Theatre History II Midterm

Three great theatre riots in the period we have just studied showed how much people cared about their theatre. Which riot had to do with a rivalry between an English actor and an American actor? a. Astor Place Riot b. Woyzeck riot at the Berliner c. Ensemble d. Old Price Riot

a

Alexandre Dumas fils' La Dame aux Camélias was adapted into several versions of plays and operas. The most popular opera, La Traviata, depicts the fate of "a fallen woman." What is her fate before the final scene? a. She gives up her lover, rather than see him a social outcast & dies of consumption b. She and her lover are accepted into society and his family c. She is given a bribe to leave the country by her lover's father

a

As a playwright Bertolt Brecht is known for setting events in another place and/or time to distance the emotional impact yet enhance the intellectual impact for the audience. What is this technique called? a. Historification b. Intellectual montage c. Fantasy

a

As the result of the Civil War and the beheading of King Charles I, there was an interregnum. The period immediately after, but starting in 1660, when the king's son Charles II came to the throne, the period is known as: a. Restoration b. Renaissance c. Jacobean

a

Based on today's revivals, the most memorable plays during this period were: a. Comedy of Manners by Wycherley and later by Congreve b. Masques by Ben Jonson and Inigo Jones c. Heroic Tragedy by John Crowne and Sir William Davenant

a

Compared with the 17th Century, the 18th Century was a time of relative peace and prosperity in Western Europe. The religious wars had ended, but they were replaced by: a. economic and territorial wars b. cultural cleansing c. absolute monarchs

a

Denis Diderot (1713-1784) had a great interest in theatre and will celebrate his 303rd birthday this year. He is credited with two major theatrical achievements: a. Invented the concept of the "fourth wall" and creating a new genre called "drame bourgeois" b. Invented the middle class tragedy and the agitprop drama c. Inventing the concept of the "comic aside" and created the ballad opera

a

Despite the experimentation in theatre from 1875-1915, ________________________remained popular in the U.S. and ________________________ remained popular in England. a. Minstrel Shows, Theatrical Reviews b. Melodrama, Conventional Theatre c. No answer text provided. d. Rep Companies, Long Theatrical Runs

a

Edwin Booth greatly contributed to the advancement of theatre technology with the opening of his theatre in 1869. His theatre contained several modern innovations including a modern orchestra pit, stage elevators, and balconies. His theatre also established: a. The Modern proscenium-arch b. Raked stages c. Wing and shutter system

a

Goldoni and Gozzi were two Italian playwrights (with the same first name) that battled constantly over what was to become of ______________, an Italian theatrical form. a. the commedia dell'arte b. the opera c. the interlude

a

Hallam, the descendent of a long line of actors, hired 10 actors_________________ to go with his brother, Lewis and his wife to America and tour major colonial centers. a. under the share plan b. as indentured servants c. independent contractors

a

Hammerstein's & Kern's hit Show Boat (1927) and later Rodgers & Hammerstein's Oklahoma! (1943) are examples of: a. Commercial Theatre b. Totalitarian Theatre c. Theatre of Unrest

a

He founded Theatre du Vieux Columbier in 1913 and trained actors to place emphasis on the text of the script and to use improvisation. He was: a. Jacques Copeau b. Bertolt Brecht c. Luigi Pirandello

a

He received Germany's highest literary honor in 1922 for Drums in the Night. At the time, his works were both epic and expressionistic. His most famous piece shows a protagonist and a war, sending a message for a need to change the capitalist economic system. He is: a. Bertolt Brecht b. John Gielgud c. Eugene O'Neill

a

How many children do Nora and Torvald have? a. three b. two c. none d. one

a

I wrote four plays between 1892 and 1895, one of which is "The Importance of Being Ernest." I am...? a. Oscar Wilde b. Sheridan c. Ibsen d. Strindberg

a

John Gay undertook to write The Beggar's Opera - a ballad opera. It was a parody of: a. Italian Opera b. heroic tragedy c. sentimental comedy

a

Roofed playhouses were scarce because the Puritans had destroyed most of them, therefore, it was necessary to convert __________________into theatres. a. Tennis courts b. Churches c. Polo arenas

a

Shakespeare's plays were re-staged for 17th century after 1660 for new audiences but in plays such as King Lear and Romeo and Juliet contemporary authors such as Nahum Tate and John Howard created: a. Happy endings b. Subplots of intrigue c. Plays within a play

a

She was the first English woman to make a living by writing. Her play The Rover has been revived several times in recent years. Her name is: a. Aphra Behn b. Emilia Bassano c. Jane Austen

a

The main characteristics of Romanticism include a. episodic structure, concerned with mood and atmosphere, all subject matter accepted b. realistic structure, concerned with depth of characters and resisted stock characters, only "slice of life" subject matter c. linear structure, stuck to the 3 unities, appealed to the aristocracy

a

The primary reason for the decline of Restoration Comedies (such as The Country Wife and Way of the World) was: a. A change in taste as wealthy merchants b. Plays became too expensive to produce c. The Puritans closed the theatres

a

This theatrical form used symbolic images and bare essentials to communicate with the audience and removed stock characters in favor of complicated personalities resembling real people. a. Realism b. Biomechanics c. Theatricalism d. Eclectics

a

Two men changed the concept of actor-manager to the first directors in the theatre business. They were labeled directors because they never acted in any productions with their theatre companies. They are: a. Wagner and Saxe-Meiningen b. Schiller and Goethe c. Scribe and Sardou

a

Under Charles II royal patents were issued to Davenant and Killigrew. This resulted in giving them a monopoly in London. The legalities of restricting drama to Drury Lane and Covent Garden theatres was questioned. In response, Parliament: _________________. a. Issued the Licensing Act in 1737 b. Closed the Theatres in response to Puritan objections c. Issued the Haymarket Theatre a summer license

a

Whose signature did Nora forge? a. Her father's b. Her mother's c. Torvald's d. Krogstad's

a

____________________ begins with extensive exposition (back story), foreshadows dramatic action throughout, each act of its 3 acts builds to a climactic moment and the characters confront each other at the climax in an obligatory scene. The overall action shows cause and effect. We call this play: a. the well-made play b. Melodrama c. Comedy of manners

a

"I wrote verse novel in the romantic style in Russia. In this novel, a young girl writes a love letter. I am considered by many to be the greatest Russian poet and the founder of Russian literature. One of my poems was adapted for the stage and turned into an Opera. Who am I?" a. Nikolai Gogol b. Alexander Pushkin c. Alexander Ostrovsky

b

Actors were protected from civil prosecutions by their patrons, hence they were considered as _________________ to powerful nobleman. a. peasants b. servants c. Independent contractors

b

Charles Gilpin, Evelyn Preer, and Clarence Muse were all members of which theatrical company? a. The Provincetown Players b. The Lafayette Players c. The Living Theatre d. The African Grove Theatre

b

He started in The Little Theatre Movement, experimented with many forms including Expressionism and Realism and won the Pulitzer Prize for Beyond the Horizon (1920). He is: a. Lawrence Olivier b. Eugene O'Neill c. Bertolt Brecht

b

He was a co-founder of Moscow Art Theater, documented his acting system in books, and his concentration technique of emotional recall is used by thousands of actors around the globe. His famous words were: "Herein lies the problem, to bring life itself upon the stage." He was: a. Vesevelod Meyerhold b. Konstantin Stanislavski c. Anton Checkov d. The Duke of Saxe-Meiningen

b

He was considered the founder of realism and master of dramatic technique and poetic symbolism. His plays have a common theme: an individual surrounded by conflict and pressure. He was: a. Constantin Stanislavski b. Henrik Ibsen c. August Strindberg d. Frank Wedekind

b

He was considered the most acclaimed actor of the late 19th century and last of the great English actor-managers and insisted on "total effect" in his productions. In 1874 he played Hamlet for a record-breaking 200 performances. He was: a. Edmund Kean b. Henry Irving c. John Wilkes Booth d. John Phillip Kemble

b

In 18th century theatre, particularly in comedy, a theatrical "convention" is utilized to directly address the audience. In the videos you have seen of She Stoops to Conquer, and The School for Scandal, actors change their aspect when they perform these __________. a. soliloquies b. asides c. epilogues

b

Ira Aldridge was the first successful African American actor in the 19th Century. Due to racial prejudices, he mainly performed in Europe during his 40 year acting career. His big break came in 1833 when he landed the role of_________________. a. Macbeth b. Othello c. Mercutio

b

Meyerhold was famous for his constructive sets which were said to have resembled large Tinkertoys. Skeletal frames, platforms, stairways, and ramps were used in his designs. Which of the following plays featured his famous constructivist set design? a. The Master Builder b. The Magnificent Cuckold c. The Sea Gull d. Therese Raquin

b

Over time, plays have varied in terms of the number of acts. Shakespeare wrote five act plays. Three act plays became dominant in the 19th century, but this melodrama had six acts and eliminated the need for an afterpiece: a. Woyzeck b. Uncle Tom's Cabin c. Camille

b

Realism made great strides in the 19th century, but nowhere was this more apparent than in the area of: a. costuming b. lighting c. scenic painting d. special effects

b

The brothers _______ and the syndicate fought for control of American theatre in the first quarter of the 20th century. a. Grimm b. Shubert c. Corsican

b

The compilation of various tunes (airs) by different composers and the satirical book for The Beggar's Opera has become a popular form of composition known as a: a. sentimental comedy b. pastiche c. total integrated theatre

b

The sharing plans common in the Elizabethan period had mostly disappeared; instead in the late 17th century English theatre evolved into a ____________ a. repertory system b. contract system c. indentured servitude system

b

The theatre movement in which follower believed that representation of reality should be distorted to communicate innermost feeling is: a. Dada b. Expressionism c. Surrealism

b

Theatres of that period had proscenium doors and deep apron stages, but the audience configuration was: a. Dress Circle, Balcony, Orchestra b. Box, pit, and gallery c. Gallery, balcony, yard

b

This system for acting involved physical and symbolic movements. a. Delsarte b. Biomachanics c. The Method

b

Which country in the early 20th century experienced very little experimentation in theatre and stayed mostly commercial? a. United States b. Italy c. Great Britain

b

"I made my stage debut at 18. I performed at both Drury Lane and Covent Garden and specialized in "breeches roles." I was a successful actress-manager and I introduced 'the Box Set' in the 1830's. Who am I?" a. Eleonora Duse b. Sarah Bernhardt c. Madame Vestris

c

Adolph Appia was the 1st to develop a theory of anti-realistic staging. His innovations were: using light for scene changes, including colored lighting and he moved away from the box set in favor of: a. Detailed and Elaborate sets (archeological sets) b. Exposed sets (made the audience aware of their surroundings) c. Symbolic sets (that would work with the actor) d. Conventional sets (stock scenery - often rented)

c

An outgrowth of Dada, followers of this theatrical form attempted to recreate the image of the unconscious a. Expressionism b. Symbolism c. Surrealism

c

Both Nora in Ibsen's A Doll's House and Madame Ranevskaya in The Cherry Orchard receive: a. Loans b. romantic propositions c. letters

c

George Lillo's subject matter dealt with _______________ people. a. aristocratic b. religious c. everyday

c

In fairly short order the King fled after a "Glorious Revolution" and a successful invasion of by the ____________________ welcomed William and Mary to the throne of England. a. French b. Irish c. Dutch

c

Nicknamed "America's Moscow Art Theatre" and co-founded by Lee Strasberg, Cheryl Crawford, and Harold Clurman in 1931, this theatre was dedicated to Stanislavski's Technique. It is: a. Theatre of Unrest b. Federal Theatre Project c. Group Theatre

c

Spain's most influential poet and playwright, Garcia Lorca wrote a trilogy based on traditional Spanish stories. The first in the series was Blood Wedding, the second was Yerma. Name the third play of the trilogy: a. Baal b. Six Characters in Search of an Author c. The House of Bernarda Alba

c

Zola defined naturalism as scientifically objective, in which he stated that heredity and ______ were determinate. a. racial background b. national ethnicity c. environment

c

The London Merchant (1731) by George Lillo became the basis for a whole genre of plays. The best way to describe this genre is: a. sentimental comedy b. comedy of manners c. middle-class tragedy

cc

His first major play, written in 1891, was not produced until 1906 because of the bold and shocking material on the repression of puberty in children. This playwright and his work was: a. Meyerhold, The Magnificent Cuckold b. Emile Zola, Therese Raquin c. Checkov, The Three Sisters d. Wedekind, Spring Awakening

d

Konstantin Stanislavski wrote four books about his method for teaching acting. Which one of these titles was not written by Stanislavski a. Building a Character b. Creating A Role c. An Actor Prepares d. Acting From the Unconscious

d

The Theatre Libre in France, The Freie Buhne in Germany, and The Moscow Art Theatre in Russia are all experimental theatres classified under the: a. Theatre of Cruelty b. Group Theatre c. Federal Theatre Project d. Independent Theatre Movement

d

This theatrical form was the leading antirealist movement between 1880 and 1910. Characteristics of this form are Static, Indirect, Evocative, and Ceremonial. This form is: a. Surrealism b. Theatricalism c. Futurism d. Symbolism

d