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TAMU THAR 281 - Final Exam Study Guide
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THAR 281 1st EditionExam 3 Study Guide: Lectures: 20 - 27Lecture 20What is the general background on Absurdism?a. Martin Esslin introduced absurdismb. Characteristics Absurdism May Have:i. Operate in non-traditional sequenceii. Involve nonsense/confusing dialogue or languageiii. Contain little to not plotiv. Contain non-realistic characters or actions Who is Edward Albee?a. Won Pulitzer 3 times; still alive today; very heightened style of writingb. Characters are almost always intelligent; repeat themselvesc. Famous Works: “The Zoo Story”; “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Wolf”; “The Goat, For Who Is Sylvia?”Who was Harold Pinter?a. Won Noble Prize in 2006b. Playwright, poet, essayist; very politicalc. Comedy of Menace; real sense of danger/urgency in charactersd. Lack of sound is as important as what’s being saidi. Silence = action stops and talking stopsii. Pause = action continues but talking stops Who was Samuel Beckett?a. Noble Prize in 1969; playwright/essayistb. The futility of human actions and monotony are common themesc. Likes to explore failures of communicationd. Famous Works: “Endgame”; “Waiting for Godot” Lecture 21What was the play Oklahoma! about?a. Written by Richard Rodgers and Hammerstein; 1943 = debut on Broadwayb. Songs reveal characterc. Written in a direct style that portrays what characters sayi. Not proper English; more colloquial/realisticd. Tells story of 2 groups of people in Indian territory at beginning of 20th century (Ranchers vs. Farmers) e. After this play, people expected songs that revealed character and reasonable actions in other plays as well; set high standards Who were Rodgers and Hammerstein?a. Most successful song writing team in musical history; collaborated in 11 projectsb. Famous Works: “Oklahoma!”; “Oklahoma South Pacific”; “The King and I”; “Sound of Music” Who were the main men and women of Broadway in this time period?a. Jerome Robbins (choreographer and director)b. Leonard Beinstein (composer)c. Mary Martin (musical theater performer)d. Arthur Laurents (playwright and director)e. Lerner and Lowe (song-writing duo) “My Fair Lady”f. Julie Styne (very brassy in sound; director and playwright)g. Ethel Merman (musical theater performer)h. Shirley Jones (performer)i. Gordon MacRae (performer)j. John Raittk. Irving Berlin (composer and lyricist) “Alexander’s Ragtime Band”l. Cole Porter (composer)m. David Merrick (producer; over 200 Broadway musicals)What was the play West Side Story about?a. 1957 = Broadway debut; Sharks vs. Jets (Whites vs. Puerto Ricans)b. Book by Arthur Lawrence; choreography by Jerome Robbins; music by Ernstein; lyrics by Steven Sondheim (First time Sondheim is involved in Broadway)c. Contemporary writing of Romeo and Julietd. Not a happy ending musical; places dramatic action within songs/dancese. Story telling stops in the songs/dances after West Side Storyf. Most credit goes to Jerome Robbins (choreographer)What was gypsy about?a. 1959 = Broadway debutb. Book by Lawrence; directed by Robbins; music by Stein; lyrics by Sondheimc. Tells story of burlesque performer Gypsy Rose Leed. Combination of comedy and drama; Mama Rose is iconic in musical theater Lecture 22Who was Arthur Miller?a. Died in 2005; won Pulitzer in 1949b. Very critical of post-war politics; plays are a rebuke of perfection of Americac. Married to Marilyn Monroed. Miller called to testify before the HUAC; blacklisted because he didn’t say names of communists he knewWhat was the play Death of a Salesman about?a. Story of Willy Lowman (salesman) and his final daysb. About the dying/death of American dream; written in style of selective realismc. Original production directed by Kazand. Miller tries to give wake-up call to America about the way it approaches dreamsWho was Tennessee Williams?a. Won Pulitzer in 1948 and 1955; the most poetic; lyrical quality in his playsb. Plays have sensational/shocking subject matter; writes about social outcasts c. Famous Works: “Glass Menagerie”; “Cat on a Hot Tin”; “Street Car Named Desire”What was the general background of the 1960’s?a. A period of tumult; lots of struggle and change; affects theater but not Broadwayb. Broadway is filled with musicals and comediesc. TV and Rock&Roll became competition to Broadway What was the play A Raisin in the Sun about?a. Written by Hansberry; brought African-American theater to BroadwayWho is Neil Simon?a. Playwright; born in 1927; still alive; won Pulitzer in 1949; writes comediesb. Plays relate to New Yorkersc. Famous Works: “Barefoot in the Park”; “The Odd Couple”; “Star SpangledWho was Jerry Herman?a. Composer and lyricist; known for the hummable quality of his musicb. Famous Works: “Mame”; “Hello Dollie” ;”Le Cage Aux Folles” What was Off Broadway?a. Movement that started in 1940’s (extension of the Little Theater)b. Anything not in Broadway district is known as Off-Broadwayc. Spaces are smaller and more flexibled. An anti-commercial movement1. Original purpose wasn’t to make money2. Has now became a commercial thing but still smaller than BroadwayWhat was Off-Off Broadway?a. Can be anywhere in the city, not just Manhattan; even smaller places; very experimental; non-commercial movement; mostly for showcasing workLecture 23What was the Avante Garde movement about? a. A group of people leading the way; artists push boundaries of theater forwardb. Emergence of performance art during this periodi. Performance Art = performance that doesn’t fit full definition of theater c. Happenings come abouti. Happenings = usually single performances or a single run (3-4 in a row); somewhat improvisational; usually boundaries were unclear between audience and performers d. Founding of many theater groupsi. Living Theater = founded by Julian Beck and Judith Malina; ii. heavily influenced by Artaud’s Theater of Cruelty (shattering of audiences false reality)iii. sought to move society from competitive to communal experience; continues to produce but not popular anymore Who was Joseph Papp?a. Fosters the Off Broadway movement by mentoring up-and-coming theaters b. Works to create sense of communityc. 1954= founds New York Shakespeare Festival (Shakespeare in the Park)d. 1967= founded the Public Theatere. One of first directors to aggressively seek out color-blind casting f. Worked hard to increase visibility of colored people on stageWhat was the play The Fantasticks about?a. Showed up in 1960;


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TAMU THAR 281 - Final Exam Study Guide

Type: Study Guide
Pages: 11
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