Theatre Appreciation UNO. Performance spaces, dramatic structure – Flashcards
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__________ theatre refers to theatre not just in the Western tradition but theatre from around the world such as India, China, Africa, Latin America and Native America cultures.
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Global
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Which of the following may be thought of as an example of incorporating theatre or the theatrical in everyday life?
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All of the above.
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We can see aspects of theatre in which of the following?
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All of the above
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We often attend theatre performances because of its sheer excitement as well as to be amused. However, another often-overlooked reason is
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to learn about the human condition.
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When audiences today watch a play at one of our nation's many theatre festivals, they are sharing a kind of live theatre experience that has existed for 2,500 years.
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True
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The most significant difference between film and theatre is the relationship between the performer and the audience.
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True
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Theatre is the fountainhead of all drama.
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True
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Acting is a part of our everyday lives.
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True
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Despite global influences, contemporary theatre tends to maintain the uniform and traditional styles of the country of production.
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False
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Diversity in theatre tends to reflect the homogenous "melting pot" philosophy of our culture.
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False
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Theatre may be referred to as "the lively art" because it is alive in a way that other forms of dramatic presentation are not
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True
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The putting aside of all literal and practical considerations in order to enter into the world of the drama is called
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the willing suspension of disbelief.
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Because of the power of an audience's mental and emotional participation in a theatrical event, those in authority may fear the effect theatre can have. This fear sometimes results in
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censorship
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A main difference between a critic and a reviewer is that a reviewer
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is restricted by time and space.
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__________ is the coordinator of all the elements of the production and is responsible for the unifying vision of the production.
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Director
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Which of the following questions does NOT address one of the main criteria by which a critic judges a production?
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How will the review affect the production?
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One characteristic of ________ is that each performance is unique and occurs in the presence of an audience.
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theatre
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One characteristic of ________ is that the entertainment can be edited.
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film
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Art forms that exist space and are created to last over time.
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spatial arts
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Art forms that exist for only a specific period of time.
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temporal arts
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Also called __________ this is the blueprint for a production in which the playwright transforms the raw material—the incident, the biographical event, the myth—into a drama, a sequence of events that features characters speaking and interacting with one another.
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script
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Because of the availability of new technology such as YouTube and personal websites, __________ represent a new source of theatre criticism.
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bloggers
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Theatre employs such an in-depth collaborative process that an audience is not essential to the completed production.
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False
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Dramaturg comes from a French word for "dramatic advisor."
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False
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It is wise to always agree with a theatre critic when deciding to purchase a ticket for a play or musical.
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False
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The audience's desire to believe in the reality of what is happening onstage is called willing suspension of disbelief.
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True
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The size and type of theatre space affects audience perception; therefore, this factor makes a big difference to both actors and the audience.
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True
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If a reviewer dislikes a particular production, it is probably best to avoid it.
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False
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The experienced theatre critic tends to look at a particular theatrical event independent of other factors and attempts to avoid putting theatre into a larger context.
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False
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A full account of an event or series of events, usually in chronological order, is called a
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story
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A main difference between episodic and climactic forms of structure is that episodic construction emphasizes
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a broader view with a cumulative effect.
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The selection and arrangement of scenes that actually happen onstage is called the
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plot
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Which of the following is NOT an essential aspect of dramatic structure?
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mutually agreeable forces
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The final and most significant crisis is referred to as the
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climax
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Shakespeare's plays typically included subplots, which are
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secondary plots that reinforce or runs parallel to the major plot.
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The imparting of details about the past that are essential but not covered by the action onstage is known as
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exposition
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The dramatic structure that piles up people, places, and events is called
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episodic
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An open-ended, serial structure that is often associated with female playwrights is ________ structure.
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cyclical
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Which of the following is NOT a convention of common climactic dramatic structure?
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limited conflict
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A hallmark of commedia dell'arte is its
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improvisation
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Characters that embody the quintessential characteristics of a group are known as ________ characters.
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representative
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The central conflict and movement through a drama is referred to as the ________ of the play.
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action
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Theatre grew out of ritual, which is
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a reenactment of actions that have acquired special meaning.
