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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.
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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. Russian playwright whose play The Lower Depths (1902) took look at people living in cellar of Moscow flophouse






2. 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






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






4. '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






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






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






7. 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






8. 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






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






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






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






12. 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






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






14. Built in Venice in 1637






15. 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






16. Spoken lines of dialogue as well as the plot






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






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






19. Included comic scenes - dance interludes and sentimental ballads all based on white stereotypes of black life in the South






20. Writes the music






21. 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






22. Including operetta - developed out of intermezzi






23. 1. theatre has an actor who plays a character - theatre is artificial - and 2. theatre usually has a story with a conflict - conflict is key to all drama






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






25. 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






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






27. 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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28. 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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29. 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






30. 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






31. People who dismissed Traditional African Theatre because it was so unlike anything they knew






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






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






34. By Swedish Playwright August Strindberg; fourteen-act play that follows the disconnected logic of a dream






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






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






37. Founded in 1946 by Julian Beck and Judith Malina; dedicated itself to contemporary social issues and highly political - easthetically radical plays






38. Grew out of the theatre of Thespis in Ancient Greece; passed from the Athenians to the Romans to the medieval Europeans






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






41. In Sigmund Romberg's play the king young heir to the throne sacrifices his personal happiness for the good of the kingdom when he sorrowfully pulls himself away from his true love in order to marry a princess whom he does not love






42. 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






43. 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






44. 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






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






46. 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






47. 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






48. 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






49. 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






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