QUIZ 5: HISTORY - EARLY THEATER

In the story of Oedipus, the man who murdered King Laius is:

Oedipus

Which of the following statements is false

Roman plays were nothing like Greek plays in any way

Actor in ancient Greek theater were all men

True

Aristotle was:

A Greek drama critic who wrote The Poetics

The use of _________________ is unique to Greek theater, and was not used in other eras of theater

A chorus

A Satyr play is:

A form of Greek plays that were comic and satirical in nature

In Greek theater buildings, the area called the Orchestra is:

A large, flat, circular area where the member of the Chorus would perform

There are only three playwrights from the time of the Greeks whose plays survived to today. Those playwrights are:

Aeschylus, Sophocles and Euripides

Both the Romans and the Greeks built theater buildings that were free-standing, meaning they didn't require a hillside for building seating in to.

False

In the beginning phase of the start of Greek theater, religious practice and theater were very separate from each other

False

Plays after the fall of Rome and during the Medieval period were usually silly comedies very much like the plays of Roman playwrights Plautus and Terence

False

The book The Poetics was an important book of dramatic criticism to the Greeks, but doesn't have any relation to how we think about drama today.

False

Western Europe and The United States are the only parts of the world that have theater traditions that go far back in time.

False

Which of the following statements is false:

Greek plays were put on exclusively for royalty

Which of the following statements is true:

Greek theaters buildings were usually built into a hillside

In the story of Oedipus, the character of Jocaste is related to Oedipus as:

His mother and his wife

During the Medieval period, theater came to be performed most commonly

On Wagons that could move from one part of town to another

Which of the following statements is true:

The Skene in a Greek theater was a large structure behind the orchestra where the actors playing the main parts would perform

Looking at the period of time after the fall of the Roman Empire, which of the following responses DOES NOT describe the way that Christian leaders felt about theater

They felt that theater was an excellent way to build community

At Greek theater festivals, very often one playwright would present:

Three tragedies and one satyr play based on the same theme

Using our current terminology for theater spaces, the Greeks used a theater space that could best be described as:

Thrust Stage

After the fall of Rome there was very little theater in Europe. When theater did re-emerge, it was in the Catholic churches. They performed short, religious pieces and they were performed in Latin.

True

Both Greek and Roman actors wore masks when performing

True

Greek plays were based on ancient myths that the audiences already knew

True

Roman Theater emphasized comedies more than Greek theater did

True