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. 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






2. Highlights the insanity of life in a comical way






3. Only cost a nickel






4. Feature the work of a director-choreographer






5. 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






6. Writes the book






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






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






9. The realism of the play is expressed through lyrical language






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






11. Two types of traditional Japanese theatre






12. 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






13. Holds that human beings are naturally alone - without purpose or mission - in a universe that has no God; not a negative - for without God humans can create their own existences - purpose and meaning






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






15. Wooden clappers used in Kabuki






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






17. A true-to-life interior containing a room or rooms with the fourth wall removed so that the audience has the feeling of looking in on the characters' private lives






18. A dialogue that captures the incoherence - broken language - and pauses of modern speech; usually marked by surreal distortion and impending danger; from writing of Franz Kafka






19. Musicals that feature a particular band's songs






20. 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






21. A true-to-life interior containing a room or rooms with the fourth wall removed so that the audience has the feeling of looking in on the characters' private lives






22. 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






23. 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






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






25. 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






26. 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






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






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






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






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






31. Told stories about common people who felt grand emotions and suffered devastating consequences (Enlightenment)






32. Plays without music






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






34. 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)






35. Characters were not individuals but types; standard roles included scholar - lover - hero - maiden - old woman - coquette - virtuous wife - and acrobatic warrior-maiden






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






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






38. Feature the work of a director-choreographer






39. All lines are sung - usually to grand classical music; Madama Butterfly (1904)






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






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






42. 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






43. 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






44. Romanian-born French playwright best categorized as a hilarious absurdist; The Bald Soprano (1949) & Rhinoceros (1959)






45. 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






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






47. 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






48. The orchestrated melodies






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






50. This happened for the first time during the Restoration