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. 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






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






3. Characters were not individuals but types; standard roles included scholar - lover - hero - maiden - old woman - coquette - virtuous wife - and acrobatic warrior-maiden






4. 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






5. 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






6. Studied the history of class conflict






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






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






9. Peking Opera was dramatically altered when:






10. 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






11. 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






12. A robust and spectacular version of Noh; named after the characters for 'song' - 'dance' - and 'skill'; created by a woman named Okuni - owner of a brothel






13. Closely tied to ritual - and it uses color - dance - song - and movements to exaggerate - stylize - and symbolically represent life






14. Musicals that are mostly singing and have less spoken dialogue; similar to operattas - but thier tone is often much darker and more dramatic






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






16. Musicals that feature a particular band's songs






17. Grew up in poverty and put himself through medical school and set up free clinics in Russia to help the poor; The Seagull (1896) - Uncle Vanya (1899) Three Sisters (1901) & The Cherry Orchard (1904); placed on stage the lazy chaos of lives crushed by






18. 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






19. Developed from the dance-prayers of Buddhist priests; has five possible subjects: the deities - the deeds of heroic samurai - women - insanity - and famous legends






20. 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






21. The artist imposes his own internal state onto the outside world itself; expressionism is a subjective account of an objective perception; expressionist plays use deliberate set distortion






22. All lines are sung - usually to grand classical music; Madama Butterfly (1904)






23. The orchestrated melodies






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






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






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






27. The German equivalent to Diderot; was a playwright - critic - and Enlightenment philosopher Who wrote tragedies and comedies about the middle-class; his greatest play was Nathan the Wise






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






29. 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






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






31. Most famous of the absurdist playwrights; best considered a fatalist - although work is sometimes hilarious and can ask existential questions; Endgame (1957) Krapp's Last Tape (1958) and Happy Days (1961); Waiting for Godot (1953)






32. Highlights the insanity of life in a comical way






33. Result of western influence - a toned down version of Kabuki - told stories of everyday life - particularly those of women - women played women's parts (whereas Kabuki was all male)






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






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






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






37. 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






38. What western theatre is often called:






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






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






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






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






43. Kabuki borrowed many of these movements to make Kabuki acting highly stylized and almost puppet-like






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






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






46. 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






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






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






49. Built in Venice in 1637






50. Studied the history of class conflict