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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. Writes the book






2. 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






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






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






5. Earliest form for photography






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






7. A blend of melody and drama and refers to the background music often played during these performances






8. Smaller - less expensive alternative experimental theatres; flourished in lofts - basements - coffeehouses and any found space usable






9. History plays about major political events of the past - domestic plays about the loves and lives of merchants and townspeople - and dance-dramas about the world of spirits and animals






10. Sigmund Freud's book which analyzes the character of Oedipus and Hamlet






11. 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






12. 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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13. 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






14. 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






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






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






17. A period of licentious gaudiness inspired by the elaborate styles that Charles II brought with him from the French Court






18. Have become living traditions that are handed down from father to son

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19. A popular form of stage entertainment from the 1880s to the 1940s; included a dozen or so slapstick comedy routines - song-and-dance numbers - magic acts and juggling or acrobatic performances






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






21. A synthesis of music - dance - acting - and acrobatics; it was first performed by strolling players in markets - temples - courtyards - and the streets






22. Unstructured theatrical events on street corners - bus stops and anywhere else people gathered






23. 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






24. Built in Venice in 1637






25. 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






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






27. One of the most famous Sanskrit dramas - a love story in seven acts written by the playwright Kalidasa






28. Musicals that feature a particular band's songs






29. Form of drama that dominated theatre in India for a thousand years; named for the ancient Indian language in which its plays are performed; combine the natural and the supernatural - the believable and unbelievable






30. 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






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






32. 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






33. 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






34. 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






35. This happened for the first time during the Restoration






36. Used giant puppets and actors to enact parables denouncing the Vietnam War and materialism






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






38. Writers who felt science was not adequate to describe the full range of human experience - and their writings stressed instinct - intuition - and feeling






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






40. One of the most valuable historical records of Indian theatre; an encyclopedic book of dramatic theory and practice; has 37 chapters and covers every aspect of classical Indian drama - also a treatise on dramatic theory and philosophy - states that t






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






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






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






44. Spoken lines of dialogue as well as the plot






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






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






47. '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






48. 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'






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






50. French philosopher often called the Father of the Romantic movement; argued that people could find happiness in a 'state of nature' and that they should learn from nature rather than the artificial and corrupted teachings of society






Can you answer 50 questions in 15 minutes?



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