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. 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






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






3. Musicals that feature a particular band's songs






4. A true-to-life interior containing a room or rooms with the fourth wall removed so that the audience has the feeling of looking in on the characters' private lives






5. 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






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






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






8. 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






9. 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






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






11. Earliest form for photography






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






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






14. 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






15. 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






16. 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






17. 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






18. A program of unrelated singing - dancing and comedy numbers






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






20. Including operetta - developed out of intermezzi






21. 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






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






23. Exposed the squalid living conditions of the urban poor and explores scandalous topics like poverty - venereal disease and prostitution; 'Sordid Realism'






24. What western theatre is often called:






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






26. 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






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






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






29. The sung words






30. What western theatre is often called:






31. French physicist - mathematician - and philosopher - expressed the essence of Romanticism






32. Peking Opera was dramatically altered when:






33. 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






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






35. Writes the lyrics






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






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. The sung words






39. Comedies forced Victorian society to reexamine its hypocrisies; Lady Windermere's Fan (1892) - A WOman of No Importance (1893) - An Ideal Husband (1894); advocated 'art for art's sake'; The Importance of Being Ernest






40. 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






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






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






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






44. Built in Venice in 1637






45. 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






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






47. Studied the history of class conflict






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






49. 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

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50. Wooden clappers used in Kabuki