CHAPTER ONE

Test Questions

Essay Type:

 

1.                                              The chapter discusses the audienceÕs active participation in theatre. What does this mean? Why does this differ from an audienceÕs involvement while watching a film?

 

2.                                              What is Òwilling suspension of disbelief,Ó and what does it mean in the context of theatrical performance?  Does our suspension of disbelief change while playing a video game or watching a reality-based television show?

 

3.                                              The theatre experience is a collective response. Give some examples from your own theatre-going experience of how this collective response may have affected your reaction to a theatrical performance.

.

Multiple Choice:

 

4.                            Samuel BeckettÕs Waiting for Godot mystified audiences until it was performed in:

    1. Miami
    2. San Quentin
    3. Paris
    4. New York

 

ANS:      B                   See page 12                                                         (Moderate)

 

5.                            The major components of theatre include:

A.       The actor

B.        The audience

C.        The space

D.       All of these

 

ANS:      D                  See page 10                                                         (Easy)

 

6.                                                                The concept that the stage is a mirror of humanity originated with the

A.       Elizabethans

B.        Greeks

C.        Absurdists

D.       Romans

 

ANS:      A                  See page 8                                                             (Easy)

 

7.                            Among the audienceÕs expectations are

A.       Relation to life experiences

B.        To see the familiar

C.        To express a collective response

D.       All of these

 

ANS:      D                  See page 11                                                         (Difficult)

 

8.                            As the performance begins, we enter into an illusion that is

A.       4,000 years old

B.        3,500 years old

C.        2,500 years old

D.       1,5000 years old

 

ANS:      C                   See page 9                                                             (Moderate)

 

9.                            The Greek word for actor is Òhypokrites,Ó meaning

A.       Shaman

B.        Answerer

C.        Two-faced

D.       Blessed one

 

ANS:      B                   See page 10                                                         (Moderate)

 

10.                      To give way to the theatreÕs magic and to believe what is happening before us is to

A.       Make believe

B.        ÒHold a mirror up to natureÓ

C.        Suspend our disbelief

D.       Enter the realm of the mystical

 

ANS:      C                   See page 9                                                             (Moderate)

 

11.   __________  are considered Òfront of houseÓ staff.

A.       Actors

B.        Ushers

C.        Designers

D.       Playwrights

 

ANS:      B                   See page 16                                                       (Easy)

 

12.  Directors who have reinterpreted and rearranged ShakespeareÕs texts include

A.       Brook and Branagh

B.        Beckett and Coleridge

C.        Vladimir and Estragon

D.       Thespis and Hotspur

 

ANS:      A                  See page 14                                                        (Difficult)

 

13.  The rules of decorum for attending the theatre include

A.       Turning off cell phones and pagers

B.        A quiet, respectful demeanor

C.        Not taking photographs

D.       All of these

 

ANS:      D                  See page 15                                                         (Moderate)

 

True/False:

 

14.       The theatreÕs special quality lies in its being both a stage world and the illusion of a real world.

A.       True

B.        False

 

ANS:      T                   See page 6                                                             (Moderate)

 

15.       Both theatre and film require the audienceÕs active participation while we experience them.

A.       True

B.        False

 

ANS:      F                    See page 5                                                             (Moderate)

 

16.  Audience participation is always designed into the performance.

A.       True

B.        False

 

ANS:      F                    See page 17                                                         (Easy)

 

17.       Theatre, like film, can be experienced the same way over and over again.

A.       True

B.        False

 

ANS:      F                    See page 5                                                             (Easy)

 

18.       According to Peter Brook, theatre occurs when Òa man walks across a stage whilst someone else is watching him.Ó

A.       True

B.        False

 

ANS:      T                   See page 5                                                             (Moderate)

 

19.       Video games attempt to duplicate the immediacy of the theatre

A.       True

B.        False

 

ANS:      F                    See page 3                                                             (Moderate)

 

20.       Theatre buildings reflect changes and attitudes of the cultures and times in which they were built.

A.       True

B.        False

 

ANS:       T                   See page 10                                                           (Moderate)
 
 
CHAPTER TWO

Test Questions

Essay Type:

 

  1. The chapter discusses the similarities and differences between theatre and ritual. Think about some rituals you have been a part of (church services, weddings, funerals, etc) and describe the elements that are similar to the elements that we see in theatre.

 

  1. Describe ShakespeareÕs Globe Theatre and explain how the shape and type of the theatre are reflected in the plays that were performed and the audience that came to view them. Give specific examples from one of ShakespeareÕs plays.

