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International Theatre
Objectives
After studying this chapter, the student should be able to:
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Identify how political issues affect contemporary theatre in various countries around
the world.
Describe how traditional African forms have merged with Western dramatic forms.
Identify postmodernist sensibilities in the work of contemporary European directors.
Describe the transformation of government-subsidized European theaters in the past
thirty years.
Describe how Asian and Western theatres influenced each other in the past one
hundred years.
Lecture Topics
In what ways do contemporary British and Irish playwrights attack political, social, and
economic institutions in their plays?
How did local influences and European Theatre affect the development of LatinAmerican Theatre?
How did “shingeki” (new theatre) develop in Japan?
Discussion
Are the contemporary government-subsidized European theaters more commercial or
experimental?
How have the theatrical contributions of African civilizations influenced western
traditions?
What is the relationship between politics and theatre in African countries?
How has the political situation in the Middle East affected contemporary theatre in that
region?
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Multiple-Choice
Choose the answer that best completes each question.
1. A British playwright whose work is characterized by a unique, fluid structure in which
she often mixes chronological and anachronistic events is:
A. Ariane Mnouchkine
*B. Caryl Churchill
C. Maria Irene Fornes
D. August Wilson
2. A Polish director, who is known for “conducting” his own performances, including
nightmarish images on stage is:
A. August Wilson
B. Ariane Mnouchkine
C. Wole Soyinka
*D. Tadeusz Kantor
3. The first African writer to receive the Nobel Prize for literature is:
A. Ariane Mnouchkine
B. August Wilson
*C. Wole Soyinka
D. Tadeusz Kantor
4. The founder of the Théâtre du Soleil, ________________ is known for her effective
use of nonwestern dramatic techniques.
A. Pamela Gems
B. Timberlake Wertenbaker
C. Caryl Churchill
*D. Ariane Mnouchkine
5. The Taganka Theater and its artistic director, _________________ were constantly
under attack by the Soviet government because of its experiments with form.
*A. Yuri Lyubimov
B. Tadeusz Kantor
C. Ariane Mnouchkine
D. Wole Soyinka
6. Anglophone theater became highly developed in Africa in the 1950s because of the
influence of ____________ in this region.
A. missionaries
*B. universities
C. the government
D. radio broadcasts
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7. Concern for political and social equality is at the heart of the works of South African
playwright, _______________.
A. Caryl Churchill
B. Pamela Gems
*C. Athol Fugard
D. Wole Soyinka
8. Colonial Latin-American Theatre was greatly influenced by the Renaissance Theatre of
*A. Spain
B. France
C. Portugal
D. Italy
9. ____________ is known for his theoretical work, Theatre of the Oppressed, which is a
manifesto for revolutionary and socially conscious theatre.
A. Wole Soyinka
B. Alejandro Sieveking
*C. Augusto Boal
D. Mario Llosa
10. In _______________, elements of folk drama and other genres close to the ordinary
people form the basis of what is truly a popular theater in China.
*A. Peking opera
B. kabuki
C. shingeki
D. no drama
11. ___________________, a renowned Peking opera performer, was one of the first
Asian theatre artists to influence the development of western theater.
A. Rabindranath Tagore
B. Li Yu
C. Ping Chong
*D. Mei Lanfang
12. Many of the works of _______________, such as Chitrangada are dance dramas, a
form he favored late in life.
A. Augusto Boal
B. Alejandra Sieveking
*C. Rabindranath Tagore
D. Mei Lanfang
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13. After the revolution of 1911, when the Qing Dynasty was overthrown,
_____________ became the focal point for a growing interest in modern spoken Chinese
drama.
A. Beijing
*B. Shanghai
C. Peking
D. Hong Kong
14. _______________ presented the first professional production in Japan of a modern
play and also helped build the Tsukiji Little Theater.
*A. Osanai Kaoru
B. Okuni
C. Zeami
D. Li Yu
15. The ______________, founded in part by Kishida Kunio, was the only modern
Japanese company permitted to perform during World War II.
A. Tokyo Little Theater
B. Theater Guild
C. Burnaku Theater
*D. Literary Theater
16. _______________, a word that means “new theater,” was a modern Japanese theater
in which the playwright is a central figure.
A. Bunraku
*B. Shingeki
C. Kabuki
D. Nō
17. A good example of Japanese experimental theatre was done by _______________,
who developed a director-centered theatre, which combined the traditional with the
experimental.
*A. Tadashi Suzuki
B. Osanai Kaoru
C. Jerzy Grotowski
D. Tatsumi Sugimoto
18. A Palestinian company that is gaining an international reputation is ____________,
originally founded in Jerusalem, but now located in the West Bank.
A. Zion Theatre
B. Kathakali Theatre
*C. Al-Kabasa Theatre
D. Literary Theatre
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19. The national theatre of Israel is the:
*A. Habimah
B. Kathakali
C. Al-Kasaba
D. Shingeki
20. The most internationally recognized Israeli playwright is _____________, who
served as artistic director for the Municipal Theatre in Haifa.
A. Alfred Farag
B. Hanna Tannous
C. George Ibrahim
*D. Joshua Sobol
True/False
Please choose whether the statement is true or false.
21. Under the direction of Antoine Vitez, the Comédie Française began to present radical
reinterpretations of many historically important French writers.
*True
False
22. Trevor Nunn, artistic director of the Royal Shakespeare Company, was criticized for
prioritizing artistic quality over commercial success.
True
*False
23. Missionaries in Portuguese-speaking Africa introduced religious drama in order to
spread Catholicism.
*True
False
24. Theaters such as the Market Theatre and Junction Avenue Theatre Company
frequently produced works that supported South Africa’s apartheid.
True
*False
25. In Argentina in the early nineteenth century, theatre dealt with issues of immigration
and the plight of those people born in the Americas who were of Spanish heritage.
*True
False
26. Although influenced by European styles, Latin-American dramatists touched on
nationalistic issues.
*True
False
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27. The Peking opera stresses realism in its staging practices.
True
*False
28. Indian Theatre in the last half of the twentieth century was primarily done by
professional actors.
True
*False
29. Overall, theatre artists were seen as subversive and suffered greatly during the
Cultural Revolution in China.
*True
False
30. The Islamic religion has strong prohibitions against the theatre.
*True
False
Essays
31. List and describe the three strains of modern Japanese Theatre.
32. Compare and contrast one type of contemporary American Theatre with one type of
theatre in Africa or Asia today.
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