Intro to Theatre Exam #2 Study Guide
Which of the following accurately reflects the directorial concept?
Develop a controlling idea, vision, or point of view appropriate to the play; A way to embody the spine in the production and apply a particular style
What are some advantages associated with the proscenium stage?
It allows for stunning visual effects while concealing how the scene changes happen, and creates a strong central focus
This refers to a set design that should develop and adapt as a performance progress rather than function independently of the actors
Kinetic stage
The first theatre practitioner to put together a system of acting that could be taught to others in order to reproduce truth on stage was
Konstantin Stanislavski
Which of the following modern acting teachers stressed the emotional recall as the most important part of their teachings?
Lee Strasberg
Which of the following are essential tools of the costume designer?
Line, color, fabric, accessories
In noncommercial theatre, this person is charged with the maintenance of the theatre building, overseeing marketing, and managing all budgets
Managing director
_______ are an aspect of costuming is over 2500 years old and were used in the classical Greek theatre?
Masks
Sound reproduction that is called for in the script, or noises of everyday life t hat are heard as background, or produced by mechanical or human means to create a sound associated with the play
Motivated sounds, sound effects, environmental sounds
Sound reproduction that is called for in the script, or noises of everyday life that are heard as background, or produced by mechanical or human means to create a sound associated with the play
Motivated sounds, sound effects, environmental sounds
Why is it helpful to remember that the director stands in, or serves as a substitute for the audience?
Other than the critic or reviewer, only the director sees the production from the audience's point of view
Which of the following are examples of nonrealism?
Symbolism, fantasy, musicals
How does this photo reflect acting in everyday life?
Cheerleading requires acting skills similar to on stage acting; Everyone pictured has a specific role to play
An example of non-theatre structure which already has a space for performance and viewing and could be used as a found space with almost no architectural alteration is
Church; warehouse; brewery
Which of the following require an actor to pay particular attention to vocal training?
Classic plays, breath control, projecting the voice without amplification
Which of the following tools of a costume designer can separate characters, help the audience understand mood and tone, and show character development?
Color
Which of the following are examples of a costume embodying a symbolic or abstract idea?
Death dressed in black with a scythe, an angel dressed in white
This gives visual and aural life to the production by creating an environment in which to place and play
Design
downstage
The area of the stage that is the closest to the audience
upstage
The area of the stage that is the farthest away from the audience
How do the hairstyle and wigs tell us that the stepsisters in this photo of Cinderella are comical?
The fantastical shapes of the wigs, the sheer size of their hair, the contrast with Cinderella's hairstyle
Ellipsoidal Reflector Spotlight
The most widely used fixture, it creates a bright, hard-edge spot or softened focus that can be hung from almost any position in the theatre
stage left
an actor standing on the left side of the stage but is on the audience's right
stage right
an actor standing on the right side of the stage but is on the audience's left
From the audience's perspective, we should
be conscious of the specific aural and visual signals that are continuously being sent (by the scenery)
In order to help an actor with his or her through line of a role Stanislavski suggested that the actors split the play into smaller units called
beats
Meyerhold
biomechanics
Determining the movement of the actors on the stage is called
blocking
The design work of creating a total environment means
building an entire theater space out of a gymnasium or warehouse including seats; goes beyond scenery and special effects to design an entire theater space, rearranging seats, and orienting the stage to the audience
When an actor is focused on a particular area of the stage, an object, or another person this is called
circle of attention
Lecoq
clowning
Copeau
commedia del arte
When actors are working as a unit aware of and in conjunction with their fellow actors this is called
ensemble playing
The following are examples of specific theatrical performances that require specialized actor training beyond realistic training
experimental theatre, avant garde theatre, pantomime, and musical theatre
Much like a painter has paint, _______ has been described as the costume designer's medium
fabric
One way to implement the director's concept is to
find a central or controlling image or metaphor
A single unit of canvas stretched on a wood frame painted to look like a solid wall is called a
flat
The area from which scenery can be dropped from above the stage is called a
fly loft
In theatre lighting, _______ refers to the fact that beams of light are aimed at a particular area
focus
When we see how a character is dressed on stage we immediately
form our opinions, infer things about them, mentally categorize
The _____ _____ is that opening in the proscenium arch that is transparent and allows the audience to look in on events happening on the stage
fourth wall
The designer will create this to assist the director, actors, and stage technicians with the locations of furniture, walls, windows, doors, and other scenic elements
ground plan
A strong scene design
harmonizes with other elements of the production; sets the tone and style of production; informs the audiences as to where or when the action takes place
The audience becomes aware of the environment of the performed event by noticing
if it is an indoor or outdoor space; if the space is formal or informal; whether it is a large or small space
When we take on the characteristics of another person for amusement or to tell a story it is called
imitation
paint charge artist
in charge of painting the setvb
Identify the three main challenges of acting 1. believable, truthful acting, 2. advanced vocal and physical skills, and 3. _______ or synthesis
integration
A property of stage lightning is brightness or
intensity
The scene design concept
is a unifying idea carried out visually; should complement the directorial concept; is arrived at in consultation with the director
Which of the following are true of makeup?
