THTRE 110: Second set of TopHat and Chapter Quiz questions (Not reading assessments) Final Exam

This (The) new style of musical created by Stephen Sondheim was characterized by:

(All the above) Disturbing plot Sophisticated, adult, intricately rhymed lyrics Skepticism of modern morality

How did the European Musical differ from the American Musical?

(All the above) Lush musical score Through sung Extravagantly staged

Which of the following can NOT be said of Shakespeare? 1)He was basically ignored by royalty. 2)He was an actor. 3)He was part-owner of an acting company. 4)He was a contemporary of Christopher Marlowe.

1) He was basically ignored by royalty.

Which of the following is NOT true of the Greek chorus? 1)It offered individuals the opportunity to voice personal opinions. 2)It stood metaphorically and literally between the principal characters and the audience. 3)It enabled the playwright to bridge narrative and dramatic forms. 4)It danced in dithyrambic ceremonies.

1)It offered individuals the opportunity to voice personal opinions.

The Renaissance was characterized by which of the following? 1)a renewed interest in classical (Greek and Roman) civilization 2)the vigorous revival of monastic scholasticism 3)the repudiation of the discoveries of the New World 4)a celebration of oriental cultures, especially India

1)a renewed interest in classical (Greek and Roman) civilization

In the beginning of the Greek Era the plays were performed exclusively by choruses. How many men were in these choruses?

50

What percent of Broadway box office revenue comes from musicals?

80%

When a director provides an atmosphere in which actors feel free to create their character, they are working on what part of directing?

Actor Coaching

Which of the following attributes can costuming reveal about a character?

Age, Occupation, Wealth, Social Standing (All the above)

The first choreographer to use dance as a storytelling device to progress the plot line in the musical 'Oklahoma' was who?

Agnes DeMille

Realism was the first form of theatre to really take hold in what country?

America

Which composer of the European musical style, has two of the longest running musicals on Broadway?

Andrew Lloyd Webber

Which American playwright created works, including Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, Fences, and The Piano Lesson, that portray the entire twentieth-century history of black America?

August Wilson

During the Realistic Era of theatre scenery made a drastic change. What was this change?

Began using box sets

Popular playwrights during the Renaissance were...

Ben Jonson, Christopher Marlowe and John Webster

The founder of 'Theatre of Alienation' movement was who?

Bertolt Brecht

This playwright, born in Germany in 1898, emerged from World War I as a dedicated Marxist and pacifist, and consolidated his theories about drama into a body of plays that include The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny and The Good Person of Szechuan.

Bertolt Brecht

"The basic architecture of staging. The timing and placement of characters' entrances and exits and other major movements." This is the definition of?

Blocking

A set that is a three dimensional construction of interconnected flats which represent walls and ceilings of real rooms is called?

Box Set

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.

Brecht's theatre of alienation

A designer may use which of the following means to costume a show?

Building new costumes. Buying finished costumes. Renting finished costumes. Pulling costumes from storage. (All the above)

Small scale movements that a character performs within the timing of their blocking, such as adjusting a tie or drumming fingers. This is the definition of?

Business

Actors who make it past the first cut of an audition will be asked to return for a second read. This second read is called?

Call Back

When a director is engaging in meetings with designers he is in what section of his job?

Collaboration

A costume designer uses which of the following tools to reveal character traits to the audience?

Color, Line, Shape, Texture (All the above)

"The central idea that focuses and informs the entire production." This is the definition of?

Concept

The goal of staging is to...?

Create focus for the play's themes. Give credibility to the play's characters. Provoke suspenseful involvement in the play's events. Generate interest in the play's actions. (All the above)

Which of the following are considerations for play selection?

Director's Interest. Audience Interest. Production Capabilities. (All the above)

The name of the American corporation that has infiltrated theatres and has bottomless financial resources is...

Disney

What entertainment corporation began making musicals in the 1990's and is credited with funding major technological innovations in theatre?

Disney

When a costume needs to look very old and worn it will be put through an aging process referred to as?

