protagonist appears as a new self - and the cause of torment is resolved






14. Most famous surrealist and was a French writer and director; studied Asian religions - mysticism - and ancient cultures; declared theatre should should wake the nerves and heart; argued that proscenium arch theatres create a barrier between the audie






15. Life has no purpose and they confused and antagonized audiences by refusing to adhere to a coherent set of principles - mirroring the madness of the world






16. First female theatre manager in London; was also an actor and singer; managed first theatre to have a box set; Olympic Theatre in London






17. Named new 'photographic' realism NATURALISM and his phrase 'slice of life' is quoted description of it






18. One of the most influential thinkers of the Enlightenment - French poet - essayist - and playwright whose writing often got him in trouble with the church; built a theatre on his own estate so he could freely present his plays






19. A program of unrelated singing - dancing and comedy numbers






20. The first modern musical; a melodrama about black magic staged in NYC in 1866






21. Musicals that are mostly singing and have less spoken dialogue; similar to operattas - but thier tone is often much darker and more dramatic






22. Elaborate geometrical designs were used for these roles which included supernatural beings - warriors - and bandits; the color of the make-up indicated the character's personality






23. Africa's greatest living playwright; born in Nigeria; plays combine symbolism - mysticism - beautiful dialogue - and they make strong political points; plays are deeply rooted in African myths - dance - and rituals but also influenced by Western dram






24. 'The Father of Realism'; was initially a Romantic writer and his early plays were verse dramas largely based on Norwegian history and folk literature; plays presented complex - sometimes distrubing - views of human society; A Doll's House (1879) - Gh






25. Studied the history of class conflict






26. Characterized by a light-hearted - fast-moving comic story - whose dialogue is interspersed with popular music; Guys and Dolls (1950)






27. Type of theatre greatly influenced by Buddhism and Shinto; originates in ritual






28. A repetition of the song - sometimes with new lyrics - sometimes with the same lyrics but with new meaning or subtext in order to make a dramatic point






29. A form of musical entertainment featuring bawdy songs - dancing women - and sometimes striptease






30. Greatest of the Sturm und Drang playwrights; was also a critic - journalist - painter - biologist - statesman - poet - novelist - philosopher - scientist - and the manager of the Duke of Weimar's playhouse






31. Wooden clappers used in Kabuki






32. A permanent - professional theatre outside NYC; founded in 1947 by Margo Jones; stage new plays alongside commercial hits and historical plays; appeal to the intellectual audiences that Hollywood seldom serves






33. Earliest form for photography






34. Spoken lines of dialogue as well as the plot






35. Russian playwright whose play The Lower Depths (1902) took look at people living in cellar of Moscow flophouse






36. An early form of theatre; it used theatrical techniques such as song - dance - and characterization - but it was still firmly rooted in religion






37. Romanian-born French playwright best categorized as a hilarious absurdist; The Bald Soprano (1949) & Rhinoceros (1959)






38. Would agitate the masses - attack the spectators' sensibilities and purge people of their destructive tendencies; wanted stylized - ritualized performances - not realism - which they felt restricted the theatre to the study of psychological problems






39. The first theatre in the world to be lit with electric lights






40. Musicals with a particularly well-developed story and characters






41. Most famous English actress - born into poverty - started out singing in taverns and selling oranges in theatres - became the King's mistress






42. Holds that human beings are naturally alone - without purpose or mission - in a universe that has no God; not a negative - for without God humans can create their own existences - purpose and meaning






43. All lines are sung - usually to grand classical music; Madama Butterfly (1904)






44. Told stories about common people who felt grand emotions and suffered devastating consequences (Enlightenment)






45. Play by Wole Soyinka; celebrates Nigerian independence but also warns against returning to Nigeria's violent past






46. An extreme form of realism; an acurate 'documentary' of everyday life - including its seamy side






47. Elmer Rice; about a man named Mr. Zero Who is fired from his job and replaced by an adding machine






48. Grew out of the theatre of Thespis in Ancient Greece; passed from the Athenians to the Romans to the medieval Europeans






49. First part had musical numbers with little comic dialogue; second part was full of songs - dance and standup routines; third part featured a one-act play






50. Winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature (2005); The Dumb Waiter (1957)