theatre quiz

Often quoted in our reading, Eric Bentley famous sums up theatre as:

"A impersonates B while C looks on"

According to Carlson, which of the following "universal human activities" likely evolved into what we know as theatre today? Select all that apply.

- storytelling - spectatorship - imitation

According to the author, which of the following world religions has the clearest origin story for theatre?

Hinduism

How did the invention of mass printing influence theatre and drama in Europe?

It shifted the drama from a purely theatrical art to a literary one.

The Abrahamic faiths — Judaism, Christianity, and Islam — have always supported theatre and used religious ritual to transform theatre into its current form.

false

The masks of tragedy and comedy, often symbols associated with theater, originated in ancient African theatre.

false

Which of the following is true of improvised entertainment?

its earliest recorded performances are in China and the Middle East

Which of the following were challenges to literary theatre that came about in the late 1800s and early 1900s? Select all that apply.

- Artists who emphasized sound, light, and rhythm in staging plays - The emergence of the role of director

Which of the following statements are true of Buddhist religious drama discussed in this chapter? Select all that apply.

- It co-existed with Hindu and Shinto religious dramas. - It influenced the development of inter-religious forms like noh drama. - It took the form of ennen ritual dance in China and Japan.

Which of the following is true of shadow puppetry as described by Carlson? Select all that apply.

- It involves two-dimensional puppets backlit against a translucent screen - It was popular in medieval Egypt and the Ottoman Empire - It is believed to have originated in China in the 1st century BCE

According to our reading, how does reception theory apply to a theatre audience? Select all that apply.

- It views audiences as co-creators of a theatre experience. - It suggests that the audience helps make meaning through reception. - It allows the audience interpretation to differ from the intended one of the artists.

What major changes took place in 19th and 20th century stage design in Europe and the United States? Select all that apply.

- Lighting became central to stage design - Sound design became recognized as a separate art - Designers pushed against the elaborately decorated realistic scenery

Which of the following is true of post-conquest drama in the Americas between the 16th and 17th centuries? Select all that apply.

- Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz refined the genre of culturally hybrid religious dramas in Mexico. - Jesuits used performance throughout their schools for religious instruction rather than conversion. - It utilized indigenous languages and references to make the subject more accessible to native populations.

Which of the following is true of classical Chinese theatre? Select all that apply.

- it developed musical forms called zaju - it spread with religious missionaries - it included shadow puppetry

What's the biggest difference between classical Greek and Roman theater structures?

Greek structures were built into hillsides, romane structures were free-standing

What do postdramatic theatre (in western tradition) and orality (in non-western tradition) have in common?

Independence of performances from text

Today, the best known surviving form of Sanskrit theater is a days-long dance drama called:

Kuttiyattam

During which era did Christian theatre reach its height in Europe?

Middle ages

Based on the reading, which of the following parts of the world likely has the strongest tradition of community theatre based on improvisation and audience participation?

Nigeria

According to the author, the relationship between religion and contemporary Western theatre can best be described as:

Revisionist

The best known Islamic religious drama is called ____ , which performs the martyrdom of the Prophet Mohammad's grandson.

Ta'zieh

Which of the following is NOT true of actors?

Their craft requires "living a role" to the point where it subsumes their identity

What is the main purpose of a theatre director?

To coordinate between all the artists in a production

In _____ oral tradition, the storyteller chants from a script placed before them while actors or puppets perform the action of the story.

bunraku

19th century ______ helped spread the idea of nationalism and led to a rise in national theatres as well as independence movements.

colonialism

In medieval Europe, __________ featured religious themes and often told stories from the life of Jesus Christ.

cycle plays

In contemporary US theatre, a play becomes the property of the theatre company that first produces it.

false

In the United States, theater productions are more often publicized by their star directors rather than celebrity actors, whereas the opposite is true of Europe

false

Designers often make up the largest part of a creative team and can cover scenic, costume, sound, lighting, video, and projection design.

true

Improvisation became an important tool of actor training in 20th century western theatre.

true

In non-western theatre, such as in African and Middle Eastern traditions, the audience expects to be an active participant in the theatre experience.

true

In the medieval era, Islamic theatre in Egypt developed under the playwright Ibn Daniyal, who mainly wrote shadow puppet plays.

true

In western cultures, ritual is generally viewed as the predecessor to theatre.

true

The architectural form of most modern, indoor western theatres was developed in Renaissance Italy.

true

The first known playwright of medieval Europe was a German nun.

true

The modern English word "scene" comes from the name of a classical theatre structure from which actors would emerge.

true

The word "theatre" and its concept are deeply rooted in Western cultural traditions, and therefore impose some bias when applied to global theatrical forms.

true

Until recently, western scholars studying African performance generally viewed orality, or oral tradition, as inferior to literary drama because of western culture's emphasis on literacy.

true

Western literature often mistakenly cites Islam as a negative force that suppressed theatre across Asia, Africa, and Europe.

true