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theatre chapter 6 and 7

Terms in this set (40)

The term ________ is from the Greek word dran meaning "to act" or "to do."
drama
Typically speaking, theatre is limited to the __________.
stage
Examples of one character or group opposing another may be:
home team versus the visiting team
father versus son
old guard versus young turks
men versus women
The arrangement of events or the purposeful order of scenes in a play is called
plot
The primary artist in the theatre who conceives of the initial idea to be staged is the _______.
playwright
The opening scene of a play may do which of the following?
indicate the tone of the production
initiate the action of the characters.
establish the imbalance between the characters
Aeschylus and Sophocles differed in the __________ in their dramatizations of the Electra story that shows the latitude dramatists have in fitting a story to their artistic purpose.
order of events
The limits of time in theatre can be looked at in two ways:
the time limits placed on the characters within the structure of the play
how long it takes a performance to take place
Impediments that are put in the character's way are called ________ whereas ________ are new forces or plot twists that alter the balance of power.
obstacles
complications
In order to generate a contest of wills as equal as possible, the playwright will attempt to create a ________ of forces.
balance
In what way might the viewpoint of the playwright help the audience understand the play?
The playwright's viewpoint helps us perceive and interpret the actions of the characters.
It tells us that the author is looking at events from a personal or unusual angle.
German playwright Bertolt Brecht and American playwright Thornton Wilder were greatly influenced by:
Mei Lanfang
Beijing Opera
a full narrative account of an event typically told in chronological order
story
Because of a series of conflicts, obstacles and complications the character(s) must resolve, a variety of ________ that build one on top of the other before reaching the climax.
crises
True or false: complications are impediments that are put in the character's way whereas new forces or plot twists that alter the balance of power and delay the climax are called obstacles.
False
Because people may see an event from their own perspective, it is critical that the playwright deliberately and directly impose their own __________ on the play.
point of view
What is meant by the idea that the action of the play is generally confined to a "world" of its own?
it contains a fictional universe of all the characters and events of the play
Feminist plays often are written with a __________ structure that does not focus on a single climactic event.
cyclical
This is the final and most important moment in the play in which the key issues are resolved.
climax
Identify the two equal but complete ideas that illuminate the meaning of tragedy.
Man is capable of extraordinary even limitless achievements.
The world we live in is often cruel, unjust and meaningless.
These two dramatic forms of theatre, or combination of the two, have dominated western theatre practice since fifth century Greece.
climactic and episodic
These kind of plays or playwrights represent good examples of dramatic works that combined elements from climactic and episodic forms.
Chekhov plays
restoration plays
The overall cumulative cause and effect found in episodic play structure may be described as
a tsunami or tidal wave of events that overwhelm the characters.
A repetition or reenactment of a proceeding in a prescribed sequence is called
ritual
Human performers are sometimes required to play ________ characters such as animals and robots in order to emphasize the human characteristics.
nonhuman
Similar to ritual, ________ is a type of dramatic structure that has a repeated sequence of events with its own unique order and logic.
pattern
What are some of the reasons for the audience to reflect on various character types?
character types are part of the essence of various dramatic forms; understanding them helps the audience to understand the play better
if the audience is aware of the character type it helps them understand the dramatic form better
Characters placed side by side for purposes of contrasting representations that can strengthen and clarify the lead characters are known as:
contrasting characters
When does an audience first encounter the point of view of the production?
Multiple choice question.
at the very beginning
The high point in climactic dramatic structure, the ________ is when past events intersect at a critical moment in the present.
climax
True or false: climactic and episodic plays cannot be combined because they have their own internal logic that govern plot structure.
False
Ritual has structure. What are some of the elements associated with ritual?
events in ritual progress naturally
ritual has a beginning, middle, and end
ritual has action that is repeated in a specific manner
In climactic structure the plot begins
late in the story
Characteristics associated with climactic structure include:
a few long scenes or acts
no more than a handful of characters
scenes restricted to a single location
Plots that begin early in the story and expand rather than compress the action are characteristics associated with ________ drama.
episodic
Action in an episodic play:
may extend over a lengthy period of time stretching many years
will often take place over many locations
Parallel plot is often referred to as
subplot
When a playwright alternates between elements such as alternating shorter and longer scenes or public and private scenes this is referred to as ________ or contrast.
juxtaposition
Markers that are closely identified with or indicate serial dramatic structure include:
a central theme or common thread
a series of acts or episodes offered in a single presentation
Late twentieth-century theatre practitioners seeking to discover new forms of theater developed a number of innovative strategies that countered traditional theatre practice. Some of these include:
a stronger focus on nonverbal gestures and body movements
the use of improvisation rather than rely on the written text
stressing the spatial relationship between the audience to the performers
Sets found in the same folder