Missouri State University Theatre 101 Foster FINAL

This theatre attempted to distance the audience by repudiating realistic conventions through a didactic performance style, an acting style that required the actor to "demonstrate" rather than "integrate with" his character, and a stage that called attention to its own artificiality. A. Brecht's theatre of alienation B. Artaud's theatre of cruelty C. Pirandello's metatheatre D. Beckett's realism

A. Brecht's theatre of alienation

Which of the following musicals was conceived and directed by George C. Wolfe, choreographed by Savion Glover, and offers a capsule history of racial injustice in America? A. Bring in 'Da Noise, Bring in 'Da Funk B. Dreamgirls C. Babes in Toyland D. Rent

A. Bring in 'Da Noise, Bring in 'Da Funk

How did Stanislavsky contribute to realist theatre? A. He brought realist acting to realist plots. B. He introduced body doubles in scenes of realistic passion. C. He introduced the use of complex nudity on the stage. D. He required actors and actresses to wear their own clothes on the stage.

A. He brought realist acting to realist plots.

Which of the following is true about the age of "isms"? A. It covers many different ideological tenets such as futurism, dadism, expressionism, surrealism, etc. B. This is a word that meant actors were fully present on stage. C. Realism was at the head of the list. D. The theatre world (directors and playwrights) all agreed on one concept only.

A. It covers many different ideological tenets such as futurism, dadism, expressionism, surrealism, etc.

Which of the following is NOT true of the Greek chorus? A. It offered individuals the opportunity to voice personal opinions. B. It stood metaphorically and literally between the principal characters and the audience. C. It enabled the playwright to bridge narrative and dramatic forms. D. It danced in dithyrambic ceremonies.

A. It offered individuals the opportunity to voice personal opinions.

Which production had the most violent premiere in theatre history, such that the audience shouted, hissed, threw things, shook fists at the stage, and fought duels after subsequent performances? A. Jarry's Ubu Roi B. Brecht's Mother Courage C. Artaud's Conquest of Mexico D. Shaw's Major Barbara

A. Jarry's Ubu Roi

This theatre, formed by Joseph Chaikin in 1963, combined social improvisation with Brechtian techniques and used character as a vehicle for direct interaction with audiences. A. The Open Theatre B. The Teatro Campesino C. New Lafayette Theater D. The Women's Collective

A. The Open Theatre

The Renaissance was characterized by which of the following? A. a renewed interest in classical (Greek and Roman) civilization B. the vigorous revival of monastic scholasticism C. the repudiation of the discoveries of the New World D. a celebration of oriental cultures, especially India

A. a renewed interest in classical (Greek and Roman) civilization

Realist theatre A. has had a lasting effect on modern theatre. B. is actually quite non-realistic: it calls for a symbolic representation of reality that conveys the feeling of reality more precisely. C. was short-lived as a movement. D. arose from nostalgia for ancient Greek aesthetics.

A. has had a lasting effect on modern theatre.

Theatre can be seen as entertainment A. in all cases. B. only when it conforms to strict cultural definitions of "pleasure". C. only when it amuses and is humorous. D. only when it contains wit, activities, or spectacles that grip us.

A. in all cases.

Which movement, whose development was independent of realism, based its aesthetics on nature, particularly on humanity's place in the (Darwinian) environment and tried to create life itself on stage? A. naturalism B. scientism C. romanticism D. mesmerism

A. naturalism

What kind of sexualized, audacious, political, and scatological comedy was considered fit material for translation or publication only in recent times? A. old comedy B. modern comedy C. commedia dell'arte D. renaissance comedy

A. old comedy

Thematically speaking, the trend for musicals in the twenty-first century has been toward the A. serious, cynical, and even grim, such as gang violence and exploitation of scandal and sexual anomalies. B. comedic yet politically engaged. C. splashy, spectacular, and purely entertaining. D. chamber musical that requires only a few performers and minimal sets.

A. serious, cynical, and even grim, such as gang violence and exploitation of scandal and sexual anomalies.

Historically, traditional drama began when A. spoken drama was introduced into shamanistic rites. B. rituals began to use theatrical elements like costumes and properties. C. whole tribes of audiences began to gather to hear storytellers relate their tales. D. dramatic competitions were introduced in Athens.

A. spoken drama was introduced into shamanistic rites.

In Six Characters in Search of an Author, Pirandello uses the theme of the theatricality of human existence to show A. that everyday life is beset by the eternal confusion between appearance and reality. B. that appearances, are always what they seem to be. C. the ultimate authority of truth is in confusing the audience. D. that appearance is shallow yet exciting.

A. that everyday life is beset by the eternal confusion between appearance and reality.

The most comprehensive and detailed theatrical treatise of the ancient world, detailing analyses of dramatic texts, the theatre building, acting, staging, music, and even theatre-company organization, is A. the Sanskrit Natyasastra, or "treatise on theatre" (begun in the second century a.d.). B. Kalidasa Kundalini, the Zen of drama (written in Indonesia in 11 b.c.). C. Tan Tien, the handbook of the Peking Opera (transmitted orally for hundreds of years but written down by Portuguese priests in the twelfth century a.d.). D. the Kabuki Nehru, written for directors and actors in Japan in 2000 b.c.

A. the Sanskrit Natyasastra, or "treatise on theatre" (begun in the second century a.d.).

The saying "no more masterpieces" is a tenet of A. Stanislavsky's school of realism. B. Artaud's theatre of cruelty. C. Pirandello's use of theatrical magic. D. Brecht's epic theatre.

B. Artaud's theatre of cruelty.

Which play exemplifies the genre of political satire? A. Sartre's No Exit B. Caryl Churchill's Serious Money C. Jarry's Ubu Roi D. Maeterlinck's The Intruder

B. Caryl Churchill's Serious Money

The name of the American corporation that has infiltrated theatres and has bottomless financial resources is A. Broadway Produces B. Disney C. Samuel French Publishers D. Heinz

B. Disney

Professional theatres operating on significantly reduced budgets and located primarily in New York neighborhoods, some very near actual Broadway theatres became collectively known in the 1950s as A. Broadway. B. Off-Broadway. C. The Other Broadway. D. The Great White Way.

B. Off-Broadway.

Which of the following is TRUE of performance art? A. Performance art honors the traditional conventions of drama. B. Performance art is primarily conceptual without having a clear narrative, character development or structure, but can be arresting and provocative. C. There is a clear plot in performance art. D. The performers always act in character, never as themselves.

B. Performance art is primarily conceptual without having a clear narrative, character development or structure, but can be arresting and provocative.

Which musical (book by Jerome Kern, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II), adapted from a gritty novel by Edna Ferber, uses music and dancing to carry its complex plot, touches significantly on race relations in America, and contains the famous aria "Ol' Man River"? A. Shuffle Along B. Show Boat C. Darktown Follies D. Pal Joey

B. Show Boat

An example of verbatim theatre, where the play consists of real-life speeches and interviews, would be A. Bent. B. Stuff Happens. C. The Invention of Love. D. Hair.

B. Stuff Happens.

Founded by Luis Valdez in 1965, which contemporary Chicano theatre was created to dramatize the farm workers' situation in California? A. Carmina Burana B. Teatro Campesino C. Teatro Milagro D. Teatro la Raza

B. Teatro Campesino

Which of the following is consistent with the symbolist opposition to realism? A. In order to subvert realism, symbolist writers attempted to draw characters more true to life than reality. B. The symbolists did not dispense with realism by enhanced it with antirealist styles which followed no single belief. C. In order to assault the dimensions of lived reality, symbolist drama fostered the use of miniature by plays-within-the- plays acted by puppets. D. In protest against realistic set and stage design, symbolist sets did away with all props and furniture on the stage.

B. The symbolists did not dispense with realism by enhanced it with antirealist styles which followed no single belief.

The emergence of spectacular theatre was facilitated mainly by A. higher ticket prices. B. advanced theatre technology. C. the audience's desire for pure entertainment. D. a decline in performance art.