is applied to the face and body, used for special ethnic features, includes paints and powders
Sound amplification in theatre is sometimes thought to be controversial because
its detractors believe it is often overdone with the sound being too loud, mechanical, or artificial
A _______ _______ is a plan that shows the location and color of each lighting instrument as well as the kind of instrument needed for the task and the area on the stage in which it is focused
light plot
The purpose of this plan is to show the location, color and type of every instrument used in the lightning design
light plot
These are the key design elements that together help to create the mood and style of the production
lightning, costumes, scenery
In an effort to enhance the visual world of the play by revealing the shape and form of three-dimensional objects, the lighting designer
lights the performers from the side, top, and behind
The cut of the fabric for a costume is called
line
A rustic, dust saloon, a messy bedroom, a hot and humid courtroom, a dark palace or forbidding forest help indicate to the audience
location and period
Stanislavski recognized the ____ ____ could activate an actor's imagination and transport him or her to new places, times, and situations based on his or her belief
magic if
Blocking off the balcony, altering the decor of the space to add light and color, or closing off the rear of the orchestra are all ways that scenic designers can
make a formal space more informal
scenic charge artist
makes sure that sets are built and painted
What is a related element of costume design that is applied to actor's body, most often the face, and aids the performer in fully creating a character?
makeup
The _____ _____ is associated with noncommercial theatre, whereas the _____ us the person chiefly responsible in the commercial theatre
managing director, producer
This lighting design collaborator is responsible go the preparation, hanging, and focusing of the lights and all accessories
master electrician
often found climbing on catwalks and ladders in remote areas of theatre, the _______ _______ is responsible for the preparation, hanging, and focusing
master electrician
In those productions specifically created for non-theatre spaces, audiences
may be placed in the middle of the action of the performance; may move about from one location to another
The art of _______ is the art of making women's hats
millinery
Blending sound by balancing all the elements from the various microphones with the master sound recording in order to achieve an overall balance of sound is called
mixing
A musical in which characters sing and dance; a play like Shakespeare's Hamlet because it has a ghost and soliloquies; language that is poetic. These are examples of
nonrealism
Which of the following are examples of personal roles we play in our everyday lives?
peacemaker, task master, hero
Name the types of roles we play with our friends and family
personal
Color
placing a material or "gel" in slots in front of the lighting instrument
For new productions, the stage manager must keep organized rehearsal notes of potential script revisions to be later discussed between the director and the
playwright
Other than the actors, the director works closely with the point of view of this theatre artist and merges it with his own to translate the work into a successful production
playwright
This _____ must have business acumen and be able to raise the capital needed to oversee all the business expenses of the commercial production
producer
Modern theatre
productions that broke long held taboos by dealing with the subject matter such as sexual content, the oppression of women, and the questioning of religious leaders
The term prop comes from the word
property
When a costume designer rents costumes from another theatre or costume shop or uses stock he or she already has this is called
pulling
Presenting on the stage people, places, and events corresponding to those in everyday life is called
realism
What are the ways in which the gun shot sound effect could be created in the theatre?
