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Theatre in the Eighteenth Century
Objectives
After studying this chapter, the student should be able to:
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Differentiate among middle class tragedy, opera, sentimental comedy, and commedia
dell’arte.
Identify major playwrights from the eighteenth century.
Identify major Restoration Theater buildings.
Describe the development of theatre in America.
Describe costume, scenic, and lighting practices in the eighteenth century.
Lecture Topics
What was the relationship between the government and the theatre in eighteenth-century
Germany and France?
What were some of the new dramatic forms that began to appear in the eighteenth
century?
What was the nature of the struggle between Carlo Goldoni and Carlo Gozzi?
Discussion
Is the eighteenth-century theatre best known for its actors, playwrights or scenic
designers?
How were theatres regulated in the eighteenth century?
How did the Hallam family contribute to the development of theatre in America?
What major changes occurred in scenic design in the eighteenth century?
Compare and contrast the acting styles of Dumesnil and Clairon.
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Multiple-Choice
Please choose the answer that best completes each sentence.
1. Any serious play that did not fit the neoclassical definition of tragedy in the eighteenth
century was known as:
A. comic opera
B. sentimental tragedy
*C. drame
D. melodrama
2. Remembered for his essay, The Paradox of Acting, ___________ argued that the best
actors invoke strong emotions in the audience by using calculation and craft.
A. John Gay
*B. Denis Diderot
C. Richard Brimsley Sheridan
D. Constantin Stanislavsky
3. In _______________, a parody of Italian opera, there was no sung dialogue.
A. sentimental comedy
B. drame
C. comedie larmoyante
*D. ballad opera
4. ________________ reaffirms middle-class morality: the virtuous are rewarded and the
wicked punished.
*A. Sentimental comedy
B. Ballad opera
C. Drame
D. Storm and stress drama
5. The author of School For Scandal, ________________ is one of the best known
writers of sentimental comedy.
A. Caron de Beaumarchais
*B. Richard Brinsley Sheridan
C. Carlo Goldoni
D. John Gay
6. In the eighteenth century, actors and actresses believed that the chief criterion for a
costume was:
A. Historical authenticity
B. Consistency in color
C. That they were appropriate for a role
*D. Showing the performer off to the best advantage
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7. What actor was noted for a sympathetic portrayal of Shylock, breaking the tradition of
a comical stereotype?
A. David Garrick
*B. Charles Macklin
C. William Hallam
D. Geoff Hess
8. In his "Essay on the Theater," ______________ attacked sentimental comedy, calling
instead for a "laughing comedy" which would force the audience to laugh at themselves.
A. Richard Brinsley Sheridan
B. Denis Diderot
C. Carlo Gozzi
*D. Oliver Goldsmith
9. Eighteenth-century tragedy used subjects from the ___________________ class.
A. upper
*B. middle
C. lower
D. theatre history
10. Through his play, The Marriage of Figaro, _________________ questioned the
social structure of France.
*A. Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais
B. Jean Baptiste de Poquelin
C. Phillippe Jacques de Loutherbourg
D. Marie-Francoise Marchand
11. ____________________ was responsible for moving commedia dell'arte from barebones scenarios to fully scripted literary works.
*A. Carlo Goldoni
B. Henry Giffard
C. Rene Charles Guilbert
D. Samuel Foote
12. In the mid-eighteenth century, a struggle emerged between _______________ over
what direction commedia dell'arte should take.
A. William Davenant and Thomas Killegrew
*B. Carlo Goldoni and Carlo Gozzi
C. Richard Brinsley Sheridan and Oliver Goldsmith
D. Ferdinando and Francesco Bibiena
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13. What two famous French performers were known for their intense rivalry?
A. Caroline Neuber & Hellen Hallam
*B. Dumesnil & Clairon
C. Sarah Bernhart and Isabelle Bibienne
D. Sarah Siddons & Laura Duse
14. A set that is built like a real room, only missing one wall, is known as a(n):
A. Expressionistic Set
B. Unit Set
*C. Box Set
D. Surrealistic Set
15. The rise of the middle class, and their increased theatergoing, led to the birth of:
A. comedy of manners
*B. bourgeois tragedy
C. melodrama
D. ballad opera
16. The "Sturm und Drang" (Storm and Stress) movement was the forerunner of:
A. Gesamtkunstwerk
B. well-made plays
*C. Romanticism
D. the modern director
17. The most successful theatrical entrepreneur of the late Restoration was
A. Thomas Betterton
*B. Christopher Rich
C. Aphra Behn
D. Charles Macklin
18. Developed from popular entertainers performing at Parisian fairs _______________
presented musical entertainments in order to get around the monopolies, which the
French government granted to other theaters.
A. commedia dell'arte
B. sentimental theaters
C. bombastic theaters
*D. boulevard theaters
19. Charles Macklin and David Garrick both were innovators and rebelled against:
*A. the bombastic, conventionalized style of acting
B. the dominance of the proscenium stage
C. the Licensing Act of 1737
D. the emergence of the director
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20. The _________ family arrived in Colonial America and became one of the earliest
professional English companies on record.
A. Bibiena
B. Macklin
*C. Hallam
D. Neuber
21. The _______________ was the prominent way of changing scenery in the English
Restoration.
A. pole and chariot system
B. fly system
*C. groove system
D. turntable
22. John Rich opened this London theater in 1732; it was one of the only two licensed
theaters of the time.
A. Black Friars
*B. Covent Garden
C. Astor Place
D. The Globe
23. The most influential Italian designers and theater architects of the eighteenth century
belonged to the ______________ family.
*A. Bibiena
B. Hallam
C. Dumesnil
D. Garrick
24. __________________________ banished spectators from stage.
*A. David Garrick
B. Goethe
C. Edwin Booth
D. Patrick Stewart
25. He wrote Rules for Actors, a set of regulations for acting, as well as personal
behavior.
*A. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
B. Edwin Booth
C. David Garrick
D. Mandy Patinkin
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True/False
Please choose whether the statement is true or false.
26. “Storm and stress” dramatists rejected dramatic rules and often were radical in subject
matter and style, paving the way for nineteenth century romanticism.
*True
False
27. Eighteenth century theaters sometimes used ground rows, which were curtains at the
front of the stage.
True
*False
28. A box set has flats, which are joined together at angles to form the three-dimensional
walls of a room.
*True
False
29. Spoken décor is a convention, which relies on several vanishing points in scene
design.
True
*False
30. With a natural style of performance rooted in observation and mimicry, Charles
Macklin is perhaps best known for his sympathetic performance of Shylock in The
Merchant of Venice.
*True
False
31. While Clairon was known for her spontaneous and intuitive style of acting, Dumesil
was known for her intelligent and industrious preparation.
True
*False
32. Sentimental comedy, based on the comedy of humours, marks the return to “laughing
comedy.”
True
*False
33. From 1737 to 1843, Drury Lane and Covent Gardens were the only two London
theaters authorized to present legitimate drama.
*True
False
34. The Bibiena family was best known for its design innovations.
*True
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False
35. A major change in scenic design in the late eighteenth century was the introduction of
single point perspective.
True
*False
Essays
36. Compare and contrast the acting styles of two actors from the eighteenth century.
37. Trace the beginnings of the modern director, citing the work of significant theatre
practitioners.
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