Nineteenth-Century American Theater Quiz

Who opened the African Grove Theatre in New York in 1816?

• Dion Boucicault

• Harriet Beecher Stowe

• William Alexander Brown

• Mike Rugnetta

Which play by William Wells Brown is considered the first published play by an African-American author?

• The Drama of King Shotaway

• Uncle Tom's Cabin

• The Escape

• The Octoroon

What was the original theatrical form in America that reinforced racist caricatures?

• Melodrama

• Minstrel show

• Shakespearean plays

• Variety entertainment

Who is credited with creating the minstrel show genre?

• T.D. Rice

• Daddy Rice

• George Aiken

• Al Jolson

What was the character name created by Daddy Rice that became associated with racist laws in the Southern United States?

• Othello

• Shylock

• Uncle Tom

• Jim Crow

What was the first play to depict slaves as people with relationships and emotions?

• Uncle Tom's Cabin

• The Octoroon

• The Drama of King Shotaway

• The Escape

Which play by Dion Boucicault was second in popularity only to 'Uncle Tom's Cabin'?

• The Drama of King Shotaway

• The Escape

• The Octoroon

• Uncle Tom's Cabin

What did English audiences want changed in 'The Octoroon' when it was performed in London?

• The ending

• The portrayal of Native American character

• The subplot involving a murder

• The villain's fate

What genre did American theater link with melodrama?

• Shakespearean plays

• Silent film

• Minstrel show

• Variety entertainment

What legacy of American theater still exists today?

• Racist stereotypes

• Melodrama

• Minstrel shows

• All of the above