Western Theatre - Renaissance to Realism

Question 1

commedia dell’arte

Answer 1

Improvisational comedy using humor at another’s expense and common tropes like romance, greed & ambition

Question 2

English Renaissance Theatre

Answer 2

1. Theatres become public venues
2. All social classes are allowed
3. 1st permanent venues in England
4. Easier methods for performers to work

Question 3

Master of Revels

Answer 3

coordinated theatrical entertainment for the court and granted licenses to actors.

Question 4

The Globe Theatre

Answer 4

Paid for by the Lord Chamberlain’s Men. Allowed no women to act, had small troupes playing multiple characters, and a highly demanding schedule.

Question 5

Christopher Marlowe

Answer 5

blank verse poetry in plays; consequences of new freedoms.

Question 6

Shakespeare

Answer 6

wrote about love & conflict; questioned kingship.

Question 7

The Tragical History of the Life & Death of Dr. Faustus

Answer 7

Morality play exploring themes of hubris, servitude, damnation, and regret; a respected doctor makes a deal with the devil searching for something “worthy of his genius”.

Question 8

Restoration Comedy

Answer 8

Theatre movement during the Restoration Period characterized by highly salacious, bawdy performances.

Question 9

Restoration Period

Answer 9

In the 1700s, the period when King Charles II retook the throne from the Puritans.

Question 10

breeches role

Answer 10

Women pretending to be men on stage.

Question 11

Aphra Behn

Answer 11

1st female playwright, known for the play The Rover

Question 12

The Rover

Answer 12

Aphra Behn. Horny Naval Captain falls in love with girl who wants “love” before going to the convent, inspiring jealousy in famous courtesan who seeks revenge. Restoration Comedy.

Question 13

Rakes

Answer 13

typical male protagonist in Restoration comedy; immoral womanizers.

Question 14

The Country Wife

Answer 14

William Wycherly; Town rake feigns impotence to gain access to women–and their knickers.

Question 15

Spanish Golden Age

Answer 15

1580-1700; societal & scientific growth; rise of colonialism; attempt to surpass the rest of Europe’s empire’s.

Question 16

Spanish Golden Age Theatre

Answer 16

Honor, chivalry, militaristic; professional & regulated for “quality control”.

Question 17

Corrales

Answer 17

permanent theatre in Spain; usually raised money for charity.

Question 18

autos scramentales

Answer 18

religious plays, often everyday people with a touch of supernatural or allegorical motifs

Question 19

comedias nuevas

Answer 19

secular 3 act plays; comedy and tragedy with history, myth, pop culture, and the Bible all in one.

Question 20

Lope de Rueda

Answer 20

medievil style plays; a founder of Golden Age Theatre.

Question 21

Lope de Vega Carpio

Answer 21

secular theatre/comedias nuevas; established distinct Spanish style.

Question 22

Pedro Calderon de la Barca

Answer 22

an incredibly prolific playwright whose death is considered the end of Golden Age Theatre.

Question 23

Melodrama

Answer 23

moral tales of good versus evil in which good always triumphs, bringing justice to society.

Question 24

3 Elements of Melodrama

Answer 24

Provocation, Pangs, and Punishment

Question 25

soap opera

Answer 25

subgenre of melodrama with overly emotional scenes, beautiful heroes and heroines, villains and quests for justice.

Question 26

A Doll’s House

Answer 26

Controversial play by Henrick Ibsen in which an unfulfilled housewife realizes her marriage is a sham and leaves her husband. Considered the start of modern drama.

Question 27

Modern Drama

Answer 27

characterized by focus on regular people and their problems, themes of isolation, loneliness, or alienation.

Question 28

Major Barbara

Answer 28

1905, George Bernard Shaw; Barbara, a major in the salvation army, struggles with her goal of helping the poor while rejecting the donations of her wealthy, estranged father.

Question 29

Long Day’s Journey Into Night

Answer 29

1942, Eugine O’Neill; A family struggles with secrets suddenly revealed; semi-autobiographical.

Question 30

Peer Gynt

Answer 30

Henrick Ibsen; A self-centered, immoral rule breaker and womanizer gets an extension on life by going back to the woman he married and left.

Question 31

Anton Chekhov

Answer 31

Russian playwright and writer in the late 19th c known for pioneering stream of consciousness and foreshadowing techniques.

Question 32

Chekhov’s Gun

Answer 32

foreshadowing technique: if a gun is placed in act one, it must later be fired; all things in a story must be relevant.

Question 33

The Seagull

Answer 33

Chekhov; writer has unrequited love for an actress and gives her a seagull he shot; the seagull may be her hopes for freedom.

Question 34

Uncle Vanya

Answer 34

chekhov; Professor plans to sell his estate for personal gain displacing those it supports. Themes of unhappiness and frustration.

Question 35

Three Sisters

Answer 35

Chekhov; based on the Bronte sisters; their search for meaning/purpose while stuck in the sticks.

Question 36

The Cherry Orchard

Answer 36

Chekhov’s last play; intended as comedy, director made tragedy; rich family auctions everything to pay off debt.

Question 37

Stanislavski System

Answer 37

A trilogy of books: An Actor Prepares, Building a Character, & Creating a Role explain the “System”; inhabiting the thought and emotion of the character and expressing them outwardly in performance.