Ancient Theater History
The most popular tragedy of Ancient Greece, Oedipus Rex, details the fall of a king who suffers from the fatal sin of excessive pride, also known as this word.
What is hubris?
Traditional Theater from this continent, which contains an enormous diversity of cultures and theatrical styles, is based largely on rituals and oral storytelling traditions from its pre-colonial history.
What is Africa?
A stage layout that puts the audience of three sides of the stage is referred to by this name.
What is a thrust?
Medieval Theater, which predominantly focused on teaching its audience religious morals, largely consisted of this style of plays.
What are morality plays?
Lin Manuel Miranda first changed the musical theater landscape with this show, a precursor to his bigger hit, Hamilton.
What is In The Heights?
Plays in Ancient Greece were presented in competition with one another at an annual festival to honor this god of wine and celebration.
Who is Dionysus?
Buraku, Noh, and Kabuki are all highly stylized forms of theater from this Eastern country.
What is Japan?
Modern lighting equipment uses these types of lights, shorthand for "Light Emitting Diode."
What are LED lights?
Opera Director Richard Wagner coined this term, to describe theater in which all elements; music, voice, and movement, work together to create a single unified piece.
What is Total Theater (or Gesamtkunstwerk)?
Director Joe Papp started this New York Theater institution in the 1960's that has presenting free performances of Shakespeare plays in Central Park every summer.
What is the Public Theater?
Pantalone, Capitano, and Dottore are examples of these, and they were used excessively in Commedia Dell'Arte.
What are stock characters?
This art form, another major at BHSA, was the primary influence on most theater styles of Ancient Asia.
What is dance?
The term for a heat proof, plastic filter that is placed in front of a stage lights lens in order to add color. These were rendered mostly obsolete by smart, LED lighting.
What are gels?
Theater Director Viola Spolin was best known for inadvertently creating this performance style with the various warm up games she invented with her actors.
What is improvisation?
This Irish writer, best known for his hit comedy The Importance of Being Earnest, had his career and life cut short when he was imprisoned for his sexuality.
Who is Oscar Wilde?
According to legend, this man was a member of the Greek chorus, before he stepped out and began to speak on his own, becoming the first actor.
Who is Thespis?
Many theaters of Ancient Asia, especially South East Asia, utilized these specific, hand held props to create their characters, that are still in use today by groups like the Jim Henson Company.
What are puppets?
The job title of the person who oversees all technical elements of a production, primarily the building of the set. At BHSA, the duties are shouldered between both Mr. Gray and Mr. Yarborough.
What is a technical director?
Aristotle outline specific guidelines for the structure of a successful tragedy in this book, the first example of theater criticism. It would continue to be used by playwrights for almost 2,000 years.
What is Poetics?
This playwright was known as the father of Chicano theater, largely due to his successful play Zoot Suit.
Who is Luis Valdez?
While the Romans had a coliseum, the Greeks had this similar, outdoor performance venue that was built into the sides of hills.
What is an ampitheater?
Contrary to the more conservative style of most Greek drama, the Ancient theater of this Asian country featured colorful costumes, many locations and settings, and both men and women actors.
What is India?
This small metallic item is goes between the lamp and the lens in a light to project some kind of pattern onto the stage.
What is a gobo?
What is unity?
Playwright Athol Fugard wrote several plays, such as Master Harold and the Boys, detailing the effects of racist apartheid in this country.
What is South Africa?