Chapter 4- The Playwrigh

Which of the following are most likely to contribute to theatrical "intensity"?

A script's compression and economy

n Suzan-Lori Parks' The America Play, The Foundling Father makes his living imitating which historical figure?

Abraham Lincoln

What are some of the processes a playwright can use when writing a play?

Beginning with a storyline or plot Collaborating with other artists Beginning with a real event and write about why it occurred Writing from personal experience

Beyond their practical task, how do contemporary playwrights contribute most significantly to the theatre?

By providing unique and independent insight into the theatre and the world

What play of Annie Baker's received national attention in 2009?

Circle Mirror Transformation.

Which of the following are Ayad Akhtar's accomplishments?

Disgraced was the most produced play of the 2014-2015 season of American theatre. He wrote and starred in the film The War Within. Disgraced won the 2013 Pulitzer Prize for Drama.

Which of the following is the true reward of being a playwright?

Enlarging the human experience and enriching life

How can a writer create a convincing conflict?

Incorporate subtlety and insights into each of the characters.

Which of the following might the process of writing a documentary include?

Interviews from theatre companies A compilation of materials from many sources The transcript of a trial

For what movie did Tarell Alvin McCraney win the Academy Award in 2016?

Moonlight

A play is intriguing when it does which of the following?

Provokes our interest in its events, characters, or themes

Tarell Alvin McCraney served as the International Playwright in Residence for which theatre company?

Royal Shakespeare Company

Which of Young Jean Lee's plays was her Broadway debut?

Straight White Men

Suzan-Lori Parks' recent drama, entitled Father Comes Home From The Wars (Parts 1, 2, and 3), transplants what classic story to Civil War America?

The Odyssey

Which of the following best describes a "credible" play?

The characters and events are plausible according to the play's own logic.

When we say theatre should "celebrate life," we most nearly mean which of the following?

Theatre should deepen our experience and and understanding of the world.

Which of the following best characterizes the practical task of the playwright?

To provide a script for the production

What is the best way for a playwright to economically adapt source material for the stage?

To rework the material to enhance its stageability

In a play, a "speakable" line is one that

achieves its force when spoken aloud.

The best conflicts make the audience feel

ambivalent.

A character written with "depth" is one who

appears independent, plausible, and intriguing to the audience

A play might be characterized as "rich" or "richly written" when

every aspect of the writing contributes to a fuller understanding of the represented world.

The definition of plot is

how one occurrence leads to another.

A play is said to have "gravity" when

it reflects on profound and serious issues

A play is said to be "pertinent" when

it speaks to the issues of its day

To develop richness in a play, the author must

know what to leave in and what to leave out.

The theatre worker who writes the script for plays is known as the

playwright.

Although plays make use of literary techniques and styles, a play should also

provide opportunities for interesting performances.

Annie Baker's plays can be characterized as

provocative

Ayad Akhtar's plays can be characterized as

resonating with our cultural moment.

Plays that celebrate life

should have a sense of hopefulness.

A play that respects the demands of performance (the requirements for stage-business, an actor's need to breathe, etc.) might be described as _______.

stageable

One of the non-financial rewards of being a playwright is

the ability to impact social thought.

Part of having "depth of characterization" means that

the audience should be able to sense a validity of purpose in a character's behavior.

In 2018, Young Jean Lee became

the first female Asian American playwright to have her work on Broadway.

Plot is the cause-and-effect chain of events, while structure is

the overall order of scenes.

One playwriting exercise to begin crafting dialogue is

transcribing dialogue from previous observation.

Many plays result from authors

working out hypothetical relations between real people. transcribing overheard dialogue.