Distressing

Greek era plays evolved out of this form of Greek religious ritual.

Dithyrambs

When the design elements of Costumes and Makeup are added, what type of rehearsals is the play in?

Dress rehearsal

What innovation in technical theatre allowed directors and designers to make exciting new choices in the visual aspect of plays?

Electric lighting systems

In the 1880's the first American theaters were outfitted with electric lights. What are the benefits of electric lights?

Electricity is self sustaining, can be dimmed quickly, can be turned on and off quickly (All the above)

Which of the following is true of the history of lighting in scene design?

Even before the advent of electricity, designers attempted to manipulate lighting with candles, oil lamps, blazing torches and reflective surfaces.

T/F: A list of occasions referred to by number, keyed to the script of the play to indicate changes in intensity or use, is called a light plot.

False

T/F: A loosely woven fabric that looks opaque when lit from one side and transparent when lit from the other side is called a cyclorama.

False

T/F: Brecht's distance effects sought to enhance the audience's engagement with the characters and thus, have a sentimental relationship with them.

False

T/F: The Royal era was characterized by the targeted audience of peasants, farmers and lower class citizens who enjoyed the outdoor ambience of the theatre.

False

Flashbacks differ from Non Linear storytelling because?

Flashbacks are specifically framed and call attention to the change in time. Flashbacks bring the audience back to the same point in time where they left. Flashbacks inform the audience of a time shift by using a lighting change, musical transition or narration. (All the above)

A colored transparent sheet of cellophane that will tint a beam of light that passes through it is called?

Gel

Which American composer wrote songs for his musical "Little Johnny Jones" that ended up being American patriotic standards?

George M Cohan

A metal template that breaks up the light beam into patterns in order to bring texture and shape to the light is called?

Gobo

A floor plan of the stage design that outlines the various levels on the stage and indicates placement of scenery, furniture, and other necessary scenic elements is called?

Ground Plan

What 21st Century hip hop musical written by Lin Manuel Miranda has won multiple Tony awards and the Pulitzer Prize?

Hamilton

What special effects, once only used on Broadway, have now become commonplace in even the smallest of theatres?

Haze, Fog, and Wind (All the above)

How did Stanislavsky contribute to realist theatre?

He brought realist acting to realist plots.

The most prolific Realistic playwright, who wrote "A Dolls House", was?

Henrik Ibsen

The founding playwright of the realist era was...

Henrik Ibsen.

The English Renaissance playwrights created a new genre of drama. What is this new genre called?

History Play

Staging - Actor Coaching - Pacing - Coordinating - Presenting. These are components of what phase of directing?

Implementation

The popularity of the Anti-Realist movement was due to the effects of?

Industrial revolution created more leisure time. People became aware of the workings of the sub conscious mind because of the writings of Sigmund Freud. Sigmund Freud published research on the meaning of dreams. (All of the above)

Which of the following is true about the age of "isms"?

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

Scholars believe that the Renaissance began in what country?

Italy

Actors performed in special shoes to make them taller and more visible to the audience. These shoes are called?

Kothurnoi

What is the world's longest running musical, which opened in 1985 and has performed over 12,500 times?

Les Miserables

Musical Theatre grew out of what pre-existing forms?

Light Opera Ballet Variety Show (All the above)

A plan or series of plans showing the placement and position of each lighting instrument is called?

Light Plot

The Greek plays would sometimes use a crane to fly actors who performed the roles of gods. This crane is called?

Mechane

What is America's largest contribution to world theatre?

Musical

Which genre is 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?

Musical Comedy

Which genre, introduced in the golden age of the musical, is characterized by increasingly serious plots and sophisticated musical treatments?

Musical Drama

Because of new rules on play writing found in the writing of Aristotle, the Royal Era in theatre can also be referred to as ?

Neo-Classic

What city is the international capital of musical theatre?

New York

Which city remains the international capital of the world's musical theatre?

New York

One of the main rules of the Neo Classic play structure was?

No violence or sword fighting on stage

What are the two sub categories of post modern theatre?

