thtr 115 midterm ch. 1 and 2

Over the centuries, as theatre grew in popularity and importance, how did the theatre buildings change from the ancient Greek theatron?

- Theatre structures grew larger and more elaborate. - Theatre acoustics became more important.

Which of the following can be described as a performance?

- a professor delivering a lecture - a politician debating an opponent - a lawyer giving an opening statement

A fundamental aspect of the theatre is that it involves actors ______ characters.

impersonating

Compared to those in mid-century American plays, current denouements are more likely to be

ironic

Aristotle referred to the visual elements of theatre as the ____________.

spectacle

Which of the following are parts of dramaturgy?

- creating enough repeated elements so that the play created is recognizable as a play - including enough novelty that audiences will enjoy seeing or reading the play

Which of the following characterize a melodrama?

- flamboyant dialogue - spectacular staging - highly suspenseful, contrived plotting

A musical score can do which of the following?

- punctuate the play's action - intensify rising suspense - help with scene transitions

Which of the following statements are true of play-events?

- they are unique occurrences - they are ephemeral to some extent

Which of the following activities are characteristic of the "preplay" portion of a performance?

- to bring the audience to their seats - to publicize the performance

Aristotle identified how many elements of serious drama?

6

Which of the following statements are true of play-texts?

They are receipts AND recipes of enactments.

For Aristotle, the climax of a tragedy produces ______, a cleansing or purification.

catharsis

In Ancient Greece, theatres were ______.

open-air spaces situated on hillsides

Which of the following are essential components of a tragedy, according to Aristotle?

plot, character, thought, diction, music, spectacle (in this order of importance)

A poster for a production is most closely associated with _________.

the "preplay" period

Aristotle used the word "thought" to refer to _________.

the arguments and concepts of a play

Diction is used to describe _________.

the quality of the language in a play.

A theatrical "aside" is _________.

when a character speaks to the audience, unheard by other characters

Which of the following best describes the work of a "stage manager"?

"running" or coordinating a play in real time

Why are some plays able to fit into multiple genres?

- Genres are only a convenience for analysis. - Every play is unique.

Which of the following are functions of art, which can also be considered functions of great theatre?

- It empowers the creator and the audience. - It sharpens thought by mixing reality and imagination. - It lends meaning to our lives.

Why is classifying plays by genre useful?

- It helps in understanding important differences between individual plays. - It helps in perceiving important similarities between plays. - It helps in comprehending the broad spectrum of purposes plays may serve.

Which of the following are true of conflict in dramatic structure?

- It involves alternatives and choices. - It helps to generate suspense. - It is usually introduced early in a play, often by means of an "inciting incident."

Which of the following statements are true of a theatre company?

- It is formed of theatre practitioners of various specialties. - It is a self-contained production unit capable of writing, preparing, and presenting whole theatrical works.

Which of the following are true of the climax of a play?

- It is the conflict of a play taken to its most extreme point. - It is a culminating dramatic release.

Which of the following statements are true of the script of a play?

- It is the record that a play leaves behind after the audience has gone home. - It is the prompt for the performance to occur again.

Identify the characteristics of a docudrama.

- It uses actual documents such as court records or transcribed interviews. - It pushes a sense of urgent connection to the real world or current events.

In which of the following ways is music likely to be used in a play?

- Music can be used to move the audience to an ever-deepening engagement. - Music can be used to underscore dramatic action. - Music can be used to tell the audience something about the characters' trauma.

Which of the following statements are true about "presentational" performance?

- The performers directly acknowledge the presence of the audience. - The performance is the basic mode of stand-up comedy or concert singing. - The performance includes asides to the audience, soliloquies, direct address, and curtain calls.

Which of the following occurs during live performances?

- The possibility of mistakes during the performance creates a certain tension, which can in turn create a thrilling feeling in the audience. - Actors can feel the audience's energy and audiences can feel the actors' focus.

Which of the following statements are true of the protagonist in a tragedy in Aristotle's construction?

- The protagonist has a self-recognition of a fundamental mistake. - The protagonist is a person of high rank or stature.

Which of the following is required to understand what Aristotle meant by character?

- an understanding of characters as something formed - an understanding of characters as containers of particular qualities

Which of the following are activities audiences engage in during the "post-play" period?

- writing reviews of the play - discussing aspects of the play - debating about the play

What is the shared history of theatre and games?

Ancient Greek festivals were the site of both theatrical and athletic events.

How did the actor signal he was playing a character in Ancient Greece?

By donning a mask.

Which statement best characterizes "representational" performance?

Performers behave as though no audience is present.

Which of the following statements best describes the plot of a play?

Plot refers to why things happen in the play, not just that they do.

How do exposition, conflict, climax, and denouement function in a conventional Aristotelian drama?

They are necessary for an orderly plot sequence.

Which of the following statements is true of comedies?

They tend to be about ordinary life rather than larger-than-life heroes.

Which statement best describes the relationship between performance and everyday life?

We are all performers.

Which of the following is a term for a collection of plays presented by a theatre company?

a repertory

When the audience believes the setting created by a character, this is an example of which of the following?

a theatrical "convention"

Which of the following statements are true of diction in a play?

diction need not always be complicated

______ is the art and science of creating meaningful patterns in stage action.

dramaturgy

In the "well-made plays" of the nineteenth century, a few characters, often servants, would discuss the ________.

exposition

The average duration of a play roughly represents what period of time?

the time between lunch and dinner

Which of the following meanings of "theatre" are discussed in this textbook?

theatre describes: 1) physical space theatre takes place 2) separation of viewer and viewed (an activity/performance) occupation for actors/directors/etc

Which of the following refers to the repeated elements of a play that form a sort of group agreement about some basics of how something will unfold?

theatrical convention

Due to theatrical conventions, an audience understands that when all the actors leave the stage and then they or others reenter with different lighting, _________.

time has elapsed

Which of the following is an important function of a play's exposition?

to familiarize us with the characters and their concerns

Which of the following best describes the purpose of the curtain call?

to usher the audience and performers back to "reality"

Which genre was considered by Aristotle to be the greatest kind of play?

tragedy