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






2. Writes the lyrics






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






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






5. 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






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






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






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






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






10. Musicals that feature a particular band's songs






11. Improved the daguerreotype and created modern photography; was also an English physicist






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






14. One of the most popular Kabuki and Bunraku playwrights - who - like Shakespeare - wrote crowd-pleasing plays that combined poetry and prose in dramatic tales of comedy - tragedy - love - and war






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






16. French physicist - mathematician - and philosopher - expressed the essence of Romanticism






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






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






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






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






21. 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






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






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






24. Earliest form for photography






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






26. Brought Western-style theatre to Africa to dramatize Bible stories in order to win converts






27. Divided into fatalist - hilarious and existentialist






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






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






30. Suggests we are trapped in an irrational universe where even basic communication is impossible






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






32. 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






33. 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'






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






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






36. Included comic scenes - dance interludes and sentimental ballads all based on white stereotypes of black life in the South






37. Only cost a nickel






38. Plays without music






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






40. Exposed the squalid living conditions of the urban poor and explores scandalous topics like poverty - venereal disease and prostitution; 'Sordid Realism'






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






42. First black woman playwright to be producted on Broadway; Raisin in the Sun based of her actual childhood






43. Writes the lyrics






44. 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






45. 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






46. Three parts of a Noh play






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






48. Book - music - and lyrics






49. 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






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