Non Linear and Sensory

The section of the Greek theater where the actors would stand to perform the play is called?

Orchestra

What does a director's job consist of?

Organize the production. Inspire designers and actors to create. Conceptualize the play. (All the above)

The realistic theatre movement thought that [blank] was unnecessary for good plays.

Overly glamorous sets The use of verse as dialogue Stylized costumes Contrived plot devices (All the above)

"The movement of the play as it progresses; the pattern of rhythms within the play." This is the definition of?

Pace

The most fundamental of set pieces, it creates different height levels on stage where actors can be seen over other actors and furniture. What is it?

Platform

Which of the following does NOT exemplify the Broadway trend toward revival?

Plays which dramatize the life of the ancient playwrights account for 50% of the productions on Broadway.

The purpose of the chorus was?

Portray crowds of warriors or citizens. Represent the playwright's commentary on society. Debate moral themes happening in society. (all the above)

When real lamps are used on stage by actors they are referred to by what name?

Practicals

Play Selection, Concept, Designer Collaboration, Casting. These are all components of what phase in the director's process?

Preparatory

A director's process is divided into two separate phases. What are they?

Preparatory and Implementation

The Royal Era in theatre is credited with popularizing what type of stage arrangement?

Proscenium

Theatre Today can be traced back to what two movements in theatre?

Realism and Anti Realism

This type of set attempts to depict, in great detail, a specific time and place in the real world where this play takes place.

Realistic

Modern scenic design falls into two stylistic categories. They are?

Realistic and Metaphoric

Costume designers create full color designs for the director which shows how the costumes will look in their finished form. These full color designs are called?

Renderings

The Royal Era was referred to by a different name in England due to a period of civil war. What was this name?

Restoration Era

Musical Comedies typically use two types of leading characters. What two types are they?

Romantic and Comic leads

The first theatrical movement against Royal theatre was called?

Romanticism

The form of Musical Drama is characterized by?

Serious plot lines Sophisticated musical accompaniment Complex themes Songs and choreography advance the plot (All the above)

All of the following authors wrote for royal theatres EXCEPT...

Shakespeare

The musical that changed the form of Musical Comedy into Musical Drama is called?

Show Boat

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"?

Show Boat

Musical Comedies are characterized by?

Simple plot line Unchallenging themes Singing and dancing has no connection to plot Lots of pretty chorus girls in revealing costumes (All the above)

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...

Site-specific theatre as well as immersive theatre.

The theater of the Greek Era used a tent at the back of the playing space for the actors to change. As time went on this tent became a permanent structure called?

Skene

A device used to create a loud slapping noise is called?

Slap Stick

A self-reflective speech addressed directly to the audience is called a what?

Soliloquy

This relatively new design element has become particularly enhanced in postmodern theatre.

Sound Design

Positioning the actors on the set and moving them about in a theatrically effective manner. This is the definition of?

Staging

What composer has had the most influence on the modern musical?

Stephen Sondheim

Which artist (b. 1930), credited with changing the face of the American musical, developed a new style featuring disturbing plots, an ironic tone, and sophisticated, intricately rhymed lyrics?

Stephen Sondheim

A stereotypical character whom audiences easily recognize and can be parodied is called?

Stock Character

A well trained director will posses which of the following?

Strong literary imagination. Sensitivity to important relationships with collaborators. Working knowledge of theatre history and styles. Research plays and ideas quickly and efficiently. (All the above)

What movement in theatre began the Anti-realistic movement?

Symbolism

In the early days of theatre directing was considered to be a form of _?

Teaching

Founded by Luis Valdez in 1965, which contemporary Chicano theatre was created to dramatize the farm workers' situation in California?

Teatro Campesino

When the design elements of lighting and scenery are added, a play is in what type of rehearsals?

Technical rehearsal

In the Royal Era, theaters were built in buildings that once housed what type of sport?

Tennis

What is the show credited with being the first musical in 1866?

The Black Crook

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.

