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






3. Nigerian playwright that was executed for trying to protect the Ogoni people against encroachments of Shell oil company






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






5. Writes the music






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






7. The men who play female roles are called:






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






9. '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






10. The sung words






11. The men who play female roles are called:






12. Wrote 'high comedies' which were cerebral socially relevant plays that had an intellectual scope so vast they forced audiences to reassess their values; Man and Superman (1903) & The Quintessence of Ibsenism (1891)






13. The orchestrated melodies






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






15. Feature the work of a director-choreographer






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. What western theatre is often called:






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






19. Including operetta - developed out of intermezzi






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






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






22. Book - music - and lyrics






23. 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






24. Most famous Restoration-era woman to make her living by writing plays






25. French Enlightenment playwright; was an inventor and thinker who spent countless hours at the leading intellectual salons of France; most famous plays are The Barber of Seville - and The Marriage of Figaro - his plays reflect the attitudes of the Enl






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






27. Nigerian playwright that was executed for trying to protect the Ogoni people against encroachments of Shell oil company






28. 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'






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






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






31. Only cost a nickel






32. Result of western influence - a toned down version of Kabuki - told stories of everyday life - particularly those of women - women played women's parts (whereas Kabuki was all male)






33. Filled with characters who cannot resist an argument about social issues; no character is exempt from talking politics and theorizing about moral - artistic or religious reform






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






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






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






37. No protagonist; deals with a family of characters who tell many stories at once; the fact that characters on stage take no action may inspire audience members to be motivated for the opposite in real life






38. Term used to describe performances that mix theatre - visual arts - music - dance - gesture and rituals; often use multimedia effects - sounds and lighting effects to make a point and allow the audience to understand its deeper implications; often re






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






40. Comedies forced Victorian society to reexamine its hypocrisies; Lady Windermere's Fan (1892) - A WOman of No Importance (1893) - An Ideal Husband (1894); advocated 'art for art's sake'; The Importance of Being Ernest






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






42. 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






43. Recorded conversations of slum dwellers in Dublin and used their words verbatim in his plays

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44. The first 'talkie' movie; featured white actor Al Jolson in blackface performing in a minstrel show






45. Writes the music






46. Uses rock music - the rock and roll of the 1950s (Grease) - the psychedelic rock of the 1960s (Hair) or contemporary pop and rock (Rent)






47. Known for life-like sets that used hand-painted screens and gas-powered lighting effects to stage realistic sunrises and storm clouds; invented the DAGUERREO-TYPE - which was an early form of photography






48. The first all-black show to pay at a top Broadway theatre






49. Form of theatre that mixed traditional African ritual theatre and Western-style drama; encouraged African nationalism - glorified Africa's past - and advanced African customs - rituals - and culture; also dealt with serious political themes and appla






50. Divided into fatalist - hilarious and existentialist