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Theatre History

Total questions: 60

Worksheet time: 3600secs

Name
Class
Date
1.

Were women allowed to participate in Greek theatre?

a)

Yes

b)

No

2.

How would you describe a Farce?

a)

Dramatic - realistic

b)

Comedy - over the top and ridiculous

c)

A little of both

3.

Who took over theatre during The Dark Ages?

a)

Kings

b)

Mimes

c)

The Church

4.

Plays during the Medieval era were based on what book?

a)

Novels

b)

The Bible

c)

Both

5.

What does the word Renaissance mean?

a)

Recharge

b)

Rebirth

c)

Redo

6.

What was the type of theatre that was made for the lower and middle classes?

a)

Commedia Dell'Ants

b)

Commedia Dell'Taco

c)

Commedia Dell'Arte

7.

What is The Globe?

a)

Shakespeare's Theater

b)

A sphere that shows the world

c)

One of Shakespeare's plays

8.

Why did plays begin at 2pm during Shakespeare's time?

a)

So people could come after work

b)

For the lighting

c)

Because people liked to sleep in

9.

Audience members who paid a penny to stand on the ground at the Globe

a)

Grounded

b)

Grouds people

c)

Groundlings

10.

What does the word theatre mean?

a)

a place for seeing

b)

a place for acting

c)

a place for entertainment

d)

a place for enjoying

11.

Who was Thespis?

a)

the first director of a play

b)

the first actor in theatre

c)

the first audience member in a theatre

d)

the first ticket taker in a theatre

12.

What type of play did the Greeks most admire?

a)

comedy

b)

tragedy

c)

musical

d)

romance

13.

Who was responsible for closing all Roman theatres?

a)

The French

b)

The Italians

c)

The Christians

d)

The Muslims

14.

What was the type of theatre popular from 1300-the 1600s?

a)

Ancient

b)

Medieval

c)

Roman

d)

Renaissance

15.

Who is associated with Lord Chamberlain's Men?

a)

William Shakespeare

b)

William the Conqueror

c)

William the Great

d)

William of Sussex

16.

Why did Christians not allow theatre in Europe during the middle ages?

a)

It was too violent

b)

It was too sinful

c)

It was too expensive

d)

It was too sexist

17.

What was a ministrel?

a)

a ticket taker

b)

a director

c)

a writer

d)

a traveling actor

18.

Who were the actors for Roman theatre?

a)

boys

b)

peasants

c)

slaves

d)

children

19.

Theatre has been used throughout history in what ways? (Mark all possible answers)

a)

To teach

b)

To comment

c)

To entertain

d)

To punish

20.

The Ancient Greeks used theatre as a part of their religious festivals to honor which god?

a)

Athena

b)

Hades

c)

Dionysus

21.

Why did the Church ban theatre during the Middle Ages?

a)

Because they didn't like the competition?

b)

The Church thought it negatively influenced people.

c)

As a precaution against the Black Plague

22.

Most plays and stories during the Renaissance were about:

a)

Cultural ideas

b)

Religious ideas and principles

c)

Everyday people

23.

Actors in the Elizabethan time period were not legitimate unless they were sponsored by nobility.

a)

True

b)

False

24.

Actors in the Elizabethan era were...

a)

Men only

b)

Women only

c)

Both men and women

25.

What three genres did Shakespeare write in?

a)

Comedy, Tragedy, Drama

b)

Tragedy, History, Comedy

c)

Romance, History, Musical

d)

History, Tragedy, Drama

26.

What type of stage was in the Globe Theatre?

a)

Arena

b)

Thrust

c)

Proscenium

d)

Found

27.

Like Greek Theatre, Indian Theatre started as a way to ________________.

a)

Entertain the masses

b)

Raise money

c)

Honor the Gods

d)

Prepare warriors

28.

Although Indian Theatre likely started earlier, the Gupta Empire of the 4th and 5th century provide us with the first examples of ___________________.

a)

Written records of scripts and performances

b)

Drawings of Performances

c)

Relics of Props and Costumes

d)

Preserved performance spaces

29.

Kuttiyattam is often known as __________________.

a)

Hindu Drama, because that is the religion its stories were focused on.

b)

Buddhist Drama, because that is the religion its stories were focused on.

c)

Sanskrit Drama, because that is the language it was performed in.

d)

Indian Drama, because that is the language it was performed in.

30.

Most performances reenacted stories from The Mahabharata and The Ramayana, which can be compared to ancient _____________ of the western world.

a)

Tragedies

b)

Comedies

c)

Epic Poems

d)

Historical Accounts

31.

This Hindu God is the god of destruction and rebirth

a)

Shiva

b)

Brahma

c)

Vishnu

d)

Ganesha

32.

The Natysastra contains information on Bhavas and Rasas, and essentially serves the same purpose as ________________.

a)

Aristotle's Poetics - The Rules of Theatre

b)

Sophocles' Oedipus Rex - A Famous Example of a Play

c)

Homer's Odyssey - A Famous Epic Poem Used in Many Plays

d)

Augustine's Apologetics - An Argument for the Importance of Theatre

33.

Sanskrit Drama was mainly performed in __________________.

a)

Market Squares

b)

Theaters

c)

The Street

d)

Temples

34.

While Sanskrit Drama did not have a chorus, they did have _______________________.

a)

Complex Scenery

b)

Musical Accompaniment

c)

Masks for Actors

d)

An Orchestra

35.