The Open Theatre

One of the major theatrical conventions was created during this era. This convention stated that life on stage was the same as life in the real world, except that stage life was missing one crucial piece so that the audience could observe the action. What was this missing piece?

The fourth wall

The popularity of Realism in America is due to what?

The popularity of the realistic acting style

Post modern artists and critics are concerned with...

The society from which the art springs The process of creating art The assumptions that influence art The art itself (All the above)

The American Broadway musical dates back to...

The staging of "The Black Crook", a melodrama, at Niblo's Garden in New York City in 1866 when a French dance company stranded in the city was added to the show.

Which of the following is consistent with the symbolist opposition to realism?

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

Being influenced by Brecht, postmodern theatre draws attention to its own theatricality in what way?

Theatre mechanics and technology are clearly visible to the audience. Characters comment on the dramatization of a play. Theatre is the setting and/or subject matter of plays. (All the above)

Scenic Design is relatively new in the history of theatre design, why?

Theatre moved from outdoors to indoors

Post WWII theatre was dominated by two new Anti-Realistic forms. They are?

Theatre of Alienation and Theatre of the Absurd

As time progressed individual performers stepped out from the chorus to portray a character. The first person to do this was?

Thespis

Theaters in Renaissance England made use of stages where the audience stood on three sides of the stage. This type of stage is called?

Thrust

Audiences in the Royal Era came to the theatre for more than just plays. Why else did they attend?

To be seen by the right people. To climb the social ladder. To make business contacts. To flirt.

The goals of the Symbolist movement were?

To crush the creatively bankrupt form of Realsim. Replace realism with the more aesthetic values of theatre. Demand innovations in technical theatre. (All the above)

When directors cast a play they are analyzing an actor's _.

Training and Experience. Physical characteristics. Vocal Technique. Ability to impersonate.

In Renaissance England actors belonged to performance groups called what?

Troupes

T/F: 21st Century musicals tend to explore serious subject matter and important social topics with sharp insight.

True

T/F: A flat is a sturdy wooden frame covered with various hard surfaces and then painted.

True

T/F: A list of occasions in the play when lights change intensity or color is called a Cue Sheet.

True

T/F: Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides are the three masters of Greek tragedy.

True

T/F: As plays developed during the Greek Era there came to be as many as three actors performing multiple roles during the play.

True

T/F: Commedia dell'arte is an improvised event built around a simple scenario and uses broad physical comedy.

True

T/F: Costume designers can take advantage of the psychological theory that it takes seven seconds to make a first impression.

True

T/F: During the Greek Era of theatre history only men were allowed to be actors, women were not allowed to perform on stage.

True

T/F: Eugene O'Neil is said to be the American master of Realism.

True

T/F: Focus directs the audience's attention toward the visual elements that are most significant.

True

T/F: Having historically accurate costumes on stage became an audience demand in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.

True

T/F: In the Royal Era women were finally allowed to act on stage legally throughout Europe.

True

T/F: Many playwrights of this era wrote for both Realism and Anti-Realism movements.

True

T/F: Metaphoric scene design can establish locales but is much more effective at establishing mood or style.

True

T/F: Most of the work being done in theatre today consists of Revivals of earlier works.

True

T/F: One of the original purposes of costuming was to separate the actor from the audience.

True

T/F: Platforms, flats, and drapery are the traditional building blocks of fixed stage scenery.

True

T/F: Plays in 'Theatre of the Absurd' are focused on futility in all action and pointlessness of all direction.

True

T/F: Postmodern as it refers to theatre indicates a way of thinking rather than a period in time.

True

T/F: Revivals are 1/2 to 2/3 of the plays being performed by America's regional, community and academic theatres at any given time.

True

T/F: Shakespeare festivals, which began in the Great Depression and which now exist in every state, originated with summer stock productions.

True

T/F: Show Boat was the first musical to focus on serious issues in American Society.

True

T/F: The Royal Era of theatre is referred to as such because of its association with the courts of Kings.

True

T/F: The basic purpose of theatrical design is to transform something so it may be seen as something else.

True

T/F: The directing process encompasses the distinct periods of preparation and implementation.

