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. Sigmund Freud's book which analyzes the character of Oedipus and Hamlet






2. Feature the work of a director-choreographer






3. 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






4. Form of theatre that mixed traditional African ritual theatre and Western-style drama; encouraged African nationalism - glorified Africa's past - and advanced African customs - rituals - and culture; also dealt with serious political themes and appla






5. Peking Opera was dramatically altered when:






6. 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






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






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






9. 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






10. Goethe's most famous Romantic play






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






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






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






14. The orchestrated melodies






15. This happened for the first time during the Restoration






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






17. 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






18. The orchestrated melodies






19. Holds that human beings are naturally alone - without purpose or mission - in a universe that has no God






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






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






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






23. A production of British actor Charles Kean; had realistic costumes - set and props that he had researched to make sure they were historically correct

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






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






26. Built in Venice in 1637






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






28. Built in Venice in 1637






29. 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






30. 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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31. Form of drama that dominated theatre in India for a thousand years; named for the ancient Indian language in which its plays are performed; combine the natural and the supernatural - the believable and unbelievable






32. Named new 'photographic' realism NATURALISM and his phrase 'slice of life' is quoted description of it






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






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






35. 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






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






37. 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






38. Estrangement; essentially the alienation effect






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






40. Wrote plays about the rugged lives of Irish peasants using their dialect; Riders to the Sea (1904) & The Playboy of the Western World (1907)






41. Most famous American expressionist playwright who won Nobel Prize for Literature (1936); A touch of the Poet (1935) - The Iceman Cometh (1939) - A Long Day's Journey into Night (1956) & A Moon for the Misbegotten (1952); The Hairy Ape (1952)

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






43. 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






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






45. 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)






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






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






49. Earliest form for photography






50. Life has no purpose and they confused and antagonized audiences by refusing to adhere to a coherent set of principles - mirroring the madness of the world