THTR 201
Exam 1 Study Guide
If you can answer all these questions, you will ace the exam!
1
What does “ephemeral” mean?
Temporary, not lasting
2
What does theatre have in common with visual art? Other
performing arts? Life? How is it different?
Artificial, created to be seen, no practical purpose
3
What are the four basic needs of theatre?
Actor
Audience
Space
Time
4
What are Aristotle’s elements of theatre?
Plot, Character, Idea, Language, Music, Spectacle
5
What factors contribute to the social nature of theatre
audiences?
Show, society, ticket prices,
6
In Elizabethan England, what were theatre audiences like?
Loud, shouted at stage
7
What was the name of the musical by Marc Blitzstein that
was shut down by the government, and caused the entire audience,
cast, crew, and musicians to walk to a new theatre and perform it
from the audience?
The cradle Will rock
8
What is the difference between a linear (causal) plot, and an
episodic plot?
Linear: a-b-c, episodic centers around an idea
9
What is a protagonist? Antagonist? Foil? Confidante?
Raissoneur?
Foil-reflects the protagonist’s characteristics
Raissoneus-author’s voide
10
What is exposition?
Part of the story that reveals need-to-know information
11
In A Doll’s House, who is the protagonist? Antagonist? Be
familiar with the script of A Doll’s House.
Nora, Torvald
12
Was the plot of A Doll’s House entirely fictional, or was it
based on a true story?
true
13
In Germany, Ibsen wrote an alternate ending for A Doll’s
House. How did the German version end?
Norta stayed
14 What does LORT stand for? League of Resident Theatres
15 What does an Artistic Director do? Gets funding
16 What does a stage manager do? Manages all branches of the
theatre
17 What is the difference between commercial and nonprofit
theatre? Commercial maks a profit, nonprofit breaks even
18 What does a Producer do? Funds and aquires space
19 What is Actors Equity Association? Who do they represent?
Union, actors stage managers
20 We saw a clip from a documentary in which Purdue graduate
Tom Moore was the director of a play starring Carol Burnett and
Philip Bosco… what was the title of the play? Moon over Buffalo
21 Who is Julie Taymor? What does she do? Director, uses masks
22 What did scenic designer Charlie Calvert say he uses to
communicate his ideas to a director and to scene shop artists and
technicians? Models, blueprints, sketches, drawing (rendering)
23 What is a ground plan? Layout of sets
24 Lighting designer Tony Galaska uses “gels” in his lighting
design… what does a “gel” do? Changed color temp of a light
25 What is a light plot? Layout of lights
26 What is a technical director? Chief engineer
27 What does a costume designer consider in designing a costume
for a character? Period, class, available materials
28
In class we watched a clip from Shakespeare’s “A
Midsummer Night’s Dream” in which amateur actors were
preparing for a play. Was there a character who served as
“director,” or were there no director-like people in Shakespeare’s
time? One char was a director. He was passing out scripts
29 What is an Actor-Manager? Actor who also manages
30 Who is the Duke of Saxe-Meiningen? First real director
31 Who is said to be the first playwright in ancient Greece?
Escholas
32 Is Eugene O’Neill’s A Long Day’s Journey Into Night
entirely fictional, or is it based on a real family? Whose
family is it based on?
Based on his own family
33 Who was Samuel French, and what did he do? Bought the
rights to plays
34 If you were a new playwright, how could you get your play
seen? Send to local theatres
35 What is a proscenium stage? Arena stage? Thrust stage? I
know
36 To what did director Theresa M. Davis compare directing a
play? Having a child
37 In terms of directing, what is the “spine” of a play? The
through-line of events
38 What is an “auteur” director? Changes the play to suit their
needs or desires
39 Did director Peter Brook stage Shakespeare’s A Midsummer
Night’s Dream in a realistic way, with real trees, grass, and
bunnies on stage? If not, what did he do? White-box, minimalism
40 What is a dramaturg? Develops the season, hires actors, picks
plays
41 What is the difference between a reviewer and a critic?
Reviewer goes to see a play and writes saying if they liked it or
not. A critic is much more academic and historical
42 What, according to Denis Diderot, is “the paradox of the
actor?” in order to appear natural, the actor must be artifical
43 Who is considered to be the “father of modern acting?”
Stanislavsky
44 In terms of acting, what are Given Circumstances? The “Magic
if?” Objective? Obstacle?
45 What type of training does an actor need? Physical, vocal
46 Who watches auditions? Producer, casting director, maybe
director
47 What is an agent? Helps get parts
48 What is a headshot? photo
49 How is the Hansen Theatre different from Elliott Hall of Music
and the Mallet Theatre? Hansen is black box, other are procenium
50 What is blocking? Movement on stage
51 Know the different areas of the stage (upstage, downstage,
stage right, stage left)