True

T/F: The goal of Realism was to put a mirror up to life.

True

T/F: The main focus of 'Theatre of Alienation' was to keep the audiences from engaging in the magic of theatre.

True

T/F: The most important function of costume is that it must be wearable clothing for the actor to perform in.

True

T/F: The paradox of the director implies that his/her touch is everywhere and nowhere; he/she is invisible yet connected to all aspects of the play.

True

T/F: The past half century has seen an increase in the importance of choreography in the American musical.

True

T/F: The principles of the Romantic theatre were in reaction to the previous era's emphasis on rationality.

True

T/F: The realistic theatre movement was born out of a negative reaction to the superficiality of the Royal theatre styles.

True

T/F: The role of director has been described as: "Directing is establishing a point of focus and motivating all the production's collaborators to move towards it."

True

T/F: 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

T/F: The two theatres of Theatre Libre and Theatre d'Art were openly at war with one another in the 1890's.

True

T/F: The variety of theatre introduced in the 1960s 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

T/F: Theatre was brought back to England by King Charles II who re-claimed his throne in 1660.

True

T/F: Typical themes of the symbolist theatre include the inner realities that cannot be directly or literally perceived.

True

T/F: Visibility ensures that the audience sees what it is meant to see.

True

Another Neo Classic rule of play writing was that plays must conform to the unities. The Unities are?

Unity of Time: Plays must take place in one day. Unity of Place: Plays must have only one location. Unity of Action: Plays must follow one simple action. (All the above)

Two primary considerations for a Lighting Designer are?

Visibility and Focus

The most famous playwright of the Renaissance Era was?

William Shakespeare

Early scenic designs would use drops, borders and wings to create a location on stage. This type of set is called?

Wing and Drop Set

When a costume helps establish the style of the world of the play, it is illustrating which of the following points?

Year the play takes place, Themes present in the play, Mood of the play (All the above)

Are women allowed to perform in Commedia dell'arte?

Yes

A plan or series of plans showing the placement of each lighting instrument—its type, wattage, size, wiring and connection to a dimmer, and color is called...

a light plot.

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?

absurdism

The emergence of spectacular theatre was facilitated mainly by...

advanced theatre technology.

The dithyramb was...

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

The timing and placement of a character's entrances, exits, crosses, embraces, and other major movements is called...

blocking.

Small-scale movement on the stage, which an actor performs within the larger pattern of entrances and exits, is called...

business.

Which is a characteristic of realist drama?

characters drawn true to life and subject to their individual social states

Nontraditional casting means...

color-blind casting which suggests actors are cast in roles regardless of their racial or cultural background.

Which of the following tasks belong to the director?

conceptualizing the play and giving it vision and purpose

What is the name for curved scenic backdrop at the rear of the stage often representing the sky, or skyline?

cyclorama

From a practical standpoint, theatre may be considered a "conservative" institution because it conserves...

history and conventional way of working as a theatre.

In the nineteenth century theaters used gas light to illuminate the stage. What is the major drawback of gas light?

major fire hazard

What kind of scenery uses evocative visual images to make a visual statement about the production's intended mood or theme?

metaphorical

The rhythm of a production, sometimes confused with the speed of the actor's delivery, is called...

pace.

Which person is responsible for the financial support of the production and, working closely with the director, also contributes to many "directorial" decisions in the production process?

producer

Plays of the royal theatre era are characterized by...

rational philosophy and sensibility.

What kind of scenery attempts to depict, in great detail, a specific time and place in the observable world where the play's events are presumed to take place?

realistic

The ancient and original use of costume was to...

separate the actor from the audience.

All of the following genres contributed to the growth of musical theatre except...

street theatre

What is meant by the "concept" of a play?

the director's central idea which focuses his or her interpretation

Design for any show begins with...

the ideas of the director, commonly known as a concept statement.

Which of the following is NOT one of the goals of staging?

to allow the actors and director to show off

What is the director's primary responsibility?

to envision the main lines of the production and provide the artistic leadership to realize that vision