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. Writes the lyrics






2. 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






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






4. 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






5. 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






6. 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






7. 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






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






9. Would agitate the masses - attack the spectators' sensibilities and purge people of their destructive tendencies; wanted stylized - ritualized performances - not realism - which they felt restricted the theatre to the study of psychological problems






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






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






12. A medley of the show's songs played as a preview; usually the beginning of a traditional musical; lets the audience know that it's time to stop talking because the performance is about to begin






13. 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






14. Characterized by a light-hearted - fast-moving comic story - whose dialogue is interspersed with popular music; Guys and Dolls (1950)






15. Would agitate the masses - attack the spectators' sensibilities and purge people of their destructive tendencies; wanted stylized - ritualized performances - not realism - which they felt restricted the theatre to the study of psychological problems






16. A program of sketches - singing - dancing and songs pulled from previous sources






17. 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






18. Studied the history of class conflict






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






20. A dialogue that captures the incoherence - broken language - and pauses of modern speech; usually marked by surreal distortion and impending danger; from writing of Franz Kafka






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






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






23. 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






24. Composed and produced by Bob Cole - lyrics by Billy Johnson; story of a con man and used minstrel stereotypes and spoofed Chinatown; in one scene a young black man sings about he and his date were denied entry to a nightclub cuz He was black and this






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






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






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






28. Studied the history of class conflict






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






30. This happened for the first time during the Restoration






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






32. The time period that glorified humans' power to reason and analyze - a period of great philosophical - scientific - technological - political - and religious revolutions






33. Thought that inner truths could be hinted at only through symbols; sought to replace the specific and concrete with the suggestive and metaphorical; usually had little plot or action and tended to baffle the audience






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






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






36. Earliest form for photography






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






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






39. 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






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






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






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






43. Third part of a Noh play - the protagonist appears as a new self - and the cause of torment is resolved






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






45. A dialogue that captures the incoherence - broken language - and pauses of modern speech; usually marked by surreal distortion and impending danger; from writing of Franz Kafka






46. 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






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






48. Wooden clappers used in Kabuki






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






50. 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