recorded sound, hinged pieces of wood slammed together, blank cartridges in a gun
When an actor is able to let go of unwanted tension both vocally and physically this is called
relaxation
A more complete sketch, usually in color, based on discussion between the director and the designer, is called a
rendering
By choreographing shifts in light in a time continuum, the designer can help the director establish _______
rhythm
Which of the following are important aspects of fabric for the designer?
sheen, color, texture, line, roughness
A microphone that us highly directional and aimed from a distance at a specific area is called a _______ mike, whereas one that picks up sounds in a general area toward which it is aimed is called a _______ mike
shotgun, general
technical director
solves overall technical problems, and charged with scheduling, constructing, and painting scenery as conceived by the scene designer
This form of sound design has been utilized in theatre for several centuries
sound effects
The classification of sound design amplifies sounds made by a performer or musical instrument
sound reinforcement
At the back of the thrust stage the _______ _______ allows for scene changes and creates a space for the actors to make their entrance or exits
stage house
When a character is wearing the uniform of a general or the rags of a peasant the audience can glean information about the character's _______ by the clothes that they wear.
status
Suzuki
stomping
A costume designer helps to communicate the _______ of a play by giving clues about time and place through costume choices.
style
The manner in which a work is done, how scenery looks, how a playwright uses language, or how performers portray characters is referred to as
style
The director who chooses to cast an actor who in real life closely resembles the character to be enacted is refereed to as
typecast
This special effect uses a very dark blue light that causes costumes and scenery painted with phosphorus to glow
ultraviolet light
Bogart
viewpoints
True or false: The roles we play everyday that are influenced and accepted by society are called social roles
True
The director underscores the meaning of specific scenes through the physical arrangement of actors on the stage. This is called
Visual composition, stage pictures
The director is responsible for shaping the structure of the production through movement, pace, and rhythm. With this in mind, the faults most often associated with poor direction are
When the audience fails to understand what is going on; failure to establish a clear rhythm that holds or maintains interest; When the audience repeatedly misses the words being spoken
In order to critically watch and judge theatre performances we need to be able to explore and understand these techniques and practices
acting
Performers may be seen before and after they make their entrances and exits, and the minimal use of scenery represents two characteristics associated with this type of theatre space
arena
Another word for the circle stage is
arena stage
For successful, believable acting to take place, the actor and the audience need to be able to
understand a viewpoint other than their own, see a situation from a different perspective, and develop empathy for a character
Which of the following statements about acting on stage are true?
The actor plays characters that are not real but representative of people, the actor must have an audience present
Of the five basic theatre spaces, why is the thrust arrangement the most widely used?
The three-quarter viewing configuration helps to create an intimate space; Many of the world's great plays were written with the thrust space in mind
This represents a disadvantage to performance in an arena space
The use of elaborate scenery
This U-shaped theatre space is the most widely used of all the stage spaces
Thrust
Which of the following are examples of theatre that is performed outside in nontraditional settings?
Traditional plays performed in the streets; Original plays that focus on the problems of a specific population presented in a community park; Politically charged theatre produced by activist groups in the streets called guerrilla theatre
True or False: Stage actors must always have an audience present
True
Which of the following are situations for which an actor must receive extensive physical and/or vocal training?
modern on stage violence, musical theatre, sword fights, shakespearian plays
A _______ environment is one that will use more than one playing area, and that some activity is happening in several spaces at the same time
multifocus
Allegory and expressionism are two well-known types of
nonrealism
Postmodern theatre
productions that deconstruct or take apart the text, abandon the linear plot structure, and employ cross gender or multicultural casting
Sometimes called the picture-frame stage, the _______ is the most familiar type of stage
proscenium
Stanislavski believed that all action performed on stage must have a(n)
purpose
Spatial arrangements of actors on the stage, such as acting on different levels or isolating one character from a crowd, conveys important information about their characters. These are examples of stage pictures or
visual composition
Spatial arrangements of actors on the stage, such as acting on different levels, or isolating one character from a crowd, conveys important information about their characters. These are examples of stage pictures or
visual composition
A low platform set on wheels that can be brought onstage electronically or by stagehands is called a
wagon
The wagon stage
was used in the medieval age as a platform on wheels that moved through the town from place to place allowing the audiences to stand on three sides
Which of the following illustrate the ability to show character development using color?
