question

Amphitheatres

answer

-low stage with ascending seats -less intimate between audience and actors -no onstage violence, only in daylight

question

Ludi

answer

The ludi were public Roman games started before 220 B.C. as annual communal games to give thanks to the gods.

question

Mime

answer

a performance using gestures and body movements without words

question

pantomime

answer

a play or story performed without words by actors using only gestures; to express in this way

question

periaktoi

answer

Scene design advice shaped lie a tall wedge of cheese. Each side has a painted part of the design. Three sided scene device unit used in Greek times

question

Chorus

answer

a company of actors who comment (by speaking or singing in unison) on the action in a classical Greek play

question

cothurnus

answer

i, m. a large hunting boot; a boot or buskin worn by tragic actors; hence tragedy, elevated style.

question

eccyclema

answer

The platform rolled out though the central doorway of the ancient greek stage house used typically to display the corpses of charactes slain offstage

question

facade stage

answer

conventional form in which actors perform in front of a neutral facade with the audience arcing to three sides or less

question

flat

answer

A structure upon which scenery is painted, consisting of a wooden frame and canvas covering; usually of a size to be carried by one or two persons for shifting. used in both Italianate staging and box sets.

question

Graeco-Roman period

answer

refers to the time period during which Greeks and Romans ruled Egypt, beginning in 332 B.C. with the invasion of Alexander the Great through the period of the Roman emperors.

question

Great Dionysia

answer

annual spring festival in honor of Dionysus, when dramatic competitions were held among three poets selected by the city

question

Hellenistic period

answer

that culture associated with the spread of Greek influence as a result of Macedonian conquests; often seen as the combination of Greek culture with eastern political forms

question

Mechane

answer

device for raising and lowering gods onto stage

question

middle comedy

answer

transitional greek style of comedy that marked a change in language which grew less formal and closer to the way people spoke.

question

mime

answer

a performance using gestures and body movements without words

question

new comedy

answer

comic dramas of Greece of the late fourth to second centuries BCE tending toward domestic and romantic comedy, domestic, romantic (kind of), influenced Rome, fragments of Menander

question

old comedy

answer

classical Greek comedy that pokes fun at social, political, or cultural conditions and at particular figures

question

onkos

answer

Headdress worn by some actors in ancient Greece to increase their height and, thus, visibility to theater audiences.

question

orchestra

answer

That area of the Greek and Roman theatre that lay between the audience area and the scene house.

question

Protagonist

answer

the leading character, hero, or heroine of a drama or other literary work

question

satyr play

answer

ancient Greek form of tragicomedy, They always featured a chorus of satyrs and were based in Greek mythology and contained themes of, among other things, drinking, overt sexuality (often including large phallic props), pranks and general merriment

question

skene

answer

small hut like building behind the stage used as a dressing room and later as a backdrop for painted settings

question

Confraternities

answer

voluntary lay groups organized by occupation, devotional preference, neighborhood, or charitable activity

question

Corpus Christi plays

answer

medieval religious plays based on the Bible and performed by town guilds on movable wagons, or pageants, as a part of the procession on Corpus Christi day (the first Thursday after Trinity Sunday)

question

Cycle plays

answer

or mystery plays - a series of playletd inspired by stories in the bible, written in common language, on stages, told story of human kind as it was understood by christians

question

emblem

answer

special design or visual object representing a quality, type, group, etc.

question

glories

answer

A scenic device used in the Italian court theatre to fly large groups for characters such as angels.

question

guilds

answer

business associations that dominated medieval towns; they passed laws, levied taxes, built protective walls for the city, etc. Each guild represented workers in one occupation such as weavers, bakers, brewers, sword makers, etc.

question

latin music drama

answer

plays chanted and sung given in the language of the church (latin)

question

liturgy

answer

a Christian sacrament commemorating the Last Supper by consecrating bread and wine

question

mansion

answer

the particularized setting in the medieval theatre that, together with the platea, or generalized playing space, constitued the major staging elements of the theatre. several mansions were placed around or adjacent to the plateu at once thus "simultaneous advertising"

question

masters of secrets

answer

The craftsman/aritst of the medieval theatre charged with the execution of special effects in the dramas

question

medieval

answer

Literally 'middle age,' a term that historians of Europe use for the period ca. 500 to ca. 1500, signifying its intermediate point between Greco-Roman antiquity and the Renaissance. (p. 250)

question

Middle ages

answer

The historical period from around 500 A.D. up to around 1450 A.D. between the fall of Rome and the birth of the Renaissance

question

miracle plays

answer

Dramas, originally under church control, that were based on the lives of the saints

question

morality plays

answer

Dramas—originally under church control—didactic allegories in which characters had names of virtues, vices, or other qualities

question

mystery plays

answer

a form of religious drama based on biblical history

question

pageants

answer

in Medieval times, dramas were performed on flat-bed wagons that could be drawn from town to town

question

pageant wagons

answer

wheeled stages in the medieval period.

question

platea

answer

the unlocalized playing area in the medieval theatre

question

Quem Quaeritis

answer

a mini play about the women finding Jesus' body which was inserted into the Easter mass; one of the earliest plays in Medieval times

question

scaffolds

answer

portable (movable) structure assembled to provide a high working platform (standing floor)

question

simultaneous staging

answer

Popular in the Middle Ages, especially for Liturgical theatre. It is a technique in which all of the scenes are visible at once, consisting of platea, open space and mansions, or stalls to represent each of the settings. These were often conventional, including a hellmouth in the shape of a demon's gaping maw, and heaven, which would be raised over the other mansions.

question

trope

answer

an interpolation in a liturgical text. some believe medieval drama to have been derived from medieval troping

question

Court theatres

answer

Fully Expressed. Plays were restaged with ballet interludes, movable scenery, gorgeous costumes. -Kings and courtiers played heroes of romance, purpose was entertainment. *Moved into parks, gardens, tournaments, battles. (More modest but shared basic visual conventions of court)

question

discovery space

answer

the space located between 2 doors at the back of the stage used for small interior settings (Elizabethan theaters)

question

galleries

answer

The highest audience areas in nineteeth century theatres (box, pit, and gallery), hence, the cheapest seats; the balconies

question

golden age

answer

the great age of any culture. in spain, the period c. 1550-1650, the greatest age of spanish drama; in france, the age of Louis XIV; in england, the age of Elizabeth and Shakespeare.

question

heavens

answer

Area above the stage: in the Elizabethan theatre, the underside of the roof that extended over the stage. 2. in the nineteenth century the highest gallery.

question

hirelings

answer

In professional companies of the renaisance and after, an actor technician hired by the shareholders to work for a set wage at a set task.

question

householders

answer

member of an acting company who owns a share of the theatre building itself.

question

Humanism

answer

A philosophy that believes that people should be at the center of their own deepest concerns.

question

hut

answer

In elizabethan public theatre, small space below roof, probably for machinery.

question

Lords rooms

answer

nice seats, the best seats in the house. Where the royals would sit during a play

question

masques

answer

performances that used dance, heavy on visuals, danced and pantomimed. usually glorifications of monarchs. used mythiological evens and characters. allegories for contemporary and the monarch(or guest of honor)

question

musicians gallery

answer

located on third level of tiring house

question

pit

answer

Area of the audience on the ground floor adjacent to the stage. historically an inexpensive area because originally no seats were provided there and later only backless benches were used. By the end of the nineteenth century, a preferred seatting 2.Now refers often to the area reserved for members

question

Private theatres

answer

In elizabethan and Stuart England, indoor theatres that were open to the public but were expensive beacuse of their relatively limited seathing capacity. located on monastic lands, these theatres were outside the jurisdiction of the city of london. Initially they housed childrens troupes, but later the relguar adult troupes used them as a winter home

question

Public theatres

answer

> 1 of 2 performance theatres in English Renaissance > # of historians believe forerunners of public theaters were bear-baiting rings or inns adapted for performances > Designed especially for performances & became primary playing spaces for professional adult companies > Built outside city limits of London, across Thames River, b/c London city fathers opposed theatre on moral grounds & forbade it in the city > Normally held 1,500-3,000 > Stage = raised platform w/ audience on 3 sides (more like thrust stage than proscenium arch)

question

Renaissance

answer

The great period of rebirth in art, literature, and learning in the 14th-16th centuries, which marked the transition into the modern periods of European history

question

Secularism

answer

Belief in the validity and importance of life and things on earth. Often contrasted with spiritualism, otherworldliness, or religiosity. the renaissance period was marked by a rising secularism.

question

Sharing companies

answer

one made up of shareholders

question

Tiring house

answer

dressing room, provided actors a variety of entries to the stage: windows, balconies, and two or more large doors.

question

Traps

answer

opening in the stage floor

question

Yard

answer

Another name for the pit in the shakepearean theatre; where patrons stood on the ground in front of the stage

question

Backdrop

answer

scenery hung at back of stage

question

Borders

answer

Curtain, or less often flats or cutouts, suspended at intervals behind the proscenium arch to mask the overhead rigging. Particularyly important in italianate settings.

question

Chariot-and-pole system

answer

-Italian Renaissance -A system built into the stage for scene changes. -Flats were built through the stage to an area below the boards. Under the stage was a mechagnism that moved the flats for scene changes. -Scenery was the most important aspect of theatre in Italy at the time.

question

Comedy

answer

light and humorous drama with a happy ending

question

Commedia dell arte

answer

professional improvised comedy that developed in Italy during the Renaissance

question

Confidants

answer

In drama, a character to whom another leading character gives private information

question

Decorum

answer

In neoclassical theory, the behavior of a dramatic characer in keeping with his or her social status, age, sex, and occupation; based on the requirements of verisimilitude.

question

Illusionism

answer

Scenic practices (with analogs in acting, directing, and other theatre arts) that rely on a belief in the theatrical imitation of the real world.

question

Italianate staging

answer

a kind of staging developed during the renaissance in italy and marked by a proscenium arch perspective scenery arranged in wing and shutter.

question

Lazzi

answer

short comedic scene-either seperate from or a part of a longer performance. It generally involves the Zanni and is often used to refocus the audience.

question

Neoclassicism

answer

A style of drama and theatre from the Italian Renaissance based loosely on interpretations of Aristotle and Horace. Major tenets were verisimilitude, decorum, purtiy of genres the five act form, and twofold purpose of drama to teach and to please.

question

Perspective

answer

Simulation of visual distance by manipulation of size of objectives.

question

Purity of genres

answer

two major forms, tradegy and comedy, must not be mixed

question

Ranked stage

answer

set at an angle; stage elevated higher at the back of the stage (upstage) than closer to the audience (downstage)

question

Scenario

answer

In general, the prose description of a plays story. in the commedia dell arte the written outline of plot and characters from which the actors improvised the particualr actions of performance

question

Shutter

answer

Large flat, paired with another of the same kind, to close off the back of the scene in Italianate staging; an alternative to a backdrop; sometimes used for units at the sides. when pierced with a cutout it becomes a relieve and showed a diorama.

question

Single-point perspective

answer

A technique for achieving a sense of depth by establishing a single vanishing point and painting or building all objects to diminish to it.

question

Three unities

answer

one day, one setting, one plot (Aristotle)

question

tragedy

answer

drama in which the protagonist is overcome by some superior force or circumstance

question

verisimilitude

answer

the appearance of truth

question

Wings

answer

areas out of the audience's sight from which actors make their entrances and in which sets are stored

question

Alienation effect

answer

the result of techniques to keep the audience aware that what they are witnessing is only a play; used by bertold brecht. alienation techniques include having the actors address the audience out of character, exposing the lights, removing the proscenium arch and curtains, and having the actors perform on bare platforms or simple sets that are sometimes punctuated with political slogans

question

art theatre movement

answer

Theatrical movement of the late 19th and early 20th century. Tried to separate itself from the commercial theatre and reliance on box office.

question

avant-garde

answer

a group active in the invention and application of new techniques in a given field, especially in the arts

question

biomechanics

answer

study of the laws of physics, specifically the laws of mechanics, as they apply to living bodies at rest and in motion

question

box set

answer

A type of setting that is built on the stage to look like the interior of a house or room, having three walls and no ceiling.

question

closet drama

answer

drama more suitable for reading that for performing

question

constructivism

answer

A relativistic point of view that emphasizes the subjective construction of reality. It implies that what we see in families may be based as much on our preconceptions as on what's actually going on.

question

continental seating

answer

First devised by Wagner in the late 19th century for his theatre at Bayreauth; eschews a central aisle in favor of entrances and exits at the end of each aisle.

question

epic theatre

answer

form of episodic drama associated with Bertolt Brecht and aimed at the intellect rather than the emotions

question

expressionism

answer

an early twentieth-century art movement that emphasized the artist's personal, subjective expression of inner experiences

question

fourth wall

answer

an imaginary wall between the audience and the actors in a representational play

question

impressionism

answer

a style of art that sought truth in fleeting moments of consciousness. prevalent in the drama and theatre of the 1890's impressionism was noted for its moody and mysterious qulity.

question

independent theatre movement

answer

19th century Europe, appearance of noncommercial theaters in several countries more or less simultaneously, most of them amateur or nontraditional and able to operate outside the usual censorship, "independent" of commercial demands. **Stimulated international idealism and acceptance of realism for mainstream theatre.

question

little theatre movement

answer

Early 20th century United States, the appearance of noncommercial theaters throughout the country dedicated to art, many became community theaters. *quickly had a voice, origin was Theatre Arts Magazine which gave national distribution of ideas. (what's going on around the world.

question

master artwork

answer

term by wagner to identify the erson responsible fro the unification of a complex work of art like music drama; someone who controls every aspect of a performance

question

Naturalism

answer

The term naturalism describes a type of literature that attempts to apply scientific principles of objectivity and detachment to its study of human beings. Unlike realism which focuses on literary technique naturalism implies a philosophical position

question

New stagecraft

answer

A movement in stage design in the U.S that favored simplified/abstract settings. It was an effect reaction to overly realistic settings. Lighting played an important part of the design. Designers of the New Stagecraft often sought alternatives to the proscenium stage like the arena or thrust configurations.

question

Realism

answer

the attribute of accepting the facts of life and favoring practicality and literal truth

question

Romanticism

answer

a movement in literature and art during the late 18th and early 19th centuries that celebrated nature rather than civilization

question

Storm and Stress

answer

sturm and drang; a theatrical movment in germany during the 1770s and 1780s that was marked by its militant experimentation with dramatc form, theatrical style and social statement

question

Surrealism

answer

a 20th century movement of artists and writers (developing out of Dadaism) who used fantastic images and incongruous juxtapositions in order to represent unconscious thoughts and dreams

question

Symbolism

answer

an artistic movement in the late 19th century that tried to express abstract or mystical ideas through the symbolic use of images

question

Theatre of cruelty

answer

Antonin Artaud's visionary concept of a theatre based on magic and ritual, which would liberate deep, violent, and erotic impulses

question

Actor-manager

answer

made financial decisions, selected the repertory of plays, hired actors, and performed

question

Antiquarianism

answer

Historically accurate costumes and scenery

question

Commercial theatre

answer

Theatre performed by and for members of a given community in a city/town. Usually amateur, sometimes with professional directors, designers, business staff.

question

Gentlemanly melodrama

answer

Later melodrama for middle-class audiences with upper-middle class subjects and settings.

question

Integrated musical

answer

musical where some or all musical numbers are not narrative motivated

question

Melodrama

answer

an extravagant comedy in which action is more salient than characterization

question

Producers

answer

Executive who arranges financing and who oversees a commerical production

question

Royalties

answer

the amount of money a theater must pay to produce a play

question

Sentimentality

answer

the quality or condition of being excessively emotional

question

signature music

answer

Music associated with certain characters or certain types of characters, particularly in the melodramas of the 19th century. Stage directions indicate "Mary's Music" "Jim's Music", etc.

question

star system

answer

A system initially developed for marketing films by creating and promoting stars as objects of admiration. The promotion of stars has now become an end in itself.

question

well-made play

answer

a realistic style of play that employs conventions including plenty of suspense created by meticulous plotting

question

wing-and-drop scenery

answer

flat pieces of scenery painted to look 3-D including float painted panels on either side of the stage (wings), a large expanse of painted fabric upstage (drop or shutters), and strips of cloth or panels hung horizontally acorss the tops of the wings (borders). this type of scenery was typical in Europe and beyond from the Renaissance to the late 19th century

question

Beijing opera

answer

Popular theatre of China that developed in the nineteenth century

question

Hanamichi

answer

an entry path on which the actor becomes the character

question

Hashigakari

answer

In the Japanese Noh theatre, the pathway from the dressing area to the stage

question

Hikinuki

answer

an onstage costume change used to signal a transformation from one piece of music to another

question

kabuki

answer

A popular type of Japanese drama combined with music and dance, it is the type of theatre in Japan(Played buy all male actors)

question

Kathakali

answer

literally means story play, and originated in the 17th century. Based in the thousands of stories by Ramayana and Mahabharata. Usually performed outdoors with no scenery and four poles defining the play area. Starts at night and goes on during the night and through the dawn of the next day. The text is sung by two singers, to a percussion accompaniment. The actors dance and mime to the story.

question

Kuttiyatam

answer

mudras (hand gestures)

question

Kyogen

answer

comedic interludes between long Noh plays

question

Natyasastra

answer

a comprehensive work on the art of the theatre in the Indian theatre

question

Noh

answer

The major form of classical Japanese drama that includes music and dancing. Its important because many people in Japan watch it

question

Orta oyunu

answer

Traditional Turkish comic theater form

question

Paratheatrical

answer

Outside theater ex: sports, rituals, politics

question

Rasa

answer

"Flavor," or powerful feeling, essence or individuality to which the audience must surrender themselves during Indian dramatics.There are eight in a drama: erotic, comic, compassionate, furious, heroic, terrifying, disgusting and awesome.

question

Ritual

answer

of or relating to or employed in social rites or rituals

question

Shite

answer

One of the main characters in the No theatre, who is interrogated, prompted, and challenged by the Waki character. This character may be gods, ghosts, women, animals, or warriors. The role of the Shite is played in a mask.

question

Theatre for development

answer

Use of theatrical techniques for both community involvement and commuity instruction

Theater – Space – Flashcards

Unlock all answers in this set

Haven't found what you were looking for?

Search for samples, answers to your questions and flashcards