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






2. Built in Venice in 1637






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






4. Writes the book






5. 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






6. Spoken lines of dialogue as well as the plot






7. Wrote 'high comedies' which were cerebral socially relevant plays that had an intellectual scope so vast they forced audiences to reassess their values; Man and Superman (1903) & The Quintessence of Ibsenism (1891)






8. Goethe's most famous Romantic play






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






10. Writes the music






11. 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






12. 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






13. What western theatre is often called:






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






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






16. Kabuki borrowed many of these movements to make Kabuki acting highly stylized and almost puppet-like






17. A German poet - director and playwright who challenged traditional ideas about theatre; became a communist after watching policement shoot 4 unarmed civilians; The Life of Galileo (1938) - Mother Courage and her Children (1939) & The Caucasian Chalk






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






19. Only cost a nickel






20. Earliest form for photography






21. Writes the lyrics






22. 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






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






24. Divided into fatalist - hilarious and existentialist






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






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






27. Light opera - differs from 'grand opera' because it has a frivolous - comic theme - some spoken dialogue - a melodramatic story - and usually a little dancing; The Mikado (1885)






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






29. French Enlightenment playwright; was an inventor and thinker who spent countless hours at the leading intellectual salons of France; most famous plays are The Barber of Seville - and The Marriage of Figaro - his plays reflect the attitudes of the Enl






30. 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






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






32. Writes the book






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






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






35. Two types of traditional Japanese theatre






36. 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






37. Divided into fatalist - hilarious and existentialist






38. Only cost a nickel






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






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






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






42. Staged inexpensive - noncommercial productions of artistically significant plays in small - out-of-the-way theatres






43. An extreme form of realism; an acurate 'documentary' of everyday life - including its seamy side






44. 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






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






46. 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






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. 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






49. 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






50. 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







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