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. Wrote plays about the rugged lives of Irish peasants using their dialect; Riders to the Sea (1904) & The Playboy of the Western World (1907)






2. Holds that human beings are naturally alone - without purpose or mission - in a universe that has no God






3. Wooden clappers used in Kabuki






4. A program of sketches - singing - dancing and songs pulled from previous sources






5. The German equivalent to Diderot; was a playwright - critic - and Enlightenment philosopher Who wrote tragedies and comedies about the middle-class; his greatest play was Nathan the Wise






6. Thought that inner truths could be hinted at only through symbols; sought to replace the specific and concrete with the suggestive and metaphorical; usually had little plot or action and tended to baffle the audience






7. Includes all other forms of drama - from the ancient ritual theatre of Africa to the traditional theatre of Asia to the shadow and puppet theatre of Muslim lands






8. During the Enlightenment there were revolutions in: ... which had a profound effect on theatre






9. One of the most important French philosophers of the Age of Reason - wrote and edited the first encyclopedia; was also a dramatist who penned books on the techniques of acting; authored The Paradox of Acting - a book that attached the pompous declama






10. Earliest form for photography






11. Only cost a nickel






12. Sarcastic label of Scribe's plays; the sympathetic protagonist suffers at the hands of an evil antagonist in the course of intense action - suspense - and contrived play devices; ending is always happy and the loose ends are neatly tied up






13. Type of Islamic theatre which is created by lighting two-dimensional figures and casting their shadows on a screen; the audience watches the silhouettes while a narrator tells a story






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






15. A sudden - striking pose (often with their eyes crossed - chin sharply turned - and big toe pointed towards the sky) in Kabuki accompanied by several powerful beats of wooden clappers






16. Islam's holy book - contains a warning about 'graven images' similar to the one in the Bible - prohibition applies to dolls - statues - portraits - and people playing a character






17. More serious plot and theme; West Side Story (1957)






18. The men who play female roles are called:






19. Sell over $1billion worth of tickets annually - majority of those are for musicals






20. A medley of the show's songs played as a preview; usually the beginning of a traditional musical; lets the audience know that it's time to stop talking because the performance is about to begin






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






22. A production of British actor Charles Kean; had realistic costumes - set and props that he had researched to make sure they were historically correct

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23. One of the most important French philosophers of the Age of Reason - wrote and edited the first encyclopedia; was also a dramatist who penned books on the techniques of acting; authored The Paradox of Acting - a book that attached the pompous declama






24. Goethe's most famous Romantic play






25. Spoken lines of dialogue as well as the plot






26. Grew up in poverty and put himself through medical school and set up free clinics in Russia to help the poor; The Seagull (1896) - Uncle Vanya (1899) Three Sisters (1901) & The Cherry Orchard (1904); placed on stage the lazy chaos of lives crushed by






27. The realism of the play is expressed through lyrical language






28. Kabuki borrowed many of these movements to make Kabuki acting highly stylized and almost puppet-like






29. Comic operas that mixed popular songs of the day with spoken dialogue






30. 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






31. Instead of learning how to conjure real emotions - actors of Sanskrit drama studied for many years to learn representations of emotions through:






32. Islam's holy book - contains a warning about 'graven images' similar to the one in the Bible - prohibition applies to dolls - statues - portraits - and people playing a character






33. Writes the music






34. What western theatre is often called:






35. Built in Venice in 1637






36. 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






37. Sell over $1billion worth of tickets annually - majority of those are for musicals






38. Bandits discuss rival systems of goverment while waiting for an attack






39. Book - music - and lyrics






40. 1. theatre has an actor who plays a character - theatre is artificial - and 2. theatre usually has a story with a conflict - conflict is key to all drama






41. Based off the idea that before a problem can be solved - society must first understand that the problem exists; 'attack the message - not the messenger'






42. Plays about the issues of the day that were in Manhattan neighborhoods






43. Musicals that feature a particular band's songs






44. French director who stage play The Butchers (1888) with real sides of beef infested with maggots






45. 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






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






47. Said that the free enterprise system is seriously flawed and is a cause of great human misery because it exploits the poor






48. Spoken lines of dialogue as well as the plot






49. Theatre was not seen as being of value to society - so plays were not an important part of:






50. A true-to-life interior containing a room or rooms with the fourth wall removed so that the audience has the feeling of looking in on the characters' private lives