theatre final exam

When discussing acting approaches, we consider the mind-body connection to be:

a two-way street

What types of training must an actor do?

all of these options

Which of the following "isms" is an avant-garde style? Select all that apply.

Absurdism Futurism Symbolism Dadaism Surrealism expressionism

What is the name of the union for stage actors?

Actors' Equity Association (AEA)

Which avant-garde theatre artist created the "Theatre of Cruelty" to agitate the masses, attack the spectators' sensibilities, and purge people of their destructive tendencies through surreal and ritualized works?

Antonin Artaud

Which of the following are true regarding the job duties that fall under those of a typical theatre director? Choose any and all that apply.

Cast a vision, or "production concept," for the show Represent the "eyes of the audience" Work with actors to discover and develop their characters Synthesize the work and coordinate the efforts of other theatre artists and technicians Shape the action of the play through blocking, picturization, and focus Conduct extensive script evaluation and research

Typically, the director's "rehearsal phase" includes which of the following? (Choose all that apply.)

Creating focus through blocking and other means Working with designers to complete the artistic vision of the production concept Working with actors on character development and relationships

Match the three main "types" of directors with their descriptions (make sure you refer to the powerpoint slides and not just to the chapter in the book).

Has the least amount of creative freedom; literally interprets "from page-to-stage" and tries to follow playwright's original staging ideas: "Literal" (aka "interpretive") Has some creative freedom; most common approach; captures the essence of the playwright's script but shapes the production with their interpretation and concept: "Translational" (aka "creative") Has extreme creative freedom; takes the playwright's script as basic outline but creates something very different and new; basically becomes "author"; must be careful to consider copyright issues: "Auteur"

Who is known as the "father of modern acting?"

Konstantin Stanislavsky

Match the following realism playwrights with their correct descriptions.

Norwegian playwright; often called the father of realism; presented complex, sometimes disturbing, views of human society, on subjects such as women's independence, incest and venereal disease, and sexual repression. Henrik Ibsen English Victorian playwright; wrote "high comedies" in which characters argued about social issues; used his plays to comment on poverty, corruption, and romantic ideas about love and war. George Bernard Shaw Irish playwright; known for his unique character and wit; plays were filled with witty repartee that forced Victorian society to reexamine its hypocrisies and the arbitrariness of its moral and social taboos; persecuted for his homosexuality. Oscar Wilde Russian playwright; member of the Moscow Art Theatre; depicted the lazy chaos of lives crushed by life's absurdities and missed opportunities; called his plays "comedies," although that has led to great debates in the theatre community. Anton Chekhov

This musical premiered in 1943 and was considered a landmark production that took musical theatre to another level. It included serious plot elements and well-developed characters. It also utilized new storytelling techniques to develop plot and characters, including a classical ballet dream sequence.

Oklahoma!

In the chapter, there is discussion of three specific influences on the development of musical theatre that occurred between the late 1800s and early 1900s. Select the three influences from the list below:

Patriotic and sentimental feelings generated by World War I Completion of the first transcontinental railroad across the U.S. Jazz music such as that of the Gershwin brothers

Theatrical designers' jobs are multi-faceted and involve many steps. Which of the following items describe job aspects of theatrical designers? Choose all that apply.

Research and analyze the play's dramatic structure, period, history, location, mood, characters, and theme. Work with the director to come up with a production concept and the style of the play (e.g., realism, expressionism, etc.). Complete preparatory and planning steps that in include making drawings, renderings, thumbnail sketches, models, etc. Take into account the budget for the production and the type of theatrical physical space that will be used (e.g., thrust, arena, etc.).

In modern times, rising production costs of musicals have resulted in several developments, which were discussed in the book and in class. Choose those developments from the list below. Select all that apply.

Some producers have opted for smaller, more innovative or novel approaches, such as using puppets in the musical Avenue Q. Many producers have resorted to staging revivals of older, popular musicals, or to adapting popular movies into musicals for the stage. Big companies like Disney are some of the few who can afford to gamble on producing a musical today. Fewer musicals have been produced than during the "old days."

When a stage director is blocking a scene, he or she can use which of the following methods to achieve focus? (Select all that apply.)

Stage area Triangulation Body position Level Contrast

What is the most important want, or the driving force, that governs a character's actions throughout the entire play?

Superobjective

Match the following descriptions of types of theatre spaces with their respective names.

This theatre space originated in Italy in the 1500s. The audience is separated from the actors, looking through a "picture frame" to the actors on the other side.: Proscenium Arch This theatre space has a lip or apron that protrudes far into the audience space like a peninsula or runway. The audience sits on three sides of the stage.: Thrust, or Three-quarter-round In this theatre space, the stage is in the center like an island, and the audience sits on all sides.: Arena, or Theatre-in-the-round This theatre space is small, flexible, and can be set up in various configurations. It has movable seating, and the audience sits close to the actors.: black box

Match the following acting terms with their definitions:

What pushes us from behind - what drives or compels us- Motivations What pulls us forward - what we want or need- Goals or Objectives What gets in our way- Obstacles The active efforts we make to get what we want.- tactics or actions

A small section of dialogue about a particular subject or idea, sometimes signaled by a change in subject, is known as a:

beat

Which of the following playwrights was known for "estrangement," or the "alienation effect," which attempted to keep the audience alienated from the performance so they could critically consider the themes of the plays?

bertolt brecht

What do we call a realistic theatre set that is a true-to-life interior containing a room or rooms, with the "fourth wall" removed so that the audie

box set

This early form of popular American entertainment featured bawdy songs, dancing women, and sometimes striptease. Its original purpose was to make fun of the pretentiousness of opera and the upper class who could afford to attend it.

burlesque

Typically, the director's "pre-rehearsal phase" includes which of the following? (Choose all that apply.)

casting script analysis and other research developing a production concept

Which critical thinkers' writings heavily influenced how people perceived reality and, in turn, the move towards realism in theatre? Choose all that apply.

charles darwin sigmund freud karl marx

Select each of the seven basic elements of design that make up the "designer's toolkit." Choose all that apply.

dimension balance Color Line Texture Movement Harmony

Acting is _____, not being.

doing

Which of the following is NOT one of the universal stage areas to which a director might refer during blocking rehearsals?

down corner left

The ability to understand and identify with another's situation, feelings, and motives so completely that you feel you are experiencing that situation and those emotions is called:

empathy

What theatrical features was Bertolt Brecht known for?

epic theatre as a means of confronting social and political issues "estrangement," or the "alienation effect" anti-capitalist themes

When this theatrical design style is used, the audience sees the story through the mind of one character. Settings may be distorted by the character's conscious or subconscious phobias, prejudices, or psychoses. Instead of photographic reality, the audience sees the character's inner reality. This style is called:

expressionsim

What are the three broad categories of absurdism that sometimes overlap?

fatalist, hilarious, existentialist

Acting can be understood in its most basic form as playing a _______ against an obstacle using various tactics (or actions).

goal (or objective)

This absurdist playwright is known for his dialogue, which captures the incoherence, broken language, and pauses of modern speech.

harold pinter

Match the following "jobs" related to creating a musical script with their appropriate descriptions.

librettist- writes the book composer- writes the music lyricist- writes the words that go with the music

This popular form of 19th-20th century American entertainment included comic scenes, dance interludes, and sentimental ballads, all based on white stereotypes of black life in the South.

minstrel show

What late-1800s invention competed with theatre and eventually led to avant-garde theatre movement, when theatre sought to "re-theatricalize" itself?

motion pictures (movies)

Which theatre movement was sometimes referred to as "slice of life," exposed the squalid living conditions of the urban poor, and explored scandalous topics as poverty, venereal disease, and prostitution without preaching about them?

naturalism

This form of musical entertainment developed during the Italian Renaissance is entirely sung or chanted, and was an attempt at imitating the ancient Greek tragedies.

opera

Which of the following items are things that an actor might explore to understand and build a character? Choose any and all that apply.

public and personal images given circumstances inner conflicts character flaws motivations (all)

The inventions of the camera and electric light influenced a style of theatre that called for more genuine sets, honest acting, and dialogue that sounded like everyday speech. This style of theatre is known as:

realism

In musical theatre, this is a repetition of a song that has already occurred, sometimes with new lyrics, sometimes with the same lyrics but with new meaning or subtext in order to make a dramatic point.

reprise

This show premiered in 1927 and revolutionized musical theatre by combining musical comedy and serious drama. It included powerful dialogue, three-dimensional characters, and songs & dances tied directly to the plot. Black and white actors performed on the stage at the same time, which was still rare.

showboat

When this theatrical design style is used, stylization is taken to an extreme; no attempt is made to re-create reality; instead, oversized symbols and dreamlike or nightmarish images that emphasize the subconscious of the characters are used. This style is called:

surrealism

This production "accidentally" combined melodrama with music and dance when a group of stranded Parisian ballet dancers were added to the show. It is often regarded as the United States' first modern musical.

the black crook

Who is often credited as the first modern director?

the duke of saxe-meiningen