 

  1. How does the development of Western theatre (English, Italian, French) parallel the development of Eastern theatre?  How do their histories differ?

 

Multiple Choice:

 

  1. One of the earliest theatres to have a permanent proscenium arch was

A.       The Globe Theatre

B.        The Swan Theatre

C.        The Farnese Theatre

D.       The Eisenhower Theatre

 

                        ANS:      C                   See page 33                                                         (Easy)

 

  1. Thrust Stages were an attempt to

A.       Minimize the separation of actor an audience

B.        Create a theatre of illusion

C.        Use perspective scenery

D.       Increase the audience size

 

                        ANS:      A                  See page  37                                                       (Moderate)

 

  1. The Italian architect Giambattista Aleotti created a system of scenery that employed

A.       Tongue and groove

B.        Wing and Groove

C.        Mortise and tenon

D.       Groove and pinion

 

                        ANS:      B                   See page 34                                                         (Moderate)

 

  1. The only surviving Greek trilogy is by the playwright

A.       Sophocles

B.        Euripides

C.        Aeschylus

D.       Aristophanes

 

                        ANS:      C                   See page 25                                                         (Moderate)

 

  1. The cycle plays of the medieval theatre dealt with

A.       Classical myths

B.        Biblical events

C.        Moral lessons from everyday life

D.       None of these

 

                        ANS:      B                   See page 26                                                         (Easy)

 

  1. Chikamatsu Monzaemon is best know for writing plays for

A.       Japanese Noh

B.        Kathakali Dance Drama

C.        Balinese Dance Theatre

D.       Bunraku

 

                        ANS:      D                  See page 45                                                         (Easy)

 

  1. The four types of roles for actors in Beijing Opera include:

A.       Dao, jhing, tang, sheng

B.        Sheng, dan, ching, chou

C.        Dan, tao, xiang, fou

D.       Ming, dan, chou, tang

 

                        ANS:      B                   See page 40                                                         (Difficult)

 

  1. Eastern theatre has influenced the work of Western playwrights and directors such as

A.       Julie Taymor

B.        Bertold Brecht

C.        Peter Schumann

D.       All of these

 

                        ANS:      D                  See page 48                                                         (Moderate)

 

  1. In Kabuki theatre, male actors who play female roles are called

A.       Berdache

B.        Onnagata

C.        Shamisen

D.       Hanamichi

E.         

                        ANS        B                   See page 45                                                         (Easy)

 

  1. The Nayasastra, the Sanskrit book on dramaturgy, spelled out conventions of

A.       Theatre architecture

B.        Costumes

C.        Dramatic composition

D.       All of these

 

                        ANS:      D                  See page 51                                                         (Moderate)

 

True/False:

 

  1. The most dramatic changes in Greek theatre architecture were from the Classical to the Hellenistic period.

A.       True

B.        False

 

                        ANS:      T                   See page 25                                                         (Moderate)

 

  1. Pageant Wagons were used extensively in 19th century theatre.

A.       True

B.        False

 

                        ANS:      F                    See page 28                                                         (Moderate)

 

 

  1. The aim of the picture frame stage was to shatter the illusion of reality

A.       True

B.        False

 

                        ANS:      F                    See page 34                                                         (Easy)

 

  1. The Japanese Noh drama has remained unchanged since the 17th century

A.       True

B.        False

 

                        ANS:      T                   See page 42                                                         (Easy)

 

  1. The butai and the hashigakari are the two principal scenice elements of the Kabuki Theatre.

A.                                           True

B.                                            False

 

                        ANS:      F                    See page 43                                                         (Difficult)

 

  1. Beijing Opera depended heavily on conventions of acting, staging, and singing rather than on a text.

C.                                            True

D.                                           False

 

                        ANS:      C                   See page 44                                                         (Difficult)

 

  1. The best known fixed stage of medieval times was the one constructed for the Valenciennes Passion Play in 1547.

E.                                            True

F.                                             False

 

                        ANS:      C                   See page 44                                                         (Difficult)

 

 

CHAPTER THREE

 

Test Questions

Essay Type:

 

  1. Environmental theatre productions forced audiences to confront their own prejudices and preconceptions.  Is this an appropriate function for theatre?  Does the theatre still have the power to make us rethink our social and political positions?

