Theatre 6-8
To present events as heroic
viewpoint
Minor characters areThe technical term for revelation of background material in a play is
1) typically used as a dramatic device by the playwright to move the action along. 2) typically used to be supportive or confidante-like characters for the central character in a play. 3) usually those in which we see only one facet of their personalities.
deus ex machina
A resolution device in classic Greek dram, hence, intervention of supernatural forces- usually the last moment- to save the action from its logical conclusion. In modern drama, an arbitrary and coincidental solution.
A hard-fought and relatively equal contest
Balance of forces
In a climactic drama, the plot begins early in the story.
False
Minor characters in a play are always written as basic stock characters.
False
Samuel Taylor Coleridge coined this statement regarding a playwright's point of view: "The world is a comedy to those that think and a tragedy to those that feel."
False
The term "robot" was actually first used in an early twentieth-century play by Neil Simon.
False
True or false: Two periods that were particularly conducive to the creation of tragic drama were the eighteenth century (the age of enlightenment) and the nineteenth century (the century of progress).
False
When nonhuman characters are written into a script it is typically because the producers do not want to create a stage prop when an actor can solve the problem nicely.
False`
________ was at the heart of most plot complications in the commedia dell'arte.
Harlequin
Another word that means "contrast in the connection of scenes" is
Juxaposition
The main representative character in Henrik Ibsen's A Doll's House who to this day serves as a symbol of the modern woman is
Nora Helmer
An impediment put in the character's way
Obstacle
Characteristic of Episodic Structure
People, Places, and Events Proliferate, There May Be a Parallel Plot or Subplot, Juxtaposition and Contrast Occur
A __________________ reinforces or runs parallel to the major plot in an episodic play.
Subplot
Characteristics of Climactic Structure
The plot begins late in the story, scenes, locales, and Characters are limited, construction is tight,
"The events of the Holocaust" is a
True
A tableaux structure begins with characters arranged in a visual stage picture and the action, frequently nonverbal, proceeds from that tableaux until the end of the scene.
True
As seen in some of Chekhov's plays it is possible to combine the climactic and the episodic forms.
True
In our contemporary world it is important to recognize a feminist or woman's point of view in analyzing and understanding dramatic works as that viewpoint has not always been considered or respected throughout history but it is essential to the future development of dramatic works.
True
Narrators in the most traditional sense remain outside the action of the play and typically comment on the action communicating directly with the audience.
True
Patterns as structure exist not only in dance but also in some plays, where the characters' movement and circumstances can be repetitive, as in Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot.
True
Politicians and advertisers often hide their point of view, whereas a playwright's imposition of their point of view is direct and deliberate.
True
We know that playwrights frequently write plays about a single family in classic climactic structure and they will also occasionally create two contrasting characters that are siblings or husband and wife in order to allow character traits to stand out more dramatically in the action.
True
Well-made plays
Type of play popular in the 19th century and early 20th century that combines apparent plausibility of incident and surface realism with a tightly constructed, highly casual and contrived plot- often times climactic dramas are so carefully and tightly constructed, they are frequently referred to as well- made plays
To escape is
a purpose
An intellectual or artistic movement that breaks with tradition and therefore seems ahead of its time is called ________; literally, it means "advance guard in a military formation."
avant-garde
A playwright, composer, or architect who envisions a work sets about putting the idea into a that will be recognizable to those who will bring the idea to ultimate realization.
blueprint
The final and most significant crisis
climax
An outside force or new twist in the plot introduced at an opportune moment is a(n)
complication
The technical term for revelation of background material in a play is
exposition
Common structure in musical theatre requires that every song have a segment that involves the chorus.
false
If two or more playwrights create a play based on the same story, it is important that the facts of that story remain consistent from one play to the next.
false
The action of a play is generally confined to a "world" of its own—that is, to a fictional universe that contains all the characters and events of the play—and none of the characters or actions moves outside the orbit of that world. This is an example of limited time.
false
The subject of drama varies greatly, and at certain times throughout theatre history, drama has focused on human beings, but more often than not the subjects of drama are quite different.
false
The subject of theatre is always
people
Which is not a characteristic of extraordinary characters?
pivotal but minor role
A selection and arrangement of scenes from a story is called
plot
"To reinforce religious beliefs" is a
purpose
To entertain royalty is a
purpose
A repetition or reenactment of a proceeding or a transaction which has acquired special meaning is called a
ritual
subplot
sometimes referred to as a parallel plot, a secondary plot that reinforcesor runs parallel to the major plot in an episodic play
A full account of an event or series of events, usually told in chronological order, is called a
story
"The story of Electra" is a
subject
A love story is a
subject
An example of point of view in film might be the various angles of vision and perspectives that the camera selects for us.
true
"The world is a comedy to those who think, a tragedy to those who feel" is a
viewpoint