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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. 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






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






3. Peking Opera was dramatically altered when:






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






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






6. Elmer Rice; about a man named Mr. Zero Who is fired from his job and replaced by an adding machine






7. 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






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






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






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






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






12. 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






13. Comic interludes performed during the intermissions of opera






14. One of the most valuable historical records of Indian theatre; an encyclopedic book of dramatic theory and practice; has 37 chapters and covers every aspect of classical Indian drama - also a treatise on dramatic theory and philosophy - states that t






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. 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






17. 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)






18. 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






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






20. 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






21. Built in Venice in 1637






22. 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






23. Writes the lyrics






24. 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






25. Wooden clappers used in Kabuki






26. 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






27. 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






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






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






30. The sung words






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






32. The orchestrated melodies






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






34. '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






35. The men who play female roles are called:






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






37. Based off the idea that before a problem can be solved - society must first understand that the problem exists; 'attack the message - not the messenger'






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






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






40. Book - music - and lyrics






41. Have become living traditions that are handed down from father to son

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42. Writes the music






43. 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






44. 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






45. 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






46. 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






47. Writes the lyrics






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






49. Only cost a nickel






50. 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