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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.
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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. 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






2. Argued that the prime function of playwrights is to expose the social and moral evils of their time






3. No spoken dialogue - entirely sung; comes from the Latin word 'work' and may have originally meant 'works in music' or 'musical works for the stage'; first operas were in Italy in late 1500s






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






5. 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






6. In Sigmund Romberg's play the king young heir to the throne sacrifices his personal happiness for the good of the kingdom when he sorrowfully pulls himself away from his true love in order to marry a princess whom he does not love






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






8. The orchestrated melodies






9. People who dismissed Traditional African Theatre because it was so unlike anything they knew






10. One of the most well-known Muslim Playwrights - who uses her plays not only to express herself but also to prompt discussions about such topics as violence against women - religious fanaticism - and female sexual desire






11. Records of this type of theatre are fragmentary - but we do know that it grew out of regional religious rituals related to Confucianism - Taoism - and Buddhism - and ritual dances performed during the Shang dynasty






12. Composed and produced by Bob Cole - lyrics by Billy Johnson; story of a con man and used minstrel stereotypes and spoofed Chinatown; in one scene a young black man sings about he and his date were denied entry to a nightclub cuz He was black and this






13. 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






14. Second part of a Noh play - protagonist performs a dance that expresses his or her concern






15. Most popular type of theatre during the Restoration; often featured great wit and wordplay and told stories about sexual gratification - bedroom escapades - and humankind's unrefined nature when it comes to sex






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






17. 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






18. Where more experts agree that human beings came into existence






19. People who dismissed Traditional African Theatre because it was so unlike anything they knew






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






21. The audience remains alienated from the performance so they could critically consider the play's themes






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






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






24. Six characters take on life of their own when the playwright fails to complete the play in which they were supposed to appear






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






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






27. A dialogue that captures the incoherence - broken language - and pauses of modern speech; usually marked by surreal distortion and impending danger; from writing of Franz Kafka






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






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

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






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






32. The orchestrated melodies






33. Set out to break all the neoclassical rules - attacked the three unities






34. Attacked the evils and restrictions of society; tried to reveal the higher reality of the unconscious mind with fantastic imagery and contradictory images; performances were often violent and cruel as they tried to shock the audience into the realiza






35. 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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36. Plays without music






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






38. Any artist or work of art that is experimental - innovative or unconventional; some styles would be symbolism - expressionism - futurism - Dadaism - surrealism - and absurdism






39. 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






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






41. Big-time vaudeville who performed a series of lavish musical reviews on Broadway






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






43. 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






44. Most famous American expressionist playwright who won Nobel Prize for Literature (1936); A touch of the Poet (1935) - The Iceman Cometh (1939) - A Long Day's Journey into Night (1956) & A Moon for the Misbegotten (1952); The Hairy Ape (1952)

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45. 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






46. Six characters take on life of their own when the playwright fails to complete the play in which they were supposed to appear






47. Studied the history of class conflict






48. Divided into fatalist - hilarious and existentialist






49. 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






50. 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