B. advanced theatre technology.

What description best characterizes the Borderlands Theatre? A. spectacle-heavy entertainments that typically transfer to Broadway B. bilingual productions for the local Mexican-American community with minimal staging and has no permanent home of their own. C. disciplined and mannered pieces lasting upward of ten hours D. raw, boundary-pushing work filled with violence and graphic sexuality, oftentimes meeting unified protest by the community

B. bilingual productions for the local Mexican-American community with minimal staging and has no permanent home of their own.

What word fits the definition of "that which holds the attention"? A. suspense B. entertainment C. tension D. anxiety

B. entertainment

The presence of a critical focus in the audience has the effect of keeping the theatre A. cautious. B. honest. C. always part of social gossip. D. safe.

B. honest.

The journalist's review generally is A. extended to a detailed and exhaustive study based on consultation with critical articles. B. limited to a brief, immediate reaction written within a few days of seeing the performance. C. an extended discussion based not only on his impressions of the play but also on interviews with the actors and playwright. D. based on the consensus of audience reactions.

B. limited to a brief, immediate reaction written within a few days of seeing the performance.

Which type of drama fits the following description: the theatre becomes a part of the content of play production, not merely the vehicle. A. impressionism B. metatheatre C. expressionism D. theatre of cruelty

B. metatheatre

When did musical theatre begin to evolve as a specific genre of its own? A. at the end of the Restoration B. over the past 150 years of western dramatic history C. in the middle ages, when the theatre moved away from the church steps D. theatre went from outside to inside with acoustic abilities

B. over the past 150 years of western dramatic history

Plays of the royal theatre era are characterized by A. morality. B. rational philosophy and sensibility. C. melodrama. D. mysterious and unexplained events.

B. rational philosophy and sensibility.

Which of the following is the newspaper critic's principal job qualification? A. dramatic expertise B. skilled at articulating their impressions immediately through their writing ability C. playwriting or directing experience D. willingness to attend performances

B. skilled at articulating their impressions immediately through their writing ability

Which type of critic expresses thoughts with precision, clarity, and grace, through the careful building up of ideas, a presentation of evidence, logical argument, the use of helpful analogy and example, and a clear style of expression? A. the observant critic B. the articulate critic C. the inquisitive critic D. the eager critic

B. the articulate critic

Which type of critic needs sufficient background to provide a context for opinion and evaluation? His or her judgments are made against a background of knowledge and experience. A. the closed minded critic B. the informed critic C. the sensitive critic D. the highly opinionated critic

B. the informed critic

In Mandarin, Chinese Opera is called xiqu, which means A. "sung celebration of life". B. "grateful blessings from the samisen". C. "tuneful theatre". D. "presented hours of joy".

C. "tuneful theatre".

While puppet performance has historically been on the fringes of American theatre, one recent example of a smash hit that features puppets is A. The Book of Mormon. B. Once. C. Avenue Q. D. Mary Poppins.

C. Avenue Q.

A well known New York critic is A. Neil LaBute. B. Bernard Shaw. C. Ben Brantley. D. Charles NcNulty.

C. Ben Brantley.

Which country is the home of the oldest continuous theatre tradition? A. India B. Indonesia C. China D. Vietnam

C. China

Which city remains the international capital of the world's musical theatre? A. London B. Sydney C. New York D. Paris

C. New York

Which production shocked prewar audiences with its suggestive lyrics about sexual infidelity and shady business ethics? A. Bring in 'Da Noise, Bring in 'Da Funk B. Oklahoma! C. Pal Joey D. Rent

C. Pal Joey

All of the following authors wrote for royal theatres EXCEPT A. Pedro Calderón. B. Jean Racine. C. Shakespeare. D. Molière.

C. Shakespeare.

This award-winning and hugely popular musical, from the creators of TV's South Park, mixes scandalous satire with joyous comedy? A. Sweeney Todd B. Les Misérables C. The Book of Mormon D. Rent

C. The Book of Mormon

The musical that Susan Stroman directed, which sensitively tells the true story of young black southern men—some of them just boys—who were falsely accused and convicted of raping two white women on a train, used a simple set design, and staged in the format of a minstrel show is called A. Avenue Q. B. Contact. C. The Scottsboro Boys. D. Caroline, or Change.

C. The Scottsboro Boys.

Which of the following musicals retells the story of Romeo and Juliet with a contemporary Polish American as Romeo and a contemporary Puerto Rican American as Juliet? A. Fiddler on the Roof B. On the Town C. West Side Story D. Guys and Dolls

C. West Side Story

Which movement was based in the idea that, although humans search for some meaning or purpose in human life, they are met with a world that is fragmented, unorganizable and chaotic, making the effort futile? A. expressionism B. modern realism C. absurdism D. theatre of cruelty

C. absurdism

The dithyramb was A. an austere religious sacrifice involving the burning of incense and the consecration of a bull to Apollo. B. a song-and-dance routine performed on the spring equinox and celebrated with flowers, grasses, and the blessing of ships. C. an ancient, drunken, dance-chant fertility ritual that celebrated the birth of the wine god. D. a rite of passage symbolizing the transition from virginity to marriage sanctified by the reading of oracles from Delphi.

C. an ancient, drunken, dance-chant fertility ritual that celebrated the birth of the wine god.

Ancient Egypt's Abydos Passion Play and other texts of that time employed plot elements that indicate they derived from A. ritual forms that employed boats and other large nautical props. B. storytelling forms that incorporated impersonation and built to a dramatic climax. C. ancient reenactments of the coming of spring and celebration of rebirth. D. ritualistic violence, combats, duels, and maiming.

C. ancient reenactments of the coming of spring and celebration of rebirth.

Dramatic criticism usually appears in all the following forms EXCEPT A. production reviews in newspapers or periodicals. B. reactions to the play posted on blogs and online magazines. C. director's notes in a program. D. scholarly articles or books on dramatic literature.

C. director's notes in a program.

This type of drama, in vogue in Germany during the first two decades of the century, featured shocking and gutsy dialogue, boldly exaggerated scenery, piercing sounds, bright lights, and an abundance of primary colors. A. impressionism B. theatre of cruelty C. expressionism D. dada

C. expressionism

Eastern European directors created a theatre of ancient plays produced with A. no interest from the community at all. B. no political agenda within their productions. C. hidden, often subversive meanings clear to audiences, but lost on the government. D. adaptions that rackled the local governments.

C. hidden, often subversive meanings clear to audiences, but lost on the government.

Nudity, profanity, simulated sex, violence, etc. have become commonplace in American theatre due to A. lack of family values in the United States. B. being trained in this style of acting. C. legal censorship that has become locally unenforceable in America. D. publishers who are requesting these types of plays.

C. legal censorship that has become locally unenforceable in America.

A play's ability to connect with audience members on a personal level the fact that the best plays A. focus on the theatrical personnel who put on the play itself. B. have no connection at all with individual needs or desires. C. link up with our deepest musings and help us to put our unconnected ideas into some sort of order or philosophy. D. do not involve individual struggles, but reflect solely on group ponderings.

C. link up with our deepest musings and help us to put our unconnected ideas into some sort of order or philosophy.

What theatre type is a highly ceremonial musical and dance drama, of which the 240 texts produced today were written by members of a single family five hundred years ago, and whose lines were designed to be sung rather than spoken? A. kyogen B. kabuki C. no D. bunraku

C. no

The professional scholar A. is content to repeat the opinions or discoveries of others. B. writes from his or her own intuition. C. seeks fresh insights from a body of literature while working within accepted methodologies. D. depends entirely upon received opinions and public consensus.

C. seeks fresh insights from a body of literature while working within accepted methodologies.

The subject matter of naturalistic plays is A. well-defined social issues. B. the conflict among nations. C. slice-of-life action. D. the symbolic representation of the natural world and environment, as well as events or objects.

C. slice-of-life action.

Examples of theatres that have been created or sustained by governments or ruling elites include all of the following EXCEPT the A. ancient Greek. B. medieval liturgical and Corpus Christi drama. C. theatre of the absurd and antirealism theatre. D. Royal era.