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Which type of dramatic structure requires extensive exposition?
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climactic structure
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The structure of William Shakespeare's plays typically
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episodic
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The dramatic structure that features a restricted number of scenes is
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climactic structure.
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In which type of dramatic structures does the plot begins relatively early in the story?
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episodic structure
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Which type of dramatic structure features large numbers of locales?
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episodic structure
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Which type of dramatic structure features a restricted numbers of characters?
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climactic structure
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One of the hallmarks of melodrama is that characters tend to be complex and contradictory in their motivations and actions.
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False
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Traditional tragedy assumes a basically optimistic view of the universe, placing faith in the ability of humanity to overcome adversity.
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False
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Many of the plays of playwright George Bernard Shaw can be placed under the special heading of "comedy of ideas."
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False
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In the modern period, tragicomedy has become the predominant form of many of the best playwrights.
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True
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Comedy of manners is a form of comic drama that emphasizes a sophisticated atmosphere and witty dialogue.
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True
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Heroic dramas tend to have happy endings.
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True
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In ________, the hero or heroine is a person of social stature: a king, a queen, a general, a nobleman, etc.
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traditional tragedy
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In ________, the language used in the play is prose.
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modern tragedy
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In which tragic form do the heroes or heroines meet their fate with dignity after finding themselves in a situation from which there is no honorable avenue of escape?
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traditional tragedy
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In which tragic form are the central figures of the play caught in a series of tragic circumstances?
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both traditional and modern tragedy
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In which tragic form do the characters tend to be regular men and women?
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modern tragedy
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In ________, the situation becomes irretrievable; there is no turning back, there is no way out.
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both traditional and modern tragedy
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Which comic form relies on sophisticated language to attack evil and foolishness?
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satire
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Which comic form requires a temporary suspension of the natural laws of probability and logic?
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All these answers are correct.
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Which comic form has few intellectual pretentions; its humor arises as the result of ridiculous situations?
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farce
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One type of comic form that relies on gross exaggeration and occasional vulgarity is
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burlesque
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Exaggeration is one of the main ingredients of
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farce
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In which comic form does an idea or concept turn the accepted notion of things upside
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All these answers are correct.
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Farce relies on knockabout physical humor, gross exaggerations, and occasional vulgarity.
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False
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Which of the following is NOT one of the responsibilities of a performer in the theatre?
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to coordinate the elements and the vision of the production
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Which of the following is NOT a performance technique developed by Stanislavski?
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biomechanics
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Which of the following best characterizes acting in classical Asian theatres?
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stylization and symbolism
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In order to throw the voice into the audience so that it penetrates to the utmost reaches of the theatre, the actor must
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project
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In response to the new realistic drama of the late nineteenth century, ________ devised a system to teach performers how to achieve the necessary believability.
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Konstantin Stanislavski
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Ensemble acting emphasizes the
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artistic unity of a group performance.
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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
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integration
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The program developed by Vsevolod Meyerhold that emphasizes physical exercises and circus-like control of the body is known as
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biomechanics
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"Centering" involves finding the place where all the lines of force in the body come together. It is located, roughly, in the
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middle of the torso.
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Stanislavski's early research into realistic acting techniques was conducted while he was directing many plays by
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Anton Chekhov.
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Another term for a through line is
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spine
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Which of the following best characterizes Stanislavski's later approach to actor training?
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purposeful action as the most direct route to the emotions
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What were three questions Stanislavski associated with psychophysical actions?
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What? Why? When?
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"Viewpoints" theory is an approach to acting that originated in the United States and combines dance and stage movement with concepts of
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time and space.
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Techniques for developing personal charisma were developed by
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None of these answers is correct.
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In which way is the approach of Lee Strasberg different from the approach of acting teachers like Stella Adler, Sanford Meisner, and Uta Hagen?
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It emphasizes the inner aspects of acting.
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Which of the following acting teachers encouraged students to use the text as an instrument of action through exercises such as the "Content-less Scene"?
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Robert Cohen
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In order for an actor or actress to properly prepare a role, he or she should always begin with an outer aspect¾a walk, a posture, a peculiar vocal delivery¾and then develop the inner life of the character.
