Unit1Study Questions 2020 Third Edition text PDF

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Questions of Theatre chapters 1,2, 3 and 13 of Another Opening, Another show...

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THTF 1310: Theatre Appreciation Unit 1: Study Questions Study Questions Over Chapters 1, 2, 3 and 13 of “Another Opening, Another Show” by Marcus/Sarver/Kuhn Please answer with clearly-worded complete sentences, save as a Word document then click Unit #1 Study Questions (Chapters 1, 2, 3 & 13) to submit. Your responses to these questions count as the “Main Theatre Project” for Unit #1. All correct, well-written responses are worth 1 point each, for a total of 20 possible. From Chapter One: 1. What are the four major ways the authors describe theatre? Theatre is fun, Theatre is healing, Theatre is a learning experience, and Theatre is a forum for public discourse 2. Describe (paraphrase) the story one of the authors relates about a production of Shakespeare’s The Merry Wives of Windsor that he once directed. The main character in The Merry Wives of Windsor is a “foolish, fat man” named Sir John Falstaff who ended up being thrown into a river in a basket of dirty laundry because of his attempts to seduce two women. He thought those women were attracted to him when in reality they thought he was rude, so they basically pranked him. Because of the scene of him being thrown into the river, a director decided to show a scene where the actor of Sir John Falstaff found a fish in his boot, sneezed and threw it into the audience. However, the audience threw it back and the actor threw it once again which caused the audience to howl with laughter, and the play to be a success due to his creativity on the fish. 3. How can theatre be a “healing experience?” It is said that for over two thousand years, patients have gone to the theatre as medical treatment. That is because when going to a funny play, the laughter causes body chemicals to change, reducing stress hormones, increasing immune cells and infection-fighting antibodies which strengthen resistance to disease. Big laughs also increase oxygen intake and trigger a release of endorphins which can temporarily relieve pain. Moreover, serious plays help with grief and sharing emotions by growing tense and releasing the tension as well. All in all, going to the theatre cleanses the body and the mind after experiencing all those emotions. 4. What does Chapter 1 mean by “theatrical conventions?” Theatrical conventions in chapter 1 are the agreed rules of a play like when actors take a curtain call at the end of a performance, and an aside which is when a character speaks to the audience directly. 5. Explain meaning of the term “suspension of disbelief.” When the audience sets aside their knowledge that what is happening on the stage is fiction and they pretends to believe that what they are watching is actually happening for the rest of the performance.

From Chapter Two: 6. Explain one of the “three unities” of theatre. One of the three unities of theatre is “The Unity of Place.” One of Aristotle’s beliefs was that audiences receive the greatest pleasure from shows that set their action in one place. However, now a days there is flexibility of settings in movie scripts which allow the setting to jump from one place to another. 7. List all six of Aristotle’s elements of theatre. Then, explain in detail one of the six. Plot, character, thought, diction, music, and spectacle. 8. Describe one of your favorite movies where “spectacle” is crucial for the viewer to understand and enjoy the film. One of my favorite movies is Ocean’s 8 with Sandra Bullock and spectacle is crucial for the viewer to understand the film because of the many scenes where they are transporting or stealing things. For example, the opening is Sandra Bullock grabbing many things from a store, and then going to the cash register to say she needs to return them. However, the cashier does not allow her to return the items without her receipt, and she ends up asking for a bag and taking all the items that she grabbed in the store. If the viewer was not looking at her take the items from the store, they probably would’ve missed the “stealing.” 9. Who was Aristotle anyway? A Greek philosopher and scientist who studied many things including theatre. He analyzed theatre elements and came up with a conclusion of what makes a theatre performance good. 10. Summarize the point of the “box” in Chapter 2 titled A Theatre War Story. One of Aristotle’s many points included that diction is very important to a drama, and that each character has a unique diction. The example that was included was of a show where all the actors stayed quiet because they did not know what was supposed to happen next, when the prompter whispered the line over and over until the audience heard it and one of the actors said they all knew the line but that they did not know who was supposed to say it. That is why diction should be and is unique in each character. From Chapter Three: 11. List the six most common dramatic genres. Comedy, Farce, Drama, Tragedy, Melodrama, and Tragicomedy 12. Describe a scene from a movie where the laughs happen because of low comedy. A scene that came to mind when reading about low comedy was in the movie Nacho Libre. The movie is hilarious to me but there are various scenes where Jack Black does not have to talk to make me laugh, like when he was trying to catch the chips thief and he is quietly trying to sneak up to him, but he farts when he jumps. 13. What was the commedia dell’arte?

Commedia dell’arte was known as the traveling troupes of actors who performed farces, partly scripted and improvised in Italy. 14. How does the text define tragedy? A serious play that makes one feel exhilarated because they identify and empathize with a hero’s courage and commitment. 15. What did the great actor Edmond Kean say on his deathbed? (see the Theatre War Story in the chapter). “Dying is easy, comedy is hard.” From Chapter Thirteen: 16. What’s the difference between “continental seating” and “American seating?” Continental seating is the arrangement with uninterrupted rows of seats while the American seating is the arrangement with aisles. For safety, Continental has a space of three feet between rows and American seating have tows closer together, but no one can be seated more than seven seats from an aisle. 17. When describing theatre spaces, what does the term “mezzanine” now refer to? Mezzanine refers to a small balcony halfway up, under the first balcony. 18. Briefly describe a “proscenium arch theatre”. A theatre with all the seats facing in the same direction as a movie theatre. They often have an ornate frame around a stage that is hidden temporarily by a curtain. 19. Describe the term “proper aesthetic distance.” The condition where the audience is close enough to the stage to be involved emotionally yet far away enough to remain physically apart. 20. Describe the term “box set.” A box set is like a room with a wall missing: a ceiling, three walls and a floor....