C. theatre of the absurd and antirealism theatre.

Which works exemplify a genre characterized by a simple plot, a cast composed strictly of romantic and comedic characters, a wholly unchallenging theme, the presentation of scantily-clad women, and abundant singing and dancing, all with little connection to the plot? A. Threepenny Opera, The Ghost Sonata, and The Dream Play B. Orpheus in the Underworld, The Merry Widow, and Naughty Marietta C. Pal Joey, Sweeney Todd, and Bubbling Brown Sugar D. Anything Goes, Funny Face, and A Connecticut Yankee

D. Anything Goes, Funny Face, and A Connecticut Yankee

Which of the following is NOT a musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber? A. Jesus Christ Superstar B. Cats C. Evita D. Avenue Q

D. Avenue Q

Popular playwrights during the Renaissance were A. William Congreve, Aristotle and Aristophanes B. Terence, Tennessee Williams and Plautus C. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Victor Hugo and Oscar Wilde D. Ben Jonson, Christopher Marlowe and John Webster

D. Ben Jonson, Christopher Marlowe and John Webster

Who raised dance to a new level of prominence when he developed a new choreographic style—quick, jerky moves that suddenly segue to slow, sinuous come-ons; bumps and grinds; costumes of white gloves and black bowler hats—in a series of musicals that he directed and choreographed, among them Dancin' and Chicago? A. Tommy Tune B. Rudolf Nuryev C. Michael Bennett D. Bob Fosse

D. Bob Fosse

What kind of theatre puts on plays for their own enjoyment and is considered amateur? A. Regional Theatre B. Off-Off Broadway C. Summer Stock D. Community Theatre

D. Community Theatre

Which of the following musicals does NOT explore race and/or ethnic relations? A. George C. Wolfe's Jelly's Last Jam B. Rodgers and Hammerstein's South Pacific C. Tony Kushner and Jeanine Tesori's Caroline, or Change D. Irving Berlin's Annie Get Your Gun

D. Irving Berlin's Annie Get Your Gun

Which of the following does NOT exemplify the Broadway trend toward revival? A. Audiences are still interested in seeing another production of Waiting for Godot (Beckett). B. International plays are often considered for Broadway productions. C. the restaging of modern plays and American musicals from the golden era of the 1940s to 1960s Star-studded revivals are very popular right now. D. Plays which dramatize the life of the ancient playwrights account for fifty percent of the productions on Broadway.

D. Plays which dramatize the life of the ancient playwrights account for fifty percent of the productions on Broadway.

The hit downtown New York production of Sleep No More, based on Shakespeare's Macbeth, takes place in a giant warehouse and allows the audience to wander wherever they wish. This is an example of A. Macaronic theatre. B. Dangerous theatre. C. Solo performance. D. Site-specific theatre as well as immersive theatre.

D. Site-specific theatre as well as immersive theatre.

Which of the following is NOT an example of a play that makes the theatre a matter in the play itself? A. Stoppard's Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead B. Pirandello's Six Characters in Search of an Author C. Shakespeare's Hamlet D. Sophocles' Oedipus The King

D. Sophocles' Oedipus The King

Which of the following is NOT an example of the tradition of music in the theatre? A. Classic Greek tragedy that utilized singing and dance accompanied by flutes and other instruments B. The twenty-five of thirty-eight of Shakespeare's plays that contain at least some singing C. The musical masques (dance-dramas) that English dramatist Ben Jonson wrote for the court of King James I D. The Medieval Portuguese drama subgenre known as "musical tragedy".

D. The Medieval Portuguese drama subgenre known as "musical tragedy".

The constructivist who broke with Stanislavsky's style of realist performance to create a nonrealist "biomechanical" style of acting and direction was A. Francois Medvedev. B. Mikhail Bakhtin. C. Bertolt Brecht. D. Vsevold Meyerhold.

D. Vsevold Meyerhold.

An audience member's aesthetic sensibility and response is A. consistent with all those individuals within the same national culture. B. consistent with all those individuals with the same ethnic and economic background. C. generally determined by educational background. D. a composite of many individual reactions and therefore entirely subjective.

