Deck 13: Directing and Producing

Question 1

_____The term "blocking" refers to:

A) Establishing the performers' movements from place-to-place and their bodily position
B) The scheduling of rehearsals in long time segments
C) The director's use of invented obstacles to heighten the emotional frustration of a character
D) All of the above
E) None of the above

Answer 1

A

Question 2

_____Director Anne Bogart has gained considerable notoriety for staging familiar or classical plays in a manner that can seem iconoclastic

Answer 2

True

Question 3

_____From the beginning of rehearsals, directors are usually able to rehearse with the actual scenery, properties and costumes

Answer 3

False

Question 4

_____Which is the perhaps the most indispensable of the director's assistants?

A) The assistant director
B) The stage manager
C) The rehearsal secretary

Question 5

????_____ Producers usually provide potential investors with:

A) The cost to be incurred by the negotiated salaries of the production's actors and director along with a list of proposed ticket prices
B) A proposed budget of all expenses to be incurred prior to the first performance
C) A proposed budget for all expenses prior to opening the show, weekly operating costs, and a plan for dividing any profits

Question 6

_____Which is NOT a main directorial concern in guiding the performers' use of voice and speech?

A) That their speech should be audible and comprehendible to the audience
B) That the tempo and rhythm of their dialogue should vary with the changing dynamics of the action
C) That the performers' vocal qualities should be appropriate to their characters
D) That the contents of their speeches should not be offensive or vulgar in any way

Question 7

_____Stage movement may:

A) Give emphasis
B) Characterize
C) Clarify the situation
D) All of the above
E) None of the above

Question 8

_____The means to create visual emphasis remain the same, regardless of the type of stage

Question 9

_____The term "technical rehearsals" refers to when the actors first discuss the play with the director

Question 10

_____The producer's primary functions are financial and managerial in nature

Question 11

_____The term "colorblind casting" refers to what practice?

A) Deliberately casting characters of one race or ethnicity to play characters of another to raise a specific point
B) Casting the most talented performer suitable for the role regardless of race or ethnicity
C) Casting performers through blind auditions in which the actors perform behind a screen that reveals only their silhouettes

Question 12

_____Ariane Mnouchkine staged some of Shakespeare's history plays using the formalized conventions of Asian theatre is an example of the auteur directorial approach

Question 13

_____Which is NOT ordinarily a responsibility of the director?

A) To decide upon an interpretation of the script and a concept or focus for its production
B) To determine the total cost of the production and its projected income
C) To cast and rehearse with the performers
D) To coordinate the integration all of the elements into a finished production

Question 14

_____The term "open call" means that anyone who wants to audition may do so without any restrictions

Question 15

_____Each moment within a play creates an image that sends a message to the audience - whether planned or not

Question 16

_____Which statement best defines the auteur directorial approach?

A) The director tries to transfer the script as literally as possible from page to stage
B) The director uses the script as raw material to be reshaped for his or her own purposes
C) The director attempts to capture the spirit of the play, often by using means or expressions the script does not directly call for.
D) The director articulates a defined focus for the production

Question 17

_____Directors generally dictate to the designers exactly what the show should look like

Question 18

You may wish to have your students write a long essay (or short paper) that evaluates the director's contribution to a production they have attended using the questions posed in "Thinking About the Director's Work." Encourage students to make specific observations in respect to the perceived interpretation, casting, staging, pacing, and overall effect.

Question 19

_____When studying the script, one of the questions a director may ask is whether or not the length of the script should be cut.

Question 20

_____The typical rehearsal schedule follows what process?

A) Read and discuss the script, blocking, memorize lines, ensemble playing, technical rehearsals
B) Blocking, memorize lines, ensemble playing, read and discuss the script, technical rehearsals
C) Read and discuss the script, blocking, ensemble playing, technical rehearsals, memorize lines
True/False

Question 21

Have your students write an essay that addresses the different means of auditioning performers. They might consider some or all of the following questions. What factors influence a director's choice of how to audition performers? How do the different ways of auditioning performers yield different types of information? What values and assumptions about acting support the choice to audition performers by "cold readings?" By prepared monologues? By interview?