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Theatre from 1875 to 1915
Objectives
After studying this chapter, the student should be able to:
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Trace the emergence of realism.
Compare and contrast realism and naturalism.
Identify the major playwrights of the period.
Identify significant theorists and practitioners of the anti-realist movement.
Trace the development of the African-American Theatre.
Lecture Topics
What are the major tenets of realism?
What were the four independent theatres?
What were some early departures from realism?
Discussion
How did Henrik Ibsen’s work change throughout his career?
What are the major components of Stanislavski’s acting system?
Are women’s contributions to theatre history overlooked?
What role did African-American theatre play in the development of theatre in the United
States?
Multiple-Choice
Choose the answer that best completes each sentence.
1. _________________ sought to convince their audiences that stage action represented
everyday life.
A. Dadaism
B. Ibsenism
*C. Realism
D. Naturalism
2. Many naturalists believed that the most appropriate subject matter dealt with:
A. the middle class
B. the upper class
*C. the lower class
3. The Three Sisters and The Cherry Orchard, written by _______________ are
examples of modern tragicomedy.
*A. Anton Chekhov
B. Henrik Ibsen
C. August Strindberg
D. George Bernard Shaw
4. Initially a critic, _____________________ wrote witty, engaging comedies with lively
dialogue and unusual, well-drawn characters.
A. Robert Lewis
B. Jo Mietriner
*C. George Bernard Shaw
D. Vladimir Danchenko
5. Six producers banded together in 1896 to form the _____________, thus controlling
the best American playhouses.
A. Theater Academy
*B. Theatrical Syndicate
C. Independent Theaters
D. Lafayette Players
6. ______________ argued that each play should define its own form.
A. Romanticists
B. Anti-realists
C. Symbolists
*D. Eclectics
7. The founder of realism was:
A. Henry Irving
B. Andre Antoine
*C. Henrik Ibsen
D. Edward Gordon Craig
8. "Slice of life drama" is known as
A. Romanticism
B. Surrealism
C. Symbolism
*D. Naturalism
9. The founder of the "Théâtre Libre" was
A. Vsevelod Myerhold
B. George Bernard Shaw
C. Constantin Stanislavski
*D. Andre Antoine
10. __________________ argued for a master director who would manipulate
Ubermarionettes.
A. Henrik Ibsen
B. Constantin Stanislavski
*C. Edward Gordon Craig
D. August Strindberg
11. Which of the following is an example of Stanislavski’s given circumstances?
A. The temperature of the room
B. The lighting conditions
C. The space where the scene takes place
*D. All of the above
12. These two playwrights were influenced by symbolism. Both are remembered for their
realistic works, but later moved away from realism.
A. August Strindberg and George Bernard Shaw
B. Wole Soyinka and Anton Chekhov
*C. August Strindberg and Henrik Ibsen
D. Constantin Stanislavski and Vsevelod Myerhold
13. This important African-American stock company was founded in New York by Anita
Bush. It brought Broadway to African-American audiences, and established black actors’
skill with serious drama.
A. African Art Theater
B. King's Men
*C. Lafayette Players
D. Lyceum Theater
14. The founder of the most famous system for training performers to act realistically
was:
A. Vsevelod Emilievich Myerhold
B. Andre Antoine
*C. Constantin Stanislavski
D. Edward Gordon Craig
15. The leading antirealist movement which suggested that drama should present the
"mystery of being and the cosmos" was:
*A. Symbolism
B. Naturalism
C. Expressionism
D. Constructivism
16. ___________________ expose the devices of theatre to make audiences aware that
they are watching a performance.
*A. Theatricalists
B. Realists
C. Symbolists
D. Eclectics
17. At the turn-of-the-century, "modern" stage design began with:
A. Luigi Pirandello and Edward Gordon Craig
B. Adolphe Appia and Antonin Artaud
C. Bertolt Brecht and Peter Brook
*D. Adolphe Appia and Edward Gordon Craig
18. A counterpart of Stanislavski and a theorist in the external, antirealist movement was:
A. Edward Gordon Craig
*B. Vsevelod Emilievich Myerhold
C. George Bernard Shaw
D. August Strindberg
19. Illumination of the stage picture, which seems to come from actual onstage sources
such as a table lamp, is known as ___________ lighting.
A. area
B. directional
*C. motivated
D. general
20. The symbol on the curtain of the Moscow Art Theatre is a ______________, in
tribute to the play considered to be a turning point for the company.
*A. seagull
B. bear
C. cherry tree
D. doll
21. Writing such plays as Spring’s Awakening, ______________ combined symbolist and
grotesque elements with realistic subject matters.
A. Constantin Stanislvaski
B. Adolphe Appia
C. Andre Antonine
*D. Benjamin Franklin Wedekind
22. __________________, of the most successful symbolist dramatists, argued that
theatre should not present outward reality, but rather “a shadow, a reflection, a projection
of symbolic forms.”
A. George Bernard Shaw
*B. Maurice Maeterlinck
C. J. T. Grein
D. Vsevelod Myerhold
23. _________________________, perhaps the greatest of the Indian writers, combined
traditional Indian theatre with modern European styles .
A. Tokugawa
B. Mei Lanfang
*C. Rabindranath Tagore
D. Osanai Kaoru
24. Myerhold devised an acting system known as ________________, which emphasized
an external, physical approach to a role.
*A. biomechanics
B. the “magic if”
C. through-line performing
D. all of the above
25. Mikhail Chekhov developed a system of acting based on __________, whereby an
actor finds physical characteristics which trigger desired emotional responses.
A. biomechanics
B. given circumstances
C. symbolic movement
*D. psychological gesture
True/False
Please choose whether the statement is true or false.
26. Realistic plays frequently implied that morality was relative, and problems could not
always be resolved neatly.
*True
False
27. Henrik Ibsen wrote only realistic plays, arguing that symbolism lacked the inherent
power to affect audiences.
True
*False
28. Naturalists frequently focused on the sordid aspects of society, calling attention to
social problems in order to bring about reforms.
*True
False
29. Independent theaters strove for commercial success and gave rise to many theatrical
entrepreneurs.
True
*False
30. Unlike many other realists, George Bernard Shaw used comedy to inspire social
reform.
*True
False
31. Constantin Stanislavski trained actors to focus on the delivery of their own lines,
encouraging them to take mental breaks when other actors were speaking.
True
*False
32. While the subject and language of realistic plays were true to life, there was no
attempt at realism in the setting or costumes.
True
*False
33. Adolphe Appia moved away from realistic setting to the use of shapes and levels,
which would serve as acting areas.
*True
False
34. Vsevelod Myerhold believed in the supremacy of the author, vowing never to rewrite
or restructure classic works.
True
*False
35. By the end of the nineteenth century, musical theatre developed into the revue, which
benefited from the popularity of ragtime.
*True
False
Essays
36. Compare and contrast the acting theories of Constantin Stanislavski and Vsevelod
Myerhold.
37. Compare and contrast the staging of realistic and nonrealistic plays at the turn of the
twentieth century.