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






2. First part of a Noh Play - usually a chance meeting between two characters - introductions are made and the characters engage in a question-and-answer sequence that reveals the protagonist's concern






3. First part had musical numbers with little comic dialogue; second part was full of songs - dance and standup routines; third part featured a one-act play






4. 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






5. First part of a Noh Play - usually a chance meeting between two characters - introductions are made and the characters engage in a question-and-answer sequence that reveals the protagonist's concern






6. Type of Islamic theatre which is created by lighting two-dimensional figures and casting their shadows on a screen; the audience watches the silhouettes while a narrator tells a story






7. 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






8. 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






9. 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






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






11. Wooden clappers used in Kabuki






12. A permanent - professional theatre outside NYC; founded in 1947 by Margo Jones; stage new plays alongside commercial hits and historical plays; appeal to the intellectual audiences that Hollywood seldom serves






13. The first modern musical; a melodrama about black magic staged in NYC in 1866






14. Winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature (2005); The Dumb Waiter (1957)






15. This happened for the first time during the Restoration






16. 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






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






18. Comic interludes performed during the intermissions of opera






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






20. A popular form of stage entertainment from the 1880s to the 1940s; included a dozen or so slapstick comedy routines - song-and-dance numbers - magic acts and juggling or acrobatic performances






21. Greatest of the Sturm und Drang playwrights; was also a critic - journalist - painter - biologist - statesman - poet - novelist - philosopher - scientist - and the manager of the Duke of Weimar's playhouse






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






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






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






25. Play by Wole Soyinka; celebrates Nigerian independence but also warns against returning to Nigeria's violent past






26. 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

Warning: Invalid argument supplied for foreach() in /var/www/html/basicversity.com/show_quiz.php on line 183


27. 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






28. 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






29. 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






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






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






33. 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






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






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






36. 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






37. 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






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






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






40. During the Enlightenment there were revolutions in: ... which had a profound effect on theatre






41. 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






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






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






44. Comic interludes performed during the intermissions of opera






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






46. Writes the book






47. 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






48. During the Enlightenment there were revolutions in: ... which had a profound effect on theatre






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






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