Kuttiyattam and Sanskrit Drama's stylized movements show how Ancient Eastern Theatre put more emphasis on ____________________________, while Ancient Western Theatre put more emphasis on ___________________________.

a)

Dance and Music, Extravagant Scenery

b)

The Written Word, Dance and Music

c)

Human Reasoning, Religion

d)

Dance and Music, The Written Word

36.

A morality play is a play that

a)

Teaches the stories of the bible

b)

Teaches the stories of the saints

c)

Teaches the lessons of how to live as a Christian

37.

In a Greek theatre, the place where the the audience sits is called

a)

The Orchestra

b)

Theatron

c)

Skene

38.

In Greek theatre, masks were used to (mark all that apply)

a)

Allow the actors to change characters quickly

b)

Allow Gods to come down and play in the shows

c)

Allow the actors to play parts that they would never otherwise be able to play

d)

Women could be actors without being in trouble

39.

What of the following is true about mystery plays? (Mark all that apply

a)

They taught bible stories

b)

They would sometimes be performed for many days in a row.

c)

They were only performed by priests

d)

They were first performed inside churches

40.

In the middle ages, when troupes performed in town squares they performed on

a)

The ground

b)

A cart

c)

A stage that they built new for each performance

41.

Mark all that is true about morality plays

a)

They were popular because there was very little other entertainment during this time

b)

They were only performed by men

c)

They were legal and endorsed by the Catholic church because they taught Catholic values

d)

The names of the characters reflected what kind of virtue or vice they represented

42.

Vaudeville is a form of theatre that was around during the

a)

late 1700s and early 1800s

b)

early to mid 1800s

c)

late 1800s to early 1900s

d)

the mid 1900s

43.

This musical was the first show to use rock music in as the music type.

a)

Rent

b)

In The Heights

c)

Hamilton

d)

Jesus Christ Superstar

44.

Lin-Manuel Miranda made history by writing (choose all that are true)

a)

The first show to use rap as the primary was of telling the story

b)

The first show to have Hispanic people at all

c)

The first story about Hispanics written by someone who identifies as Hispanic.

d)

The only Hispanic person to win a Tony

45.

In Medieval times, the main purpose of theatre was to...

a)

Educate the public about morals

b)

Entertain the city crowds

c)

Provide a fun show for the visiting nobility

d)

Ward off evil spirits

46.

What was specifically different about the way they did theatre in Medieval times?

a)

They used masks in most of their performances.

b)

They had a specific room to perform in located inside the church.

c)

They performed eight shows a week for the crowds that came to the city.

d)

They performed the play in separate sections on top of different carts around the city.

47.

Commedia dell'Arte was NOT known for...

a)

improvisational acting.

b)

the long monologues given in the middle of the performances.

c)

elaborate costumes made specifically for each character.

d)

the use of masks to identify characters.

48.

Elizabethan theatre was known for bringing the social classes together - why?

a)

Because it had humor made for both lower and higher educated patrons.

b)

Because plays were performed before all audiences, both rich and poor.

c)

Plays focused on characters who were rich and characters who were poor.

d)

All of the above.

49.

The Chinese were the earliest people who founded the art of storytelling through…

a)

elaborate masks.

b)

non-human actors.

c)

singing and dancing.

d)

improvisation.

50.

How many different types of Chinese puppetry are there? And what are they?

a)

Four: marionette, rod, glove, and shadow.

b)

Five: marionette, rod, glove, shadow, and finger.

c)

Three: rod, glove, and shadow.

d)

Four: marionette, finger, glove, and shadow.

51.

Which of the following is NOT an element of Noh Theatre?

a)

Men and women actors playing the characters.

b)

The heavy use and integration of music.

c)

The use of masks.

d)

Plays were separated into four seasons.

52.

Which era in theatre is known for "making people question their existence?"

a)

Commedia dell'Arte

b)

Medieval Theatre

c)

Greek Theatre

d)

Theatre of the Absurd

53.

What is the main purpose of Theatre of the Absurd?

a)

To entertain.

b)

To inspire.

c)

To educate.

d)

To shock.

54.

Which era in theatre is known for 50% of its runtime to be filled with song and dance?

a)

Medieval Theatre

b)

Musical Theatre

c)

Chinese Theatre

d)

Commedia dell'Arte

55.

Music using only songs from a group or artist. (Ex.: Rock of Ages).

a)

Concept Musical

b)

Book Musical

c)

Revue

d)

Jukebox Musical

56.

Traditional music with a strong story that drives the music and the characters.

a)

Concept Musical

b)

Book Musical

c)

Revue

d)

Jukebox Musical

57.

Musical where the concept or message is just as, if not more important than the story.

a)

Concept Musical

b)

Book Musical

c)

Revue

d)

Jukebox Musical

58.

A musical usually has how many acts?

a)

1

b)

2

c)

3

d)

4

59.

Who wrote the most famous musicals of the Golden Age?

a)

Andrew Lloyd Webber

b)

Lin Manual Miranda

c)

Rogers and Hammerstein

d)

Steven Sondheim

60.

What British playwright wrote some of the most popular musicals of the 1980's and 1990's?

a)

Andrew Lloyd Webber

b)

Lin Manual Miranda

c)

Rogers and Hammerstein

d)

Steven Sondheim