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False
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The realistic portrayal of characters in a lifelike fashion has been characteristic of theatre throughout history.
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False
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Performers must not mix acting methods; they should find a method that works for them and then strictly adhere to that method's approach.
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False
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Which of the following is NOT the responsibility of the dramaturg?
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hiring the director and performers
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It is very important for directors to create interesting visual compositions with the actors in space; this is known as creating effective
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stage pictures.
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A main task of the modern-day director is to
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draw disparate elements together to create a unified whole.
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Which of the following is NOT associated with the "front of the house"?
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raising money for the production
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Characteristic of English director Peter Brook's work is an attempt to
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discover a universal language in theatre.
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Which of the following is NOT a hallmark of a postmodern production?
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closeness
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In a noncommercial theatre, the managing director is akin to the ________ in a commercial theatre.
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producer
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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
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dress rehearsal.
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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
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preview
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The arrangement and movements of performers relative to each other and to the stage space is called
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blocking
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The activity of a performer onstage, such as the opening of a letter or the making of a bed, is described by which term?
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business
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Which person is responsible for raising money to finance a production?
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producer
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Which person blocks or stages the play?
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director
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Which person discovers and reads new plays?
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dramaturg
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Which person casts the actors?
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director
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Which person researches productions and criticism?
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dramaturg
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Which person maintains quality control of all production elements after opening?
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stage manager
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Which person oversees the budget?
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producer
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Which person develops a concept for the production?
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director
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Which person works with playwrights to develop new scripts?
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dramaturg
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A "fourth wall theatre" describes a(n)
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proscenium stage.
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Which of the following provides the most intimate performance space?
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arena stage
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The type of performance space associated with street theatre is the
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created, or found, space.
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Which type of performance space utilizes the greatest amount of scenery and stage machinery?
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proscenium stage
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Developed by the Greeks, the ________ was also the type of theatre space used during Shakespeare's time.
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thrust stage
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Elaborate scenery on/in a(n) ________ is impossible because it would block the view of other audience members.
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arena stage
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Which type of performance space was originally built into hillsides in Greece?
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thrust stage
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Which type of performance space in the medieval period was called a platform stage or trestle stage
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thrust stage
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Most Broadway performance spaces were built with the ________ configuration.
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proscenium stage
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The ________ is of special interest to experimental or avant-garde practitioners.
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created, or found, space
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Which type of performance space requires spectators to take in and synthesize several impressions at once?
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multifocus theatre
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In which of the following performance spaces do all the seats face in one direction?
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proscenium stage
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Which of the following uses unusual structures with their original architectural elements intact, carving out special areas for acting and viewing?
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created, or found, space
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In which type of performance space do audiences sit on three sides?
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thrust stage
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The Salle des Machines, or "Hall of Machines," is which type of configuration?
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proscenium stage
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A typical Elizabethan playhouse was which type of performance space?
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thrust stage
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One particularly effective performance space for realistic settings is the
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proscenium stage.
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It is difficult to balance and establish the right type of aesthetic distance in/on the ________, which places some audience members mere feet from the stage action and others quite a distance away.
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proscenium stage.
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In one form or another, the ________ has been the most widely used of all the theatre spaces.
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thrust stage
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Which of the following is not ordinarily used for performances?
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created, or found, space
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In which of the following performance spaces do performers usually have to make their entrances and exits along aisles that run through the audience?
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arena stage
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In a(n) ________, action occurs on several stages simultaneously.
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multifocus theatre
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In which type of space are Chinese and Japanese dramas performed?
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thrust stage
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The objectives of the scene designer do NOT include
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assisting in the blocking of the production.
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A stage set should tell the audience
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All of these answers are correct.
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Stage right and stage left mean the right and left side, respectively, from the perspective of the
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performers facing the audience.
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If an actor is near the edge of the stage closest to the audience, and she turns her back and walks away from the audience, she is walking
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upstage
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A circular revolving unit that is set into the floor, and which can turn mechanically to bring one set into view as another disappears, is a
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turntable
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A strong design concept
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all of the above.
