Deck 1: The Audience: Its Role and Imagination

Question 1

The first challenge to theatre as a dramatic medium came from

A) television.
B) radio.
C) silent movies.
D) computer games.

Answer 1

silent movies.

Question 2

Theatre is an event in which the performers are in the presence of the

A) audience.
B) press.
C) ruling class.
D) director.

Answer 2

audience.

Question 3

One of the things that film can do that theatre cannot is

A) create numerous computerized and/or mechanical special effects.
B) show outdoor shots made from helicopters.
C) instantaneously cut from one scene to another.
D) All of these answers are correct.

Answer 3

All of these answers are correct.

Question 4

At the heart of the theatre experience is the

A) director-performer relationship.
B) performer-audience relationship.
C) audience-director relationship.
D) performer-author relationship.

Question 5

The degree of separation between the object or event that an artist creates and the audience that observes it is called

A) aesthetic distance.
B) intellectual separation.
C) reinforcement.
D) alienation.

Question 6

In ________ theatre, the emphasis is on education, personal development, or therapy.

A) participatory
B) distanced
C) alienated
D) observed

Question 7

In Shakespeare's own day, women's parts were played by

A) prostitutes.
B) old men.
C) boys.
D) castrati.

Question 8

Rapid movements back and forth in time are called

A) crosscuts.
B) reminiscences.
C) flashbacks.
D) fades.

Question 9

An anachronism involves

A) the relating of a story or event that happened prior to the start of the play.
B) the refusal of the audience to suspend disbelief during a portion of the play.
C) use of a metaphor to communicate the underlying meaning of the play.
D) placing some character or event outside its proper time sequence.

Question 10

When we say that one thing is like another, it is called a simile; when we say one thing is another, that is called a(n)

A) anachronism.
B) symbol.
C) metaphor.
D) substitution.

Question 11

When an element of theatre resembles observed reality, it is considered

A) realistic.
B) nonrealistic.
C) anachronistic.
D) metaphoric.

Question 12

Realism became the dominant form of European drama in the

A) Elizabethan era.
B) early eighteenth century.
C) middle of the twentieth century.
D) late nineteenth century.

Question 13

When a solitary character speaks to the audience, expressing in words a hidden thought, it is called a(n)

A) anachronism.
B) metaphor.
C) flashback.
D) soliloquy.

Question 14

A theatrical technique in which performers pretend to be using objects that are not actually present is called

A) pantomime.
B) theatre of image.
C) absurdism.
D) realism.

Question 15

The reenactment of material gathered from actual events is called

A) realism.
B) theatre of fact.
C) dramatic truth.
D) transcriptional theatre.

Question 16

The phrase "willing suspension of disbelief" was coined by

A) Henrik Ibsen.
B) Anton Chekhov.
C) Samuel Taylor Coleridge.
D) August Strindberg.

Question 17

Language is a

A) symbol.
B) metaphor.
C) simile.

Question 18

A flag is a

A) symbol.
B) metaphor.
C) simile.

Question 19

The ship of state is a

A) symbol.
B) metaphor.
C) simile.

Question 20

A bed like cement is an example of a

A) symbol.
B) metaphor.
C) simile.

Question 21

Heart of darkness is an example of a

A) symbol.
B) metaphor.
C) simile.

Question 22

Ice in his veins is an example of a

A) symbol.
B) metaphor.
C) simile.

Question 23

The Statue of Liberty is a

A) symbol.
B) metaphor.
C) simile.

Question 24

A logo is an example of a

A) symbol.
B) metaphor.
C) simile.

Question 25

The King of Swing is an example of a

A) symbol.
B) metaphor.
C) simile.

Question 26

A swastika is an example of a

A) symbol.
B) metaphor.
C) simile.

Question 27

Abstract forms and shapes on a bare stage are examples of

A) realistic technique.
B) nonrealistic technique.

Question 28

Ordinary street clothes are an example of

A) realistic technique.
B) nonrealistic technique.

Question 29

Poetry that Romeo speaks to Juliet in Shakespeare's play is an example of

A) realistic technique.
B) nonrealistic technique.

Question 30

Shafts of light falling at odd angles, and colors in light used arbitrarily, are examples of

A) realistic technique.
B) nonrealistic technique.

Question 31

Rooms of a real house is an example of

A) realistic technique.
B) nonrealistic technique.

Question 32

These are permanent, professional, nonprofit theatres that offer a season of first-class productions to their audiences each year.

A) college and university theatres.
B) community theatres.
C) regional theatres.
D) Broadway.

Question 33

Uniquely among the arts, theatre focuses on one thing and one thing only. What is this one thing?

A) human beings.
B) acting.
C) creating a theatrical experience.
D) drama.

Question 34

Augusto Boal is regarded as one of the most inspirational theatre practitioners of his day because

A) he introduced and adapted new technologies in scene design.
B) he created a new form of acting based on movement and dance.
C) engaged audiences in the theatrical process rather than confronting them.
D) he set the record for directing the most shows on Broadway.

Question 35

The makeup of a group will alter a theatrical event.

Question 36

The persistent and dire predictions that live theatre would soon be dead, made obsolete by technological innovations such as radio, film, television and the computer have, for the most part, proven accurate.

Question 37

Discuss differences between an image (picture, reproduction) and the object itself. For instance, compare a yearbook photograph of a student to the actual student today. How are they similar? Different?

Question 38

One of the significant aspects of the performer-audience relationship in theatre is that there is always a possibility that something unique will happen: a mistake, an accident, or, on the other hand, an inspiration that lifts the performance to new heights. Have you ever been present at such an event? What was the audience's reaction?

Question 39

Music has faced many of the same technological challenges as theatre. Discuss why people will go to a live rock concert instead of simply staying home and listening to a recording or watching a DVD of the concert.

Question 40

Identify in everyday life how many different types of events you can think of that have theatrical elements to them.

Question 41

Discuss the psychology of groups. In what ways do people behave differently when they are part of a large group-for example, when they attend a football game, a rock concert, or a riot?

Question 42

Laughter is greatly influenced by groups. What does it feel like to be the only one in a group to laugh loudly at something? What does it feel like to laugh along with everyone else? How would you explain these feelings?

Question 43

Give examples of various kinds of homogeneous and heterogeneous audiences. What types of plays might appeal to different types of audiences? What might happen if the play does not match its audience-for instance, if a communist play was performed for an audience of American Legionnaires, or a rock musical was performed for an audience of senior citizens?

Question 44

The latest challenge to theatre (and most performing arts) is the home theatre. Now it is possible to experience movies on a large, high-definition screen with surround sound without leaving the house. Discuss how this might impact the theatre. Will there be any reason to go out anymore? Does attending a play feel different than watching movies on a high-def screen?

Question 45

Make a list of symbols and metaphors found in everyday life. Be clear in your distinction between the two. How do you engage with these symbols and metaphors? What purpose do they serve?

Question 46

Discuss documentary writing or reporting, such as television newscasts. Where does the journalist's truth end and invention or fiction begin? Pay particular attention to issues involving "staged"
or "recreated"
events, several of which have caused scandal in the nation's newsrooms. Do such techniques make news into theatre? And if so, how does this affect the way we view news and theatre?

Question 47

The distinction between stage reality and physical reality becomes clear when something unplanned happens onstage, such as a performer injuring himself or herself. Discuss other examples. How do such events affect the performance? What effect does this have on the "willing suspension of disbelief"?