THEA 105 - Theater Appreciation

UWSP 2026-27 Quiz and Textbook Notes

Theatre is an event in which the performers are in the presence of the

Audience

At the heart of the theatre experience is the

Performer-audience relationship

The makeup of the audience has no effect on the theatrical performance

False, demographics matter

No matter how knowledgeable a critic is about theatre, much of what he or she writes is simply opinion

True, reviews are subjective

In their work for most regional professional theatres, the dramaturgs are responsible for examining new plays, researching plays the theatre is producing, and designing lights and sound.

False, the last claim is untrue.

Which performance space is the most intimate?

Arena Stage

Which performance space utilizes the greatest amount of scenery and stage machinery?

Proscenium Stage

Elaborate Scenery on/in an ________ is impossible because it would block the view of the other audience members.

Arena Stage

The ________ is of special interest to experimental or avant-grade practitioners.

Created, or found, space

Most Broadway performance spaces were built with the _________ configuration.

Proscenium Stage

A typical Elizabethan playhouse was which type of performance space?

Thrust Stage

Which performance spaces do performers usually have to make their entrances and exits along aisles that run through the audience?

Arena Stage

What kinds of question should we ask when evaluating the environment used for staging a production?

• What type of stage did it have?

• What sort of atmosphere did the space suggest?

• Was the space appropriate for the type of play being produced?

For some productions, scenic designers are able to alter the architecture of the space to create a new arrangement or configuration.

True, scenic designers can do this

Which stage configuration combines the intimate, wraparound feeling from the audience with the seating arrangement focused on a single background located at the back of the stage?

Thrust Stage

Unlike most other forms of art, theatre generally does not have a specific structure or form.

False, there are limits and rules to theatre

What is NOT a convention of dramatic structure?

Limited conflict

A selection and arrangement of scenes from a story is called a

plot

There can only be one crisis in any dramatic plot

False, there can be many

An impediment that is put in a character’s way is called an

Obstacle

An outside force or new thrust in the plot introduced at an opportune moment is a

Complication

“The world is a comedy to those who think, a tragedy to those who feel” is a

viewpoint

The word “drama” is derived from a Greek root, the verb dran, which means

To do and to act

The final and most significant crisis is referred to as the

Climax

What is not true about the forces in a dramatic script?

They should avoid confrontation with each other

The subject of drama varies greatly, and at certain times throughout theatre history, drama has focused on human beings, but more often than not the subjects of drama are quite different.

False, (I lowkey don’t even know what this question is asking)

If two or more playwrights create a play based on the same story, it is important that the facts of that story remain consistent from one play to the next.

False, playwright have creative liberty

The opening scene is crucial and does may things, but one thing is doesn’t do is

Resolves the central dramatic conflict

The subject of theatre is always

People

Politicians and advertisers often hide their point of view, whereas a playwright’s imposition of their point of view is direct and deliberate

True, playwright’s opinions and beliefs are hard to hide in the story

What is NOT one of the responsibilities of a performer in the theatre?

To coordinate the elements and the vision of the production

What performance technique did Stanislavski NOT develop?

Biomechnics

In order to throw the voice into the audience so that it penetrates to the utmost reaches of the theatre, the actor must

Project

In response to the new realistic drama of the late nineteenth century, _______

devised a system to teach performers how to achieve the necessary believability.

Henrik Ibsen

Ensemble acting emphasizes the

Artistic unity of a group performance

In order for a performer to convincingly play a role, he or she must synthesize the inner and outer aspects of training through a process called

Integration

“Centering” involves finding the place where all the lines of force in the body come together. It is located roughly, in the

Middle of the torso

Stanislavski’s early research into realistic acting techniques was conducted while he was directing many plays by

Anton Chekhov

Another term for a through line is

Spine

What best characterizes Stanislavski’s later approach to actor training?

Purposeful action as the most direct route to the emotions

“Viewpoints” theory is an approach to acting that originated in the United States and combines dance and stage movement with concepts of

Time and space

What are the two types of acting that we see in daily life?

Imitation and role playing

In order for an actor or actress to properly prepare a role, he or she should always begin with an outer aspect such as a walk, a posture, or a peculiar vocal delivery, and then develop the inner life of the charcter.

False, Charcater work starts internally

Unlike in classical plays, adept physical movement is not required of the actor in a realistic play.

False, movement is an important part of theatre performance

While there have been changes and modifications over the years to Stanislavski’s approach to realistic acting, his theories continue to form the basis for most acting training.

True, His theories are important and used to this day

A main task of the modern-day director is to

Draw disparate elements together to create a unified whole

When a play is performed as it will be before the public, complete with all production elements but without an audience present, it is called the

Dress Rehearsal

A performance in front of an audience prior to the “official” opening of a play, when the director and the performers discover which parts of the play are successful and which are not, is known as the

Preview

The arrangement and movements of performers relative to each other and the stage space is called

Blocking

Which person casts the actors?

Director

Which person researches productions and criticism?

Dramaturg

Which person oversees the budget?

Producer

Which person coordinates light, sound, and scene changes during the performance, as well as the entrances and exits of the performers?

Stage Manager

Which type of nonrealism gives outward expression to the inner feelings?

Expressionism

Which type of realism attempts to put as exact a copy of life as possible onstage down to the smallest detail?

Naturalism

Which type of realism is intended to resemble real life with a certain artistic license allowed to inject creativity into the process?

Heightened Realism

Which type of nonrealism represents an abstract theme through symbolic characters, actions, and other elements of the production?

Allegory

As long as there have been theatrical productions, there has been someone performing the function of director.

True, higher leadership is needed for the production to function

All movement in a play is orchestrated by the choreographer.

False, Choreographer only direct dance movements