1. I believe the correct answer is: the
type of comedies characterized by wit, satire, licentiousness, cynicism and
sexually explicit language in the period of Restoration in England (1660-1710).
Restoration comedies (also known as
comedy of manners) represent the renaissance of English drama, which has flourished
in London after the Restoration (1660-1710). The popularity of this comedies
was influenced by introduction of first female actors (before that female roles
were played by boys) which predominantly delighted the male audience as they
were curious to see women engage in physical seduction scenes.
The restoration comedies were
characteristic for their complicated plots, which were marked by their wit,
satire, licentiousness, cynicism and sexually explicit language (encouraged by
the King, Charles II) . But, the audience of this comedies wasn’t wide, so the playwrights
had to be extremely responsive to popular taste and go with the flow.
2. I believe the correct answer is: commedia
dell'arte companies performed in various cities (building their stage) due to
their nomadic nature and persecution.
One of the most representative
characteristics of commedia dell’arte is its nomadic nature – moving stage from
one place to another. Performing in various cities required new audience and
payment, which is the reason why companies mostly build their stages in the wealthier
cities or during the time of public fair and celebrations.
The challenge of this
type of setting may be the material (having to employ carpenters, props
masters, servants, nurses, and prompters) or the fear of performances becoming
stale and boring to the audience, which is one of the reasons why companies
were leaving towns at their peak. The challenge may also be the persecution by
Church, public authorities or rival companies.
3. I believe the correct answer is:
avant-garde theater, known for the rejection of general, dominant ways of
writing and producing plays, and it presented the absurdity of their everyday
lives.
Experimental theater (also known as
modern or theater of absurd) represent the modern take of theater by
avant-garde artist, starting with Alfred Jerry. Avant-garde period is known for
the rejection of general, dominant ways of writing and producing plays, and it
presented the absurdity of their everyday lives. The peak of the experimental
theater and the embodiment of their manifest were the plays of Samuel Beckett
and Eugène Ionesco.
As avant-garde period does not
represent the oneness like all the artistic periods before, the experimental
theater also does not present its characters and plots to audiences in one same
way. But, there are few similarities, such as introduction of a different use
of language and the body to change the audience’s perception and to create a
new, more active relation.
4. I believe the correct answer is: classical
tragedy is drama from the period of Classicism, which was judged, as playwrights
believed, by the rules of Greek classical theater.
The classical tragedy represents the
renaissance of the Greek tragedy, during the period of Classicism (17th
century). Classical tragedy, as does the Greek tragedy, thematizes the serious,
sorrowful, terrible and tragic events encountered or caused by a heroic
individual.
As the classical tragedy was developed by
based on and judged by the rules of the Greek tragedy, the main characteristics
stayed the same: the action was developed in five acts, it had the "classical
unities" of time (action was developing in 24 hours), place (action was
developing in one place) and action (only one course of action), found in the “Poetics”
of Aristotle and the tragic guilt which was the hibris made without knowing.
5. I believe the correct answer is: theatrical
performance that unifies songs, dialogue, acting and dancing.
Musical is the term used for the theatrical
performance that combines and unifies songs, dialogue, acting and dance. The
story usually thematizes the emotional content through humor, pathos, love,
anger by communicating through the words, music, movement and technical aspects
of the entertainment as one unified piece of art.
Even though
musical are performed all around the world and staged in smaller fringe
theatre, Off-Broadway or regional theatre productions, or on tour, the geographical
area that musicals are often associated with are New York (Broadway theatre) and
London (West End theatre).
The reason for musicals to be
geographically associated with Broadway (New York City) or West End (London) is
that they are considered to be highest level of commercial theatre in the
English-speaking world, which may be due to the large venues and the big-budget
they have at their dispose. The Broadway (which has 41 professional theaters)
became influential and the center of musical performances at the time of
productions by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein.
