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






2. 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






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






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






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






6. Writes the music






7. Studied the history of class conflict






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






9. 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






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






11. 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






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






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






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






15. 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






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






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






18. '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






19. Light opera - differs from 'grand opera' because it has a frivolous - comic theme - some spoken dialogue - a melodramatic story - and usually a little dancing; The Mikado (1885)






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






21. 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






22. 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






23. Earliest form for photography






24. Holds that human beings are naturally alone - without purpose or mission - in a universe that has no God; not a negative - for without God humans can create their own existences - purpose and meaning






25. Comic interludes performed during the intermissions of opera






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






27. The want for more 'genuine' sets - more 'honest' acting - and dialogue to be modeled after everyday speech - influenced by ideas of CHarles Darwin - Sigmund Freud and Karl Marx






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






29. 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






30. 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'






31. Type of theatre that grew out of ritual - incorporated acting - music - storytelling - poetry - dance - costumes - and lots of masks to create a theatre that combined ritual and ceremony with drama






32. Two types of traditional Japanese theatre






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






34. 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






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






36. Only cost a nickel






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






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






39. 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






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






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






42. 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






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






44. 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






45. 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'






46. Built in Venice in 1637






47. 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






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






49. 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






50. 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







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