D. a composite of many individual reactions and therefore entirely subjective.

If you were to join a discussion about macaronic drama, you would be chatting about plays that A. feature a cast of actors from both the East and West. B. emphasize the far-reaching power of capitalism. C. include real food being cooked onstage, oftentimes served to audiences. D. include speeches in different languages.

D. include speeches in different languages.

The disciplines of scholarly writing and performance studies draw from what other scholarly fields? A. mathematics and physics B. biology and health sciences C. political science and industrial technology D. linguistics and anthropology

D. linguistics and anthropology

Which type of critic holds the theatre to its highest possible standards and cuts against the inherent danger in drama to turn toward pure entertainment or sensationalism? A. the observant critic B. the informed critic C. the audience pleasing critic D. the demanding critic

D. the demanding critic

Artistic quality has nothing to do with honesty or whether we, as an audience feel anything from the production. True or False

False

Brecht's distance effects sought to enhance the audience's engagement with the characters and thus, have a sentimental relationship with them. True or False

False

Generally the playwright is more intelligent and better informed than the members of the audience. True or False

False

Kabuki consists of only one categtory: history plays. True or False

False

Medieval mystery plays were performed only in Latin. True or False

False

Musical theatre evolved initially as a revolt against other forms of theatre, particularly realism. True or False

False

Yasmina Reza, while respected by critics, has failed to have any major commercial success. True or False

False

A drama critic is a person who makes a living by publicly writing a dramatic analysis about a performance or a play text. True or False

True

Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides are the three masters of Greek tragedy. True or False

True

Although American artists are largely protected from direct censorship by the U.S. Constitution's first amendment, government funding is subject to approval by local and national legislators who sometimes balk at funding the work of certain artists. True or False

True

Disney has worldwide recognition for its wildly popular musical productions such as The Lion King, Tarzan, Aladdin and Beauty and the Beast. True or False

True

Marc Blitztein's 1938 musical, The Cradle Will Rock was cancelled an hour before its New York opening by government officials who protested the play's "left-wing propaganda". True or False

True

Performers in Chinese opera are adept at singing, speech, mime, acting, and acrobatics. True or False

True

Scholarly dramatic criticism is itself a literary art, of which works by Aristotle, Goethe, Shaw, and Nietzsche have outlasted their presumed subjects and helped shape our vision of life. True or False

True

Shakespeare festivals, which began in the Great Depression and which now exist in every state, originated with summer stock productions. True or False

True

The Borderlands Theatre is in Tucson, Arizona and presents the struggles of the Latino community. True or False

True

The extremity in artistic representation that responded to the social change of the sixties and the seventies took a number of forms, including plays that feature urination, bold profanity, and total nudity. True or False

True

The first of the choreographer-directors, trained in both ballet and acting, was Jerome Robbins, who staged such works as The King and I and West Side Story, True or False

True

The lasting impact of Ibsen's plays lies primarily in two qualities: 1) their choice of issues and 2) the playwright's skill at showing both sides of an issue and conflict through brilliantly captured psychological detail. True or False

True

The principles of the Romantic theatre were in reaction to the previous era's emphasis on rationality. True or False

True

The subjects that modern musicals have tackled include gang violence, unemployment, bipolar, suicide, sexual identity, infidelity, immigration, government corruption, race-ethnic relations, and environmental degradation. True or False

True

The theatre where Chekhov collaborated with Konstantin Stanislavsky is the Moscow Art Theatre. True or False

True

The variety of theatre introduced in the 1960's that denotes semi-professional or even amateur theatre in the New York./Manhattan area, often in church basements, YMCAs, coffeehouses, etc. is commonly known as Off-Off- Broadway. True or False

True

The work of Shakespeare and Ben Jonson in England and Machiavelli and commedia dell'arte in Italy are all examples of Renaissance theatre. True or False

True

Theatre aspired to be a laboratory in which an audience makes the final judgment of a social ill or the nature of relationships. True or False

True

Two Roman comic playwrights are Plautus and Terrence. True or False

True

Typical themes of the symbolist theatre include the inner realities that cannot be directly or literally perceived. True or False

True