A moody character wears black even through she is not in actual mourning, a character wears red as she takes a chance
Dress rehearsal
All the production elements are pulled together with the full involvement of the actors and performed as if the audience were present with no stopping
Which of the following are examples of taking the actor into consideration when costuming him or her?
An actor must be able to do fight choreography, an actor performs better when they are comfortable, an actor must be able to move and dance if needed
Which of the following needs to be combined in order to achieve integration of all aspects of acting?
Believabiity, vocal and physical skill, and inner truth
Identify the three main challenges of acting:
Believability, integration of skills, vocal and physical skills
Intensity
Brightness can be controlled by dimmers making the lights brighter or darker
The dramaturg has several responsibilities to the production. What are they?
Discovering promising new plays; identifying important plays from the past that may have been overlooked; Preparing materials for teachers whose students will be attending the play; Working with playwrights on developing their scripts
Platform stages set up on one end of a courtyard in an inn were found in
England and Spain
True or false: The audience is allowed to attend the technical rehearsal
False
True or false: The costume design is of less importance to production design because it only effects the actors and not the production as a whole
False
True or false: Unlike other designers the costume designer works alone and has little interaction with other until final dress rehearsal.
False
Floodlights
For general illumination, this instrument bathes a section if the stage or scenery in a smooth, diffused wash of light or is used to illuminate the cyclorama at the rear of the stage
Which light instrument is the most popular soft-edged spotlight?
Fresnel
It is believed that one possible origin of the arena playing space evolved from the ancient _______ theatre
Greek
Which of the following best describes the work of Jerzy Grotowski?
Grotowski created different spaces that fit his plays rather than making the play fit the space
A large scale Broadway musical such as Phantom of the Opera or The Lion King is more ideally suites to this space
Proscenium
Please rank the following steps in the order a costume designer would perform them when designing costumes
Read the script, meet with the director and other designers, preliminary sketches, colored renderings with swatches, meetings with actors, final dress rehearsal
What is the one major difference between the stage and the environments in which we find ourselves in everyday life?
Scale
The _____ designer dimensions what the visual world of the play will look like
Scene
How did scene design begin to become more complex, ornate, and visually spectacular?
Scene design became more visually spectacular with the arrival of the proscenium arch in Italy, and later France and England
Which of the following statements about scrims are accurate?
Scrims are useful in memory plays when looking back on the past; scrims are effective in scenes where ghosts appear
Movement
Shifting the audience's focus as it is carried from place to place such as when lights go down in one area and comes up in another area
The following are examples of props
Smartphones, walking sticks, umbrellas, and fans
Which of the following are characteristics of Asian Theatre actor training?
Stylization and symbolism, absolute control (concentration and mastery of the body and nerves), physical actor training that has had global influence
Based on Artaud's theories, identify how structures that were not originally built as theaters may be used for performances
The original design elements of the building remain intact even as a space for the performance is created
What elements of the proscenium theater are reflected in the photo and illustration?
The performance space is defined by a proscenium arch or picture frame opening; All the seats face the same direction toward the performance stage; The auditorium slants downward toward the stage
Technical Rehearsal
The performers are on stage with the realized scene, light, and costume designs for the first time in an effort to coordinate all the elements together
Which of the following best describes an auteur director
The point of view and the implementation of that point of view are drawn from the director, not the writer
Distribution
The position and type of lighting instrument as well as angle at which the light strikes the performer
Previews
The production is tried out in front of a group of spectators so the director and performers can discover what is and is not working and make corrections accordingly
Scene design becomes more complex and ornate with the development of this feature of theatre architecture
The proscenium
Identify characteristics most closely associated with a black box space
The seats, lights, and platforms can be adapted in almost endless configurations including proscenium, thrust arena, and multifocus spaces
How do these costumes sketches help establish time and palce?
