THAR 281 1st Edition Exam 3 Study Guide Lectures 20 27 Lecture 20 What is the general background on Absurdism a Martin Esslin introduced absurdism b Characteristics Absurdism May Have i Operate in non traditional sequence ii Involve nonsense confusing dialogue or language iii Contain little to not plot iv Contain non realistic characters or actions Who is Edward Albee a Won Pulitzer 3 times still alive today very heightened style of writing b Characters are almost always intelligent repeat themselves c 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 2006 b Playwright poet essayist very political c Comedy of Menace real sense of danger urgency in characters d Lack of sound is as important as what s being said i Silence action stops and talking stops ii Pause action continues but talking stops Who was Samuel Beckett a Noble Prize in 1969 playwright essayist b The futility of human actions and monotony are common themes c Likes to explore failures of communication d Famous Works Endgame Waiting for Godot Lecture 21 What was the play Oklahoma about a Written by Richard Rodgers and Hammerstein 1943 debut