Theatre 6-8

To present events as heroic

viewpoint

Minor characters areThe technical term for revelation of background material in a play is

1) typically used as a dramatic device by the playwright to move the action along. 2) typically used to be supportive or confidante-like characters for the central character in a play. 3) usually those in which we see only one facet of their personalities.

deus ex machina

A resolution device in classic Greek dram, hence, intervention of supernatural forces- usually the last moment- to save the action from its logical conclusion. In modern drama, an arbitrary and coincidental solution.

A hard-fought and relatively equal contest

Balance of forces

In a climactic drama, the plot begins early in the story.

False

Minor characters in a play are always written as basic stock characters.

False

Samuel Taylor Coleridge coined this statement regarding a playwright's point of view: "The world is a comedy to those that think and a tragedy to those that feel."

False

The term "robot" was actually first used in an early twentieth-century play by Neil Simon.

False

True or false: Two periods that were particularly conducive to the creation of tragic drama were the eighteenth century (the age of enlightenment) and the nineteenth century (the century of progress).

False

When nonhuman characters are written into a script it is typically because the producers do not want to create a stage prop when an actor can solve the problem nicely.

False`

________ was at the heart of most plot complications in the commedia dell'arte.

Harlequin

Another word that means "contrast in the connection of scenes" is

Juxaposition

The main representative character in Henrik Ibsen's A Doll's House who to this day serves as a symbol of the modern woman is

Nora Helmer

An impediment put in the character's way

Obstacle

Characteristic of Episodic Structure

People, Places, and Events Proliferate, There May Be a Parallel Plot or Subplot, Juxtaposition and Contrast Occur

A __________________ reinforces or runs parallel to the major plot in an episodic play.

Subplot

Characteristics of Climactic Structure

The plot begins late in the story, scenes, locales, and Characters are limited, construction is tight,

"The events of the Holocaust" is a

True

A tableaux structure begins with characters arranged in a visual stage picture and the action, frequently nonverbal, proceeds from that tableaux until the end of the scene.

True

As seen in some of Chekhov's plays it is possible to combine the climactic and the episodic forms.

True

In our contemporary world it is important to recognize a feminist or woman's point of view in analyzing and understanding dramatic works as that viewpoint has not always been considered or respected throughout history but it is essential to the future development of dramatic works.

True

Narrators in the most traditional sense remain outside the action of the play and typically comment on the action communicating directly with the audience.

True

Patterns as structure exist not only in dance but also in some plays, where the characters' movement and circumstances can be repetitive, as in Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot.

True

Politicians and advertisers often hide their point of view, whereas a playwright's imposition of their point of view is direct and deliberate.

True

We know that playwrights frequently write plays about a single family in classic climactic structure and they will also occasionally create two contrasting characters that are siblings or husband and wife in order to allow character traits to stand out more dramatically in the action.

True

Well-made plays

Type of play popular in the 19th century and early 20th century that combines apparent plausibility of incident and surface realism with a tightly constructed, highly casual and contrived plot- often times climactic dramas are so carefully and tightly constructed, they are frequently referred to as well- made plays

To escape is

a purpose

An intellectual or artistic movement that breaks with tradition and therefore seems ahead of its time is called ________; literally, it means "advance guard in a military formation."

avant-garde

A playwright, composer, or architect who envisions a work sets about putting the idea into a that will be recognizable to those who will bring the idea to ultimate realization.

blueprint

The final and most significant crisis

climax

An outside force or new twist in the plot introduced at an opportune moment is a(n)

complication

The technical term for revelation of background material in a play is

exposition

Common structure in musical theatre requires that every song have a segment that involves the chorus.

false

If two or more playwrights create a play based on the same story, it is important that the facts of that story remain consistent from one play to the next.

false

The action of a play is generally confined to a "world" of its own—that is, to a fictional universe that contains all the characters and events of the play—and none of the characters or actions moves outside the orbit of that world. This is an example of limited time.

false

The subject of drama varies greatly, and at certain times throughout theatre history, drama has focused on human beings, but more often than not the subjects of drama are quite different.

false

The subject of theatre is always

people

Which is not a characteristic of extraordinary characters?

pivotal but minor role

A selection and arrangement of scenes from a story is called

plot

"To reinforce religious beliefs" is a

purpose

To entertain royalty is a

purpose

A repetition or reenactment of a proceeding or a transaction which has acquired special meaning is called a

ritual

subplot

sometimes referred to as a parallel plot, a secondary plot that reinforcesor runs parallel to the major plot in an episodic play

A full account of an event or series of events, usually told in chronological order, is called a

story

"The story of Electra" is a

subject

A love story is a

subject

An example of point of view in film might be the various angles of vision and perspectives that the camera selects for us.

true

"The world is a comedy to those who think, a tragedy to those who feel" is a

viewpoint