Chapter 1 Theatre Quiz

Art

a mirror or reflection of life; and

extension or projection of how we live,

Critic

a person who analyzes and evaluates a work of art or performance, offering insights and opinions on its merits and shortcomings.

Audience

a group of individuals who engage with and interpret a performance or artwork.

Playwright

a person who writes plays, shaping characters and dialogue to tell a story on stage.

Willing Suspension of Disbelief

The act of temporarily setting aside critical judgment to experience the emotional and imaginative truth of a narrative

Aesthetic Distance.

the separation between the audience's emotional involvement and their intellectual understanding of a performance.

Descriptive Criticism

To describe as clearly and accurately as possible

Perspective Criticism

Offers advice and sometimes suggests rules for what should be done in theatre

Climatic Plot

a traditional, linear dramatic structure in which the story’s events are carefully ordered to build toward a single, decisive climax, followed by a resolution

Episodic Plot

a narrative structure in which a story is told through a series of distinct, often self-contained episodes rather than a single, tightly compressed storyline.

Extraoridnary Characters

Heroes and

Heroines that are larger than life:

Queens, Generals, etc.

Representative or

Quintessential Characters

represents a large section of the population.

Minor Characters

Play a small part in the

overall action. Often further the story and

support.

Narrator or Chorus

Speaks directly to

the audience, frequently commenting on

the action.

Aristotles’s 6 Elelment’s of Drama

Plot, Character, Thought , Diction , Music and Spectacle

Tragedy

Tragic Heroes and Heroines

 Usually an extraordinary character (King, Queen)

Nobility a person of stature. They stand as symbols of nobility

Comedy

Entertainment and laughter

Excessive plot complications

Ridiculous situations

 Pratfalls and horseplay