View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What is the climax of the theatre, which is not the climax of applause?
(a) The climax of silence.
(b) The climax of intent.
(c) The climax of fear.
(d) The climax of relief.

2. On the first day of rehearsal of what show did its composer, Harold Arlen, arrive wearing a blue cornflower, with champagne and presents for all?
(a) La Boheme.
(b) House of Flowers.
(c) Death of a Salesman.
(d) Les Miserables.

3. Which production does the author refer to in Paris which was a flop, so they offered three free performances?
(a) Sergeant Musgrave's Dance.
(b) Les Miserables.
(c) La Boheme.
(d) Caucasian Chalk Circle.

4. Where did the Royal Shakespeare Company's Lear find an unwilling audience?
(a) Connecticut.
(b) Philadelphia.
(c) California.
(d) New York.

5. What group is led by Julian Beck and Judith Malina?
(a) The Dead Theatre.
(b) The Theatre of Cruelty.
(c) The Laboratory.
(d) The Living Theatre.

Short Answer Questions

1. "The job of shifting oneself totally from one character to another--a principle on which all of Shakespeare and all of Chekhov is built--is a _______ task at any time."

2. The author writes that, "All through the world theatre audiences are ______".

3. What form of theatre does the author discuss first in the book?

4. In Grotowski's theory, "the act of performance is an act of" what?

5. What play does the author use as an example of the actor's inability to play "adjectives"?

Short Essay Questions

1. What role does the critic play in the world of theatre?

2. Discuss the playwright's role, as established by the author.

3. What is the theory and concept behind "Theatre of Cruelty?"

4. What is "The Happening," and what difficulty does it pose?

5. What are the four forms of theatre the author discusses, and where can they be found?

6. How can one produce Shakespeare and not fall into the realm of "Deadly" theatre?

7. How does the author define "The Holy Theatre"?

8. Does "Holy Theatre" mean serious theatre? Why or why not?

9. Describe Brook's "Theatre of Cruelty." Whose concepts and theories was this based upon?

10. Describe the difference between the Pekin Opera Company and the Formosa Opera Company.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 836 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample