THEA Exam 1 Study Guide Questions and Answers

What are the six Essential Elements of Theatre? - Answer-1. Performers 2. Audience 3. Script or story 4. Place 5. Support staff 6. Accessories What is the difference between Theatre and Theater? - Answer-Theatre - is British term - usually refers to the art form Theater - is American term - usually, refers to the place where theatre is performed After theatre died out towards the end of the Roman Empire, what entity was responsible for bringing theatre back approximately 600 years later? - Answer-The Roman Catholic Church What is the ancient theatrical tradition that began in India as far back as 300 B.C.E.? - Answer-Sanskrit Which Japanese theatrical tradition is translated as "craft" or "skill"? - Answer-Noh Which Japanese theatrical tradition uses puppets to tell a story? - Answer-Bunraku Who would have played the women in Lysistrata when it first was presented in 411 B.C.E.? - Answer-Men What year do we think the first City Dionysia competition for theatre was held? - Answer-6th century BCE ~534 BCE Who are the protagonists in Trifles, Oedipus the King, Lysistrata, and Everyman? What do those characters do to order to achieve their goals? What are those goals? Please use specific examples from the plays to support your views. - Answer-Trifles- Mrs. Peters and Mrs. Hale-Hide the bird in the pocket to keep Mrs.Wright from going to jail.Oedipus the King- Oedipus- The story follows the need of the King of Thebes to cure the land of the plagues to such The Oracle tells Oedipus the King to find the killer of the previous king and remove him from city. Lysistrata- Lysistrata & Chorus of Women- The goal is to stop the peloponnesian war by withholding sex and taking over the city. Everyman- Everyman- With the knowledge He is going to die Everyman wants to go to Heaven to do so to do so He tries to bring someone to prove He deserves it, which He ends up needing to help good deeds by having knowledge tell him to do confession before she goes. In Everyman, Trifles, and Oedipus the King, death is an important part of the plot of each play. Which character(s) deaths are talked about in each play and how do those deaths take place? How else is death represented in these plays? Is it a good thing or a bad thing? Please use specific examples from the play to support your views. - Answer-Everyman- Everyman is going to die and this drives the character Everyman to better himself making the knowledge of his death one of the best things that could happen to him. We are unsure of how exactly Everyman dies. Trifles- The story begins with the death of Mr. Wright, but with the help of Mrs.Hale and Mrs. Peters hiding evidence to keep Mrs. Wright from being put to death for his murder. This is morally wrong but is a good thing once you feel bad for her as a symbol for the caged bird that was killed by Mr. Wright. Oedipus the King- Death plays a huge part in the entire plot of this play from the recognition of an issue in Thebes known by the Death of expecting mothers to the prophecy recognition by the murderer of the previous king being in the city still and finding out he is Oedipus. In the Play death only plays a bad role, the death of expecting mothers is a sign of plague over all of Thebes and then to find out that the plague was caused by the murderer of the previous king that still lives in the city caused the plague. What are the two distinctions from other forms of storytelling that Theatre must have in order to called "Theatre?" How does one of those distinctions about Theatre differ from Motion Pictures and Television? BE SPECIFIC! Also, what is Samuel Taylor Coleridge's theatrical term, "The Willing Suspension of Disbelief" and how does it apply to that collaborative relationship between audience and performer? - Answer-In order to be called Theatre, a show must be performed live in front of a live audience. Those qualities are what makes it different from movies and television, which are just pre-recorded images. Samuel Taylor Coleridge, creator of the term "Willing Suspension of Disbelief", Defined the audience's ability to pretend what they are seeing is real in order to enjoy and escape their reality. Being able to suspend your ability to believe what is happening in front of you creates a transitory experience for the audience to connect with the performers.