Drama Test #1

Question 1

What is choral drama?

Answer 1

reading or recieting of text by a group

Question 2

elements of choral drama:

Answer 2

variety of vocal groupings + elements, repetition or chant, unison speech

Question 3

front of house meaning

Answer 3

Front of House, that area of the house, or theatre, which belongs to the audience;
the auditorium, entrance foyer, etc. For example, lights hung in front of ta balcony or
from a pipe across the auditorium are referred to as F.O.H. or front of house lights.

Question 4

monologue meaning

Answer 4

a lengthy speech delivered by one person. Now also used to refer to any
dramatic composition for a single actor.

Question 5

prop meaning

Answer 5

Any small article set on the stage (and so 1 belonging to, or the
property of the stage), as opposed to larger articles of furniture 2. A hand prop, an article,
such as a letter, which “belongs” to a character and is brought on-stage by him/her. 3. A
costume prop, an article, such as a purse, sunglasses or a sword which is part of an actor’s
costume.tables set in the wings, accessible an yet out of the way, for properties to
be taken on and brought off-stage during a performance by the actors.

Question 6

conflict meaning

Answer 6

Forces of opposition, central to the action of most plays.

Question 7

blocking meaning

Answer 7

Stage movement for actors, given in rehearsal (usually) by the director.

Question 8

tableau meaning

Answer 8

a frozen picture of a dramatic moment. Like a painting it conveys a concept,
an action, or an emotion. A tableau can capture a frozen moment in time. The most
interesting tableaux have three levels (high, medium and low) and have a definite focal
point.

Question 9

curtain call meaning

Answer 9

a raising and lowering or opening and closing of the curtain at the end
of a performance, by which the cast acknowledges the audience’s applause.

Question 10

soliloquy meaning

Answer 10

a lengthy speech delivered by one character ALONE on stage. He/She speaks their
thoughts aloud.

Question 11

cheating meaning

Answer 11

Turning the actor’s body or face towards the audience during a performance
or improvisation so that the actor can be seen and the audience feels included in the
performance.

Question 12

willing suspense of disbalief meaning

Answer 12

Samuel Coleridge’s phrase to identify the
basis upon which “poetic faith” is operated in the theatre. An audience usually does this
to appreciate and “Believe” the play being enacted before it.

Question 13

technique meaning

Answer 13

a practical method or art applied to some particular task e.g. the wave

Question 14

skill meaning

Answer 14

an ability that has been acquired through training e.g. movement

Question 15

rehersal meaning

Answer 15

is a practise session in preparation for a performance. Rehearsals allow us to
plan, reflect, problem solve, memorise and polish our work.

Question 16

concentration/focus meaning

Answer 16

is the attention to a task. Concentration not only supports our learning by
keeping us on task and attentive to the lesson but also assists in the learning of others. In
drama, in order to concentrate, we must suspend our disbelief. When we believe, the audience
believes along with us. This acceptance allows not only the actor to learn experientially but also
the audience to learn vicariously from the imagined world of the drama.

Question 17

collaboration

Answer 17

is the act of working together. Collaboration develops a community of learning.
We learn from others and they learn from us. We become responsible for not only our learning
but the learning of others. Teamwork ensures students are successful learners.

Question 18

investment

Answer 18

is the commitment of something (money, time, energy, or effort) to a project with
the expectation of some worthwhile result. When we become invested in drama we willingly take
on the responsibility for our own learning. We become more involved and participate more
effectively in the learning process. If everyone is invested it promotes growth and development
of learning.

Question 19

trust

Answer 19

our faith or confidence in others. Trust allows us to feel comfortable and safe in the
learning environment and, so, be more open to participating in the learning process. We are
able to take risks, push boundaries and learn successes as well as from our mistakes.

Question 20

communication

Answer 20

the activity of conveying information. Communication allows us to not only
learn but also to teach. It allows us to share what we have learned and for others to share their
knowledge thereby extending our knowledge.

Question 21

creation

Answer 21

the act of making our ideas tangible. The creative act communicates what we have
learned. In drama, creation allows us to learn experientially by stepping into someone else’s
shoes.

Question 22

imagination

Answer 22

is the ability to visualise ideas. Our imagination allows us to learn through
experimentation and brainstorming. It inspires our learning. When we imagine we become more open to learning.

Question 23

listening

Answer 23

hearing and interpreting so that we fully understand what is said to us. Listening
enables us to learn from others to further develop our learning and improve our performance.

Question 24

reflection

Answer 24

thinking about what we have done, said or learned. Reflection allows us to learn
from our successes and failures and so develop our learning further.

Question 25

producer

Answer 25

The individual who is responsible for the financing of the performance, budget and
advertising.

Question 26

stage manager

Answer 26

Responsible for all technical aspects of the production and running the show.
He/She becomes the leader of the production on opening night.

Question 27

APRON

Answer 27

The part of the stage that extends in front of the proscenium arch.

Question 28

UPSTAGE

Answer 28

The sections of the stage closest to the back wall. Comes from a time when
stages were slanted from the front to the back so that upstage meant quite literally walking6 up the stage toward the back wall

Question 29

thrust stage

Answer 29

dominant kind of staging during Shakespeare’s time in England that is
being revived in many contemporary theatres. Also called 3/4 round because the audience
surrounds the action on 3 sides as the stage juts into the audience area.

Question 30

theme

Answer 30

The intellectual content in a play. Generally considered to be that idea basic to
the thought of the play; the author’s central idea. Usually the theme is expressed in one
full sentence using an active verb.

Question 31

theatre in the round

Answer 31

a form of presenting a play with the audience seated in
radiating circles around the acting area. The idea dates from the mid ages but has only
recently returned to vogue. When used effectively it can result in a vibrant and involving
theatre for both actors and audiences.