 

  1. Jerzy Grotowski described his essential concern is Òfinding the proper spectator-actor relationship for each type of performance.Ó After reading the description of his production Akropolis explain whether you think this was the proper spectator-actor relationship for the play.

 

  1. Free Southern Theatre brought theatrical productions to audiences, rather than asking audiences to gather in an appointed place for performances.  In view of the audiences they were trying to serve, was this appropriate and effective?

 

Multiple Choice:

 

  1. One of the forerunners of alternative approaches to theatre production was
    1. Anton Chekhov
    2. Henrik Ibsen
    3. Max Reinhardt
    4. Tennessee Williams

 

            ANS:  C                                             See page 60                                                         (Easy)

 

  1. ÒFinding the proper spectator-actor relationshipÓ is a way describing the environmental theatre performances associated with

 

A.       Bread and Puppet Theatre

B.        Free Southern Theatre

C.        Polish Laboratory Theatre

D.       Living Theatre

 

            ANS:  C                                             See page 59                                                         (Moderate)

 

6.          Theatre du Soleil drew its inspiration, in part, from

A.       Kathakali dance-drama

B.        Noh and Kabuki

C.        Commedia

D.       All of these

 

            ANS:  D                                             See page 67                                                         (Moderate)

 

  1. The politically charged production of The Brig was staged by

A.       The Living Theatre

B.        The Polish Laboratory Theatre

C.        The Open Theatre

D.       The Performance Group

 

            ANS:      A                                          See page 64                                                         (Easy)

 

  1. Bread and Puppet Theatres traditionally began with an act of

A.       Social and spiritual communion

B.        Passing the hat

C.        An invocation to Thespis

D.       None of these

 

            ANS:  A                                             See page 70                                                         (Difficult)

 

  1. Theatre Du Soleil was founded in 1964 by

A.       Joseph Chaiken

B.        Jerzy Grotowski

C.        Julian Beck

D.       Ariane Mnouchkine

 

            ANS:  D                                             See page 66                                                         (Easy)

 

  1. GrotowskiÕs poor theatre returned to the essentials of theatre

A.       Thought, character, plot

B.        Diction, music, spectacle

C.        Time, space, action

D.       Action, audience, space

 

            ANS:  D                                             See page 63                                                         (Difficult)

 

  1. Les Atrides is based on

A.       The plays of Shakespeare

B.        The work of Julian Beck and Judith Malina

C.        The plays of Euripides and Aeschylus

D.       The works of Aristotle

 

ANS:      C                                           See page 69                                 (Easy)

 

  1. The oldest theatrical collective in the United States was headed by

A.       John OÕNeal, Gilbert Moses III and Doris Derby

B.        Judith Malina and Julian Beck

C.        Ariane Mnouchkine and Peter Brook

D.       Peter Schumann and Peter Brook

 

ANS:      B                   See page 64                                                         (Difficult)

 

  1. Akropolis juxtaposes Biblical and Homeric scenes to comment on

A.       The Vietnam War

B.        Greek mythology

C.        The modern death camp

D.       All of these

 

ANS:  C                     See page 62                                                         (Moderate)

 

  1. The Brig, by Kenneth Brown, covers a single day in

A.       A military prison

B.        A concentration camp

C.        The Pentagon

D.       None of these

 

                        ANS:      A                  See page 64                                                         (Easy)

 

True/False:

 

  1. Unlike most of the experimental theatre companies that started in the 1960Õs, the Free Southern Theatre still flourishes today.

A.       True

B.        False

 

            ANS:  F                                              See page 74         (Easy)

 

  1. Grotowski believed that performance was a semi-religious act.

A.       True

B.        False

 

            ANS:  T                                              See page 61         (Easy)

 

  1. The Bread and Puppet Theatre perform on a farm in Rhode Island.

A.       True

B.        False

 

            ANS:      F                    See page 70         (Moderate)

 

  1. Environmental theatre rejects conventional seating and includes the audience as part of the performance space.

A.       True

B.        False

 

            ANS:      T                   See page 60         (Easy)

 

  1. Warehouses, garages, lofts and abandoned churches are among the spaces that have been adapted for modern alternative theatre.