Through the accessories chosen, through the fabric choices, through the line and sillhouette
_______ or illumination is the most important function of lighting
Visibility
The successful lighting designer possesses
a broad, creative visual imagination; an ability to translate words and actions and feelings into color, direction, and intensity; a background in the technical and mechanical aspects of lighting
The scene design concept is
a unifying idea carried out visually
At the same time that the English platform stage was taking shape in the courtyards of inns, the same idea was also taking shape in Spain. The name of the Spanish theatre, also performed in courtyards of inns, was
corrales
Which of the following are important costume collaborators?
costume shop supervisor, buyers, lead costume technician, cutter-draper, costume designer's first-hand, stage manager, lead stitcher, design assistants, wardrobe supervisor, dresser
The essential design elements of any production are
costume, lighting, scene, and sound
Giacomo Torelli developed this technological innovation for the proscenium stage
created a means to quickly move scenery on and off the stage
One of Artaud's theories was that the audience becomes part of the action of the performance and thereby establishes direct communication between the spectator and the spectacle. This kind of performance space is called
created and found spaces
property designer
creates and executes all props including special furniture, and devising magical equipment
Numerous lighting changes from 75 to 150 to many more, created ahead of time that range from blackouts to fades to cross-fades
cues
The objective of a costume designer must meet seven requirements which help the audience gain a/an _______ understanding of the play
deeper
The spine of the drama is
determined by the primary objective or goal of the characters in the play; a working hypothesis that gives the director a foundation on which to base their analysis and their work with the actors
with the assistance of the stage manager, this person rehearses the performers and coordinates their work with other theatre artists to make certain that the production is performed appropriately, intelligently, and excitingly
director
A _____ _____ is a controlling idea, vision, or point of view that the director feels is appropriate to the play
directorial concept
Costume choices in color, fabric, richness and style can help the audience _______ characters
distinguish
_______ is the position and type of lighting instrument being used and the angle at which the light strikes the performers on stage
distribution
The most important aspect of a costume is:
does it work for the actor?
The following are essential _______ of the costume designer: silhouette, color, accessories, shape line, fabric
elements, resources, tools
The following are essential _______ of the costume designer: silhouette, color, accessories, shape, linen, fabric
elements, tools, resources
During the past two thousand years, there have been several sources of stage lightning. Which of the following have been used to illuminate the stage
sun, torches, candles, oil lamps, argand lamp, gaslights, incandescent lamps
What is another name for a through line of a role?
superobjective
Stanislavski developed a ________ by which he could teach future generations the secrets of realistic, believable acting
system
A popular training method that comes from Asian martial arts training is called
tai chi
texture
the "feel" projected by surfaces and fabrics
composition
the balance and arrangement of elements
Fresnel
the most popular spotlight uses a lens that dissipates heat but can create only a soft edge beam of light; it is often used for toplighting or backlighting and to cover a large area on the stage
line
the outline or silhouette onstage
mass
the overall bulk or weight of scenic elements
When we speak of appropriateness, we are talking about
the relationship of the stage space to a play or production
color
the shadings and contrasts of chromatic combinations
Through silhouette, fabric and other specifics costumes can and should indicate the _______ and location of a play
time period
The text-based director, also known as the _______ director, uses the script as a starting point
traditional
How does this illustration suggest some advantages when using the arena stage?
It is more economical for low-budget theatre companies to produce their works; A greater sense of intimacy or closeness is achieved than in other theatre spaces; There are fewer if any barriers, such as proscenium wall, to block the view of the audience
Which of the following are examples of the kind of physical theatre in which Antonin Artaud wished to "abolish the stage and auditorium and replace them by a single site without partition or barrier of any kind...."
barn; subway station; warehouse
The all-purpose or "black box" stage space
can be rearranged to take on the shape of any of the other kinds of theatre spaces
The arena space goes by many other names. What are they?
circle theatre; theatre-in-the-round