Question 32

stage left

Answer 32

the left side of the stage from the actor’s point of view as he/she faces the
audience.

Question 33

stage direction

Answer 33

In the script, an instruction to actors or director which is not part of
the dialogue. In so far as they refer to actors’ moves, they are given in terms of the actors’
point of view, his left and right as he faces the audience. The stage is also thought of as
being divided into areas labelled “up” and “down” terms derived from the slope on a
raked stage.

Question 34

rhythm

Answer 34

A combination of tempo, emotion, mood; imagery, stress beat, sound, accent,
motion and so forth, that creates a pattern of activity. A play has a rhythm, a production
has a rhythm; an actor and his/her role have a rhythm.

Question 35

box office manager

Answer 35

The person responsible for all activity connected with the
ordering, printing, and selling of tickets. After a performance he/she must account for
sold and unsold tickets against the money received.

Question 36

box set

Answer 36

Interior setting represented by flats forming three sides (the fourth wall being
the proscenium line); first used around 1830 and common after 1850.

Question 37

catharsis

Answer 37

The purging of emotion and suspense which occurs at the

end of a tragedy; experienced by the audience and at times by the characters as well.

Question 38

catwalk

Answer 38

A narrow bridge above and across the stage, or in the roof of an auditorium,
giving access to lights and/or scenery.

Question 39

clown

Answer 39

A comic performer. There are two distinct types of clown, the court jester or
all-seeing fool to be found in Shakespeare, and the circus buffoon of the Commedia
dell’Arte. The loveable innocent and the quipping cynic combine to make the clown as
we know it today: an extremely funny, but somehow pathetic figure now rarely seen
outside the circus. Each clown creates his own “character” and patents the make up that
expressed it.

Question 40

complication

Answer 40

An incident which alters the direction of a play’s action line (turns the
action in a new direction).

Question 41

dialogue

Answer 41

A conversation between 2 or more characters on stage.

Question 42

directer

Answer 42

The person responsible for the entire artistic approach to a production. He is
the invisible conductor of the eventual performance, and is the accepted leader of the total
production unit working through producer, designer, lighting designer, stage manager,
and, of course, actor. (In England often called the producer)

Question 43

down stage

Answer 43

The part of the stage nearest to the audience. 2. Ar, on, or toward this
part of the stage (see stage direction)

Question 44

dress

Answer 44

to trim and supply furnishings for a set. When a set is dressed, it its ready for use
and decorated as required by the designer, who must approve the finishing touches.

Question 45

exposition

Answer 45

The essential information provided the audience to begin the action of a

3
play, or given later to clarify action.

Question 46

flat

Answer 46

A light wooden or metal frame covered by canvas and used for scenery

Question 47

focus

Answer 47

The setting of the size and angle of a beam of light. 2. In a working
production, the invisible pointing by the director, working through the cast, of moments of
special significance. 3. Personal concentration on the role and situation.

Question 48

gesture

Answer 48

In one sense, any human act that conveys meaning (i.e. a speech is a gesture).
In a more limited sense, a planned physical movement that conveys meaning, like waving
a hand or pointing a finger.

Question 49

house manager

Answer 49

as representatives of the theatre organization, the “host” to the
audience is his/her “house”. He/She is responsible to the front-of-house section of the the
theatre.

Question 50

improvisation

Answer 50

Acting without a set script. As an exercise, improvisation is often
used to help an actor explore his/her role by exposing him/her “in character” to situations
not encountered in the script.

Question 51

legs

Answer 51

Tall, relatively narrow curtains used as part of a set for masking the wings. Legs
are usually used in pairs, one on either side of the stage.

Question 52

line of sight

Answer 52

A straight line, imaginary or drawn, indicating the direction of the eyes
from any seat in the auditorium to the stage or to a particular point on the stage or set.
Ideally, theatres should be built and sets designed so that all lines of sight are clear and
uninterrupted.

Question 53

mask

Answer 53

to interrupt the line of sight as to prevent someone or something from being seen
from all or part of the audience. Backing is used to mask the wings and other off-stage
areas. Actors should not be placed so that they mask each other, unless such masking is
done deliberately.

Question 54

mime

Answer 54

The use of gesture and movement alone to convey character and situation;
acting without words, sometimes done to music. 2. An actor who performs in mime. 3.
A play enacted in mime (also called pantomime, which originally meant “a person who

4

mimed everything”)

Question 55

off-stage

Answer 55

part of stage out of view from audience

Question 56

pit

Answer 56

Area of the audience on the ground floor and adjacent to the stage. Historically an
inexpensive area because originally no seats were provided there and later only backless
benches were used. By the end of the 19 th century a preferred seating area (now called the
orchestra section). 2. Now refers often to the area reserved for members of the orchestra.

Question 57

protagonist

Answer 57

In Greek theatre, the first (or Major) actor, the one who competed for
the prize in acting. Later, the leading character in any play (the hero)

Question 58

prompter

Answer 58

A person who sits in the wings to “feed” actors when they forget their lines.

Question 59

run-through

Answer 59

A continuous rehearsal of a n act or whole play, without interruption
by the director or any break in the action. It is usually held only after the act or acts
concerned have been rehearsed in some detail.

Question 60

character/role

Answer 60

An actor’s portrayal of a character in a drama, developed with
attention to background, motivation, speech, and physical traits.

Question 61

emphasis

Answer 61

The theme, character, problem, event, moment in time, or centre
of visual interest (e.g., in a tableau or staging) that gives purpose
or impetus to a drama.

Question 62

tension

Answer 62

A heightened mental or emotional state resulting from
uncertainty about how the conflict or problem in a drama will be
resolved.