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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. Book - music - and lyrics






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






3. 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






4. 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






5. Feature the work of a director-choreographer






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






7. 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






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






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






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






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






12. Only cost a nickel






13. Filled with characters who cannot resist an argument about social issues; no character is exempt from talking politics and theorizing about moral - artistic or religious reform






14. Smaller - less expensive alternative experimental theatres; flourished in lofts - basements - coffeehouses and any found space usable






15. One of the most famous Sanskrit dramas - a love story in seven acts written by the playwright Kalidasa






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






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






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






19. '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






20. The orchestrated melodies






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






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






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






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






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






26. 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






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






28. A sudden - striking pose (often with their eyes crossed - chin sharply turned - and big toe pointed towards the sky) in Kabuki accompanied by several powerful beats of wooden clappers






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






30. Where more experts agree that human beings came into existence






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






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






33. Records of this type of theatre are fragmentary - but we do know that it grew out of regional religious rituals related to Confucianism - Taoism - and Buddhism - and ritual dances performed during the Shang dynasty






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






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






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






37. Smaller - less expensive alternative experimental theatres; flourished in lofts - basements - coffeehouses and any found space usable






38. Earliest form for photography






39. 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






40. Second part of a Noh play - protagonist performs a dance that expresses his or her concern






41. Showed middle-class characters finding happiness and true love (Enlightenment)






42. 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






43. Highlights the insanity of life in a comical way






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






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






46. Two types of traditional Japanese theatre






47. 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)






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






49. 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






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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