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






2. 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






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






4. 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






5. 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






6. Built in Venice in 1637






7. Three parts of a Noh play






8. 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






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. 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






11. Staged inexpensive - noncommercial productions of artistically significant plays in small - out-of-the-way theatres






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






13. 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






14. This happened for the first time during the Restoration






15. 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






16. 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






17. A German poet - director and playwright who challenged traditional ideas about theatre; became a communist after watching policement shoot 4 unarmed civilians; The Life of Galileo (1938) - Mother Courage and her Children (1939) & The Caucasian Chalk






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






19. What western theatre is often called:






20. Proclaimed 'God is dead...and we have killed him.'; felt taht absence of God was a tragedy - but believed human beings needed to accept the tragedy and move forward in a world that was unjust and meaningless






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






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






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






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

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






27. Earliest form for photography






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






29. 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






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






31. 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






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






33. First female theatre manager in London; was also an actor and singer; managed first theatre to have a box set; Olympic Theatre in London






34. Feature the work of a director-choreographer






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






36. 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






37. Would be removed in the box set to give audience a real life look into the scene






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






39. The men who play female roles are called:






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






41. A big production number that usually receives a torrent of applause that literally stops the show






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






43. Romanian-born French playwright best categorized as a hilarious absurdist; The Bald Soprano (1949) & Rhinoceros (1959)






44. Two types of traditional Japanese theatre






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






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






47. The sung words






48. 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






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






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






Can you answer 50 questions in 15 minutes?



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