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cst 130

75 flashcardsby Mel
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1
The _____ ________ ________ is the yes-or-no question around which the play is organized. (Fill in the blank - 3 words.)
major dramatic question
2
depicts a world where good and evil are sharply differentiated with "good guys" and "bad guys" and is popular because it assures audiences that good triumphs over evil. (Fill in the blank.)
melodrama
3
When reading a play, the reader must use their imagination in addition to looking at the directions, the characters' action and interaction, and the characters' or what they say. (Fill in the blanks.)
stage, dialogue
4
culture is often called "low" art and reflects the tastes of a broad, general public and culture is often called "high" art and reflects the tastes of a smaller group whose members apply what they consider more demanding standards. (Fill in the blanks.)
popular, elitist
5
In Poetics, Greek philosopher Aristotle identified six elements of drama. Please select the six elements from the options below.
music, spectacle, character, plot, language/ diction, thought/theme
6
In evaluating the ultimate worth of a production (How valuable was the experience?), critics may value a production for its:
(all)
7
All of the following are true about critics EXCEPT:
They should have beyond a college education.
8
There are three basic elements of theatre. They are:
what is performed, performance, and audience.
9
Critics are concerned with three basic problems. They are:
understanding, effectiveness, and ultimate worth.
10
Theatre uses ___________ as its primary means of communicating with an audience.
actors
11
When we attend a theatrical performance, we don't mistake the stage action for reality. This is because we are said to have .
aesthetic distance
12
Ultimately, audience support is measured through:
attendance.
13
, the simultaneous presence of live actors and spectators in the same room, is one of the special qualities of theatre.
Immediacy
14
(True/False) Thought - the themes, arguments, and overall meaning of the action - is often revealed in stage directions.
False
15
In his book, The Empty Space, Peter Brook argues that a stage is:
any place where you have someone perform an action and someone else watching.
16
The is the question that is answered by the end of the play and involves the main character's goal in the story.
major dramatic question
17
One of the special qualities of theatre is that after a play ends, it only exists in the script, program, reviews, and memories of the audience. In other words, theatre is:
ephemeral.
18
All of the following are true when a producer attempts to attract new audiences EXCEPT:
It should rarely be done.
19
________ is the element of drama that involves all visual elements of a production such as movement/dance, spatial relations of characters, lighting, costumes, sets and props.
spectacle
20
The first and most important element of drama is:
plot.
21
______________ translate(s) the potential of a script, scenario or plan into activity/actuality.
The performance
22
There is a(n) ________ interaction between the actors and the audience.
three-way
23
Please match the quality/aspect to indicate whether it is associated more with Broadway or not-for-profit theatre.
Caters to well-to-do middle class AND tourists
Broadway: Broadway

Limited runs of shows (usually no more than 4 to 6 weeks): not-for-profit

Plays that appeal to the greatest number of people:Broadway

Series of plays of varying types drawn from past and present: not-for-profit

Plays tend to be cheaper: not-for-profit
24
Please match the quality/aspect to indicate whether it is associated more with the tragic (tragedy) or comedic (comedy) form.
oldest known form of drama: tragedy

based on some deviation from normality in action, character, or thought: comedy

presents a genuinely serious action and maintains a serious tone throughout: tragedy

associated especially with Ancient Greece and Elizabethan England: tragedy

demands the audience view the situation objectively: comedy
25
Please match the quality/aspect to indicate whether it is associated more with Theatre or Film/Television.
Must be recreated at each performance: Theatre

Can reach millions at once: Film/Television

Has interaction between performers and spectators: Theatre

Requires the audience to imagine what it cannot show:Theatre

Actors take years to build a reputation: Theatre

Director selects what the audience sees: Film/Television

Interaction between performers and spectators can influence a scene/pacing: Theatre
26
The Romans modified the Ancient Greek amphitheatre by:
raising the stage.
27
(True/False) In Roman theatre, all violence was performed offstage.
False
28
Mime was an alternative form of __________ theatre and permitted women to perform.
Ancient Roman
29
Which type of theatre had a musical element?
all of the answers
30
Masks served several purposes in Ancient Greek theatre. Which of the following is NOT one of the purposes?
entertains children
31
Which of the following is true about the staging of Medieval drama?
all of the answers
32
In Aeschylus' play Prometheus Bound, Prometheus is being punished for giving fire to man. The name of the god punishing Prometheus is:
Zeus
33
(True/False) In Greek theatre, the acting area was a raised stage.
False
34
For what type of space was the play Prometheus Bound written for?
amphitheater
35
During the Medieval Period, the power within towns rested primarily with the__________ because they usually appointed the mayor and council from its members.
trade guilds
36
In Ancient Greek theatre, the area where the chorus and actors performed was known as the ____.
orchestra
37
Which of the following is true of the City Dionysia?
All
38
(True/False) Like Greek theatre, Roman theatre used the chorus for most of the singing/chanting and dancing.
False
39
In Ancient Greek theatre, a crane-like device was used to lift or lower the actor playing a god. The use of a god to resolve difficult dramatic situations at the end of a play is known as the:
deus ex machina.
40
Throughout the Middle Ages, humanity was thought to participate in two kinds of time. They were:
earthly and eternal.
41
According to the Greeks, gods:
all of the answers
42
Which type of theatre valued entertainment above civic or moral lessons?
Roman
43
In _____ theatre, entertainment was a primary concern.
Roman
44
In Ancient Greece, the musical accompaniment was principally provided by a flute player. Which of the following is NOT true?
The flute player was located offstage.
45
Which of the following is NOT true about the Greek chorus?
It was comprised of fifteen men and women.
46
In Ancient Greek theatre, the area where the audience sat was known as the _________ or "seeing place" and is the origin of our word theatre. (Fill in the blank.)
theatron
47
During the Medieval Period, one result of the church's desire to incorporate ordinary people more fully into its activities was the creation of a new feast day called the ________________ Festival. (Fill in the blank - two words.)
Corpus Christi
48
In Ancient Greece, drama was presented at festivals honoring _______________, the god of wine and fertility. (Fill in the blank.)
Dionysus
49
In Ancient Rome, theatrical productions were placed in the same category as sports or "games" such as chariot races, acrobatics, and horse races. These entertainments were known as ______________. (Fill in the blank.)
Ludi
50
Greek, Roman, and Medieval drama had a number of similarities. For each quality/aspect, select "Yes" or "No" to indicate if they all shared that quality/aspect.
were occasional and ceremonial
Yes
only used male performers for officially recognized theatre
Yes
used musical accompaniment
Yes
chorus played a large role
No
great emphasis on moral values and significant issues
No
theatre tied to Christian teaching
No
used masks
Yes
audience members were close enough to touch performers
No
51
The three categories of stock characters for commedia dell'arte are:
servants, masters, lovers.
52
Shortly after Elizabeth I came to the throne, she decreed that no plays dealing with religious or political subjects be performed. This decree marked the end of the __________ plays that were popular during the Medieval Period.
Cycle
53
Unlike the audiences from the Greek, Roman, and Medieval periods, the Elizabethan audience __________ to see performances.
paid
54
(True/False) Little effort went into staging intermezzi (the interludes between the acts of plays in Italy).
False
55
(True/False) Costumes were one of the greatest expenses of Elizabethan drama.
True
56
(True/False) In commedia dell'arte scripts were carefully written and rewritten with little room for improvisation during performance.
False
57
The Italians transformed a two-dimensional drawing into a stage set that occupied three-dimensional space by:
All
58
(True/False) During the Renaissance period there was a diminished interest in Greek and Roman plays and theatrical practices.
False
59
In order for professional theatrical groups to survive in Elizabethan England they had to do a number of things. Which of the following is NOT one of them?
had to have one or two plays that had long runs
60
All of the following are true of French Neoclassical drama EXCEPT:
The purpose of all drama was only to entertain.
61
According to the rules of French Neoclassical drama, plays should observe unities of:
time, place, and action.
62
Which of the following is NOT true about the Globe Theatre?
The stage was unsheltered and open to the elements.
63
(True/False) French Neoclassical theatre used natural lighting.
False
64
Opera was a new form that emerged in Italy in the 1590s. Which of the following is NOT a primary reason why it was popular:
the theme
65
Elizabethan drama included a considerable musical element. Music served all of the following purposes EXCEPT:
to mark the intermission.
66
(True/False) Women were not allowed to perform onstage in Italian commedia troupes.
False
67
In commedia dell'arte, __________ were pieces of comic business used to enliven a performance. (Fill in the blank.)
lazzi
68
__________ _________ is the best known Elizabethan playwright. He was also an actor and part owner of a theatre company. (Fill in the blanks - first name for first blank, last name for second blank.)
William Shakespeare
69
English theatre closed in 1642 and remained closed for eighteen years due to _______________. (Fill in the blank - two words.)
Civil War
70
____________________is the author of the play Tartuffe and was involved in every aspect of theatre production. (Fill in the blank.)
Moliere
71
In Elizabethan England, performances were held ______days a week with _______ off and occurred around _______ PM in the afternoon. (Fill in the blanks.)
6 , Sunday, 2
72
French Neoclassical drama only recognized two legitimate forms: _________ and ________ . (Fill in the blanks.)
tragedy , comedy
73
From 1585 to 1642, there was an astonishing growth in playwriting in Elizabethan England. For each item listed below, indicate "Yes" if it was an influence on or was a reason why there were so many plays being written or "No" if it was not an influence or reason.
Playwrights during this time period were more inspired.
No
Theatre companies had to have a large and varied stock of plays in order to keep the audience coming back.
Yes
Once a theatre company paid a playwright for the play, the play belonged to the company and the author received no further income.
Yes
In order to make a living, playwrights needed to sell several plays a year.
No
Theatre companies wished to have a few plays with long performance runs.
Yes
74
For each item listed below, indicate "Yes" if it was true of Italian commedia dell'arte actors or "No" if it was not true.
Actors were amateurs.
No
Actors were forbidden from improvising.
Yes
Actors were almost the only essential element.
Yes
Actors could play anywhere (indoors/outdoors; temporary/permanent structures).
Yes
Actors were the heart of commedia dell'arte.
No
75
For each item listed, select "Yes" if the item was true of French Neoclassical acting companies and "No" if it was not.
only used male performers
No
some members were shareholders in the company
Yes
some members were hired as musicians, actors, and stage assistants
Yes
received no financial support of any kind
No
expected to furnish their own costumes
Yes
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