A.       True

B.        False

 

            ANS:  T                      See page 60                                 (Easy)

 

  1. In 1970, The Living Theatre brook into five groups, or Òcells.Ó

A.       True

B.        False

 

            ANS:  F                      See page 60                                 (Easy)

 

  1. In one of Theatre du SoleilÕs productions, actors step out of character to demand low cost housing.

A.       True

B.        False

 

                        ANS:  F                      See page 69                                 (Moderate)

 

 

 

 

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Test Questions

Essay Type:

 

  1. Musical theatre is a reflection of the social milieu that produces it.  What issues of social importance have been explored by the musical theatre in the past 75 years?  What current issues would be most appropriate for exploration in the musical theatre genre?

 

  1. Discuss the various musical idioms (jazz, ragtime, vaudeville, so forth) that fed into the growth of the American musical theatre.  What current musical styles and idioms will have an impact on future musical theatre productions?

 

  1. For the last twenty-five years, the Òconcept musicalÓ has been a Broadway staple.  Choose a recent film and discuss how it might be turned into a Òconcept musical.Ó  Feel free to use any musical style, past or present, that fits the material you have selected.

 

Multiple Choice:

 

  1. The American musical theatre dates back to
    1. The Industrial Revolution
    2. The Victorian era
    3. The Colonial period
    4. The Depression

 

ANS:      C                   See page 325                                                     (Easy)

 

1.          The book of a musical is called

A.   The scenes                                    
B.    The libretto
C.    The synopsis
D.   The score

 

ANS:      B                   See page 326                                                     (Moderate)

2.          __________ was best known for a series of annual reviews that featured scantily clad chorus girls.

A.       W. S. Gilbert

B.        George M. Cohan

C.        Arthur Sullivan

D.       Florenz Ziegfeld

 

ANS:      D                  See page 327                                                     (Easy)

 

3.          Jerome Kern pioneered a new type of musical theatre with

A.       Showboat

B.        Shuffle Along

C.        Very Good, Eddie!

A.       Oklahoma!

 

ANS:  A                               See page 327                                                     (Moderate)

 

4.            Among the firsts associated with Oklahoma! were

A.   Absence of an opening chorus number
B.    First murder onstage in a musical
C.    First Òdream balletÓ
D.   All of these

 

ANS:  D                                 See page 329                                                     (Moderate)

 

5.          Carousel, The King and I and South Pacific are examples of the successful collaboration of

A.       Rodgers and Hart

B.        Bernstein and Sondheim

C.        Rodgers and Laurents

D.       Rodgers and Hammerstein

 

ANS:  D                                 See page 332                                                     (Difficult)

 

6.          The influence of the pop rock musical Hair can be seen in

A.       Annie Get Your Gun

B.        Rent

C.        Dames at Sea

D.       All of these

 

A.       ANS:  B                                             See page 335                                                     (Moderate)

7.          A Chorus Line, which chronicles the audition of 17 dancers is the work of

A.       James Kirkwood

B.        Marvin Hamlisch

C.        Michael Bennett

D.       All of these

 

ANS:  D                                 See page 338                                                   (Moderate)

 

8.          The tradition of importing American musicals to Great Britain was broken with the production of

A.       Kiss Me, Kate

B.        Guys and Dolls

C.        The Boyfriend

D.       Pal Joey

 

ANS:  C                                 See page 340                                                     (Moderate)

 

9.          The longest running musical in both New York and London is

A.       Jesus Christ, Superstar

B.        Cats

C.        Phantom of the Opera

D.       Whistle Down The Wind

 

ANS:   B                               See page 343                                                     (Moderate)

 

True/False:

 

10.    The production of Po-ca-hon-tas was the most influential event in the development of the American musical theatre.

A.       True

B.        False

 

ANS:  F                                  See page 326                                                     (Moderate)

 

11.    Porgy and Bess was based on an Edna Ferber novel.

A.       True

B.        False

 

ANS:  F                                  See page 328                                                     (Easy)

 

12.    Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart broke new ground with Oklahoma!

A.       True

B.        False

 

ANS:      F                    See page 331                                                     (Difficult)

 

13.    In place of the Capulets and Montagues, West Side Story has Crips and Bloods.

A.       True

B.        False

 

ANS:  F                                  See page 333                                                     (Easy)

 

14.    Jonathan Larson, the creator of Rent, died soon after the show opened off-Broadway.

A.       True

B.        False

 

ANS:  F                                  See page 338                                                     (Moderate)

 

15.    Both Cameron Mackintosh and Andrew Lloyd Webber have been honored by the Queen of England for their contributions to the musical theatre.

    1. True
    2. False

 

ANS:  T                                  See page 342                                                     (Difficult)

 

16.    The TKTS Booth is operated by LORT (League of Resident Theatres).

    1. True
    2. False

 

ANS:  F                                              See page 344                                                     (Easy)  

 

 

 

 

 

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

 

Test Questions

Essay Type:

 

  1. With the ever increasing cost of ticket prices, more and more people have to depend on a playÕs reviews to help them make decisions. Get five reviews of the same production and compare and contrast the viewpoints of each critic. For your conclusion explain whether you think a person should use play reviews to help make their play going decisions.

 

  1. What type of background, education, and experience do you feel a theatre critic should have before being allowed to review professional/Broadway plays. Explain your answers.

 

  1. As weÕve seen, critics serve as mediators between audiences and the artists.  What sorts of mediation does a playwright do for each of these groups?  Is this service of value?

 

Multiple Choice:

 

  1. The leading theatre critic for the New York Times is
    1. Frank Rich
    2. David Richards
    3. Ben Brantley
    4. Brooks Atkinson

 

ANS:      A                  See page 362                                                     (Easy)

 

  1. The two types of criticism are

A.       Literary and descriptive criticism

B.        Qualitative and quantitative criticism

C.        Descriptive and prescriptive criticism

D.       Dramatic and literary criticism.

 

ANS:      D                  See page 349                                                     (Difficult)

 

  1. Angels in America, Part Two:   Perestroika was written by
A.   Arthur Miller
B.    Tony Kushner
C.    Tennessee Williams
D.   Mel Gussow

 

                        ANS:      B                   See page 353                                                     (Easy)


  1. When Frank Rich wrote for the New York Times, he was known as

E.        The Beast of the Bowery

F.         The Butcher of Broadway

G.       The Pariah of Shubert Alley

H.       The Great White Shark of the Great White Way

 

                        ANS:      B                   See page 357                                                     (Moderate)

 

  1. Among the viewpoints brought by an audience are

A.       Artistic quality

B.        Entertainment value

C.        Human and social significance

D.       All of these

 

            ANS:      D                  See page 351                                                     (Moderate)

 

9.             Aristophanes and Euripides were scorned in ancient Greece as a result of their

A.       Warmongering

B.        Theatrical innovations

C.        Pacificism

D.       Homosexuality

 

                        ANS:      C                   See page 352                                                     (Moderate)

 

10.       Catharsis is best defined as

A.       Revision of attitudes by reflection

B.        Clearing emotions through pity and fear

C.        Liberation from despair

D.       None of these

 

                        ANS:      B                   See page 354                                                     (Difficult)

 

11.       According to Stanley Kaufmann, life is the playwrightÕs subject while __________ is the criticÕs subject.

A.       Commerce

B.        Criticism

C.        Theatre

D.       Art

 

                        ANS:      C                   See page 356                                                     (Difficult)

12.       All theatre criticism involves

A.       Description and summary

B.        Evaluation and description

C.        Substance and form

D.       None of these

 

                        ANS:      B                   See page 361                                                     (Easy)

 

13.       With her review of American Buffalo, Edith Oliver brought ___________ to the attention of theatre going audiences.

A.       David Hare

B.        David Rabe

C.        David Mamet

D.       David del Tredidi

 

                        ANS:      C                   See page 366                                                     (Moderate)

 

True/False:

 

14.       When we say that we each have aesthetic standards we are simply stating that we know what we like and what we donÕt like.

A.       True

B.        False

 

                        ANS:      T                   See page 354                                                     (Easy)

 

15.       Whether the critic is good or bad doesnÕt depend on his opinions but on the reasons he can offer for those opinions.

A.       True

B.        False

 

                        ANS:      T                   See page 362                                                     (Moderate)

 

16.       Sam Shepard wrote American Buffalo.

A.       True

B.        False

 

                        ANS:      F                    See page 361                                                     (Easy)

 

17.       Theatre criticism is as much an economic force as it is an appraisal.

A.       True

B.        False

 

                        ANS:      T                   See page 349                                                     (Easy)

 

18.       The best plays explore what it means to be human in ordinary circumstances.

A.       True

B.        False

 

                        ANS:      F                    See page 351                                                     (Moderate)

 

19.       In some way, every great production must be entertaining.

A.       True

B.        False

 

                        ANS:      T                   See page 354                                                     (Moderate)

 

20.       Scholarly criticism has been unaffected by recent academic trends, such as semiotics and deconstructionism.

    1. True
    2. False

 

                        ANS:      F                    See page 360                                                     (Moderate)