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A low platform on wheels upon which set pieces and even actors are brought onstage is called a
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wagon
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Canvas stretched on wood with the side facing the audience painted to look like a solid wall is called a
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flat
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A firm material called lauan placed on a wooden or hollow metal frame, which can be painted and, in addition, have three-dimensional plastic moldings attached to it to create cornices, chair rails, and other features, is called a
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hard flat.
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A gauze or cloth screen that, when painted and lit from the front, appears solid, but when lit from behind becomes transparent, is called a
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scrim
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Line, mass, color, texture, balance. Which one of these is not considered one of the five elements of scene design?
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balance
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A fairly complete sketch made by the scene designer, usually done in color, is called a
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rendering
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A small-scale, three-dimensional version of the set is called a
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model
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A rough sketch that provides the basis for further discussions between the director and the scene designer is called a
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thumbnail sketch.
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The person responsible for seeing that the scenery, platforms, and other elements are built, painted, and installed onstage is called a
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technical director.
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The best-known of his innovations, designer Josef Svoboda used screens in conjunction with actors; the actors were part of the film, and the film was part of the action. He called this
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lanterna magika.
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The development of a ________ is an extremely important step in preparing for the show to begin rehearsals so the actors and director know how their patterns of movement will be affected by the placement of scenic elements and/or furniture.
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floor plan or ground plan
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Who wrote King Oedipus?
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Sophocles
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Which of the following reduced the size of the chorus to twelve?
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Aeschylus
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Which of the following is noted for his sympathetic portrayal of female characters?
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Euripides
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Of the following, who is considered the most modern?
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Euripides
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Who wrote Old Comedy, which made fun of social, political, or cultural conditions?
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Aristophanes
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Who increased the number of members in the chorus to fifteen?
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Sophocles
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Which of the following was considered to be most rebellious?
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Euripides
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Who is considered the first important Greek dramatist?
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Aeschylus
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Who wrote Lysistrata?
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Aristophanes
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Which of the following added a second actor to the play, starting drama as we now know it?
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Aeschylus
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Which of the following added a third actor to the play?
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Sophocles
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Who wrote Oresteia
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Aeschylus
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Which of the following demonstrated a skeptical attitude toward the gods?
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Euripides
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Which of the following is the author of Ars Poetica (The Art of Poetry)?
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Horace
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Who wrote The Menaechmi?
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Plautus
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Whose tragedies were similar to those of the Greeks, except that they were considerably more violent?
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Seneca
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Which of the following wrote plays that dealt exclusively with domestic situations?
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Plautus
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The comic playwright whose style is more literary and less exaggerated than that of the other Roman comic playwrights is
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Terence
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Although ________ used a chorus in his plays, it did not play an integral part.
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Seneca
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He states in Ars Poetica that drama should both teach a lesson and entertain.
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Horace
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The author of Phormio is
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Terence
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Who often wrote plays in which supernatural beings appeared in the dramatic action?
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Seneca
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The works of ________ likely influenced Shakespeare's Hamlet.
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Seneca
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A ________ dramatizes a series of biblical events.
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mystery play
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A ________ dramatizes the lives of saints.
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mystery play
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A ________ uses religious characters and religious themes to teach a lesson.
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morality play
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The Second Shepherds' Play is a
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mystery play.
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Everyman is a
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morality play.
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Noah's Ark is a
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mystery play.
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Despite the popularity of medieval religious drama, secular theatre and drama also existed in the Middle Ages.
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True
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No one knows how theatre began, and where or when it originated.
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True
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The Golden Age of Greece took place in the second century A.D.
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False
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The god Dionysus, to whom the Greek dramatic festivals were dedicated, was the god of war, death, and chastity.
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False
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The Greek amphitheatre is the first example of a proscenium theatre space.
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False
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The choregus is the lead actor in a Greek drama.
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False
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Thespis is considered the first playwright.
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False
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The speeches of the Greek chorus were sung and danced.
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True
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The plot of King Oedipus by Sophocles has a climactic structure.
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True
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Old Comedy dealt with romantic and domestic problems.
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False
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Comedies written by Plautus were quite similar to the Old Comedy written by Aristophanes.
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False
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