Theatre 101

A combination of Existentialist philosophy and Avant-garde theatrical practices, Theatre of the _________ points out the nonsensical nature of life.

Absurd

Who is considered the first important Greek dramatist, and thus the first important Western dramatist?

Aeschylus

With sets that resembled giant Tinker-toys, Vsevelod Meyerhold trained his performers in a machine-like physical performing style called __________, using techniques from commedia dell'arte, the circus and vaudeville.

Biomechanics

Known for his early skill using iambic pentameter, this Elizabethan playwright's "Mighty Line" ended when he died in a bar brawl at the age of 29.

Christopher Marlowe

Today the modern trend in directing is _______ which is a willingness to draw from and use any theatrical trend or work in a production, as long as it helps illuminate the production.

Eclecticism

Bertolt Brecht created the form known as ______ theatre, a sprawling, episodic form whose main goal was to instruct the audience.

Epic

*T/F Stanislavski believed that unwanted vocal and physical tension was a good thing because actors need to be rigid and inflexible.

False

*T/F Stanislavski famously said "Being on stage is simple - it is a natural place for all human beings."

False

T/F During the Great Depression, the Works Progress Administration helped limit theatre to a few select cities.

False

T/F Greek theatres were renowned for their poor acoustics, making it even more amazing that actors could be heard by the large numbers of audience members.

False

T/F The Greek amphitheater is the first example of a proscenium theatre space.

False

T/F The god Dionysus, to whom the Greek dramatic festivals were dedicated, was the god of war, death, and chastity.

False

T/F Thespis is considered the first playwright.

False

Waiting for Godot is probably the most famous realistic play ever written.

False

The scenery moving design called the _______ featured painted scenic flats that could be pushed on or off stage via slots in the floor and support from above.

Groove System

Which playwright is considered the founder of the modern realistic theatre:

Henrik Ibsen

The first reappearance of drama in the Middle Ages were several plays written by a nun in a convent, although they were never produced. Her name was:

Hrosvitha of Gandersheim

*Fill in the blank to complete this Stanislavski acting technique:

Intention, Obstacle, Adjustment.

Each character in commedia dell'arte uses a variety of _______, repeated bits of comic business, like doing a somersault and not spilling a drop of wine.

Lazzi

Written in the everyday language of the people, morality plays, and mystery plays are the two types of

Medieval vernacular drama.

The most influential playwright of the French Renaissance was ________ excelling at slapstick and subtler comedy in his plays, which are still frequently performed today.

Moliere

During the Middle Ages, the person who supervised the production and mounting of plays was called:

Pageant Master

*Known for producing the early works of Chekhov as well as Stanislavski's acting system, ------ was the most influential independent theatre of the modern theatre.

Russia's Moscow Art Theatre

Some critics contend that Tennessee Williams and Arthur Miller wrote a kind of _______realism, heightening certain details of action, scenery and dialogue but ignoring others.

Selective

The meaning underneath what a character is saying is called ______sort of like when someone says "Fantastic" but they don't really mean it.

Subtext

Antonin Artaud is associated with which theatrical movement?

Theatre of Cruelty

In an ancient Greek theatre, the space where the audience sat is called:

Theatron

*An essential ability in any art form is the human trait of ______, the ability to truly think about, feel and experience situations from another person's perspective in a compassionate way.

This trait is known as: Empathy

Which of the following was NOT a function of the chorus in a Greek play:

To sell merchandise to the audience between acts of a play

*T/F Stanislavski believed that all action onstage must have a purpose.

True

*T/F Stanislavski observed that gifted performers always appeared to be fully concentrated on some object, person or event onstage.

True

T/F Adolph Appia and Edward Gordon Craig's idea of the Unit Set greatly influenced leading twentieth-century American designers.

True

T/F Among his other achievements, scene designer Josef Svoboda also pioneered the use of multimedia in his designs, elements of other visual media combined onstage.

True

T/F An actor should pursue his character's Intentions with clarity of purpose and appropriate urgency.

True

T/F Critics were more influential than playwrights in formulating dramatic rules during the Italian Renaissance.

True

T/F English acting companies would rarely perform the same play on two consecutive days.

True

T/F From what historians can gather, the speech of the Greek chorus were sung and danced.

True

T/F Italian commedia dell'arte had no set text; it was improvisational.

True

T/F No one knows how theatre began, or where or when it originated.

True

T/F The Italians in the Renaissance are credited with creating the "pit, box and gallery" audience configuration.

True

Which of the following is NOT one of the neoclassical ideals of dramatic unity?

Unity of Character

In ancient Greece, the person who functioned as a modern-day producer, paying for all aspects of the production and helping oversee its success, was called the _______; he was even expected to pay for a feast if his play won!

choregus

In Medieval theatre, the individual scenic units placed upstage of the platform playing areas are called ________; actors made entrances through them and they helped indicate locale and character.

mansions

A _______ play uses religious characters and religious themes to teach a lesson.

morality

A _______ dramatizes a series of biblical events.

mystery, or cycle, play

In English theatre of the Renaissance there was so little time for rehearsal and so many plays to learn that actors were often only given the ______ portions of the script containing only their character's scenes.

sides

The scene-shifting method of changing wings and back shutters via one giant winch underneath the stage is known as

the pole-and-chariot system.

Vsevolod Meyerhold is associated with which theatrical movement?

theatricalism

Which of the following was NOT a category of personnel in an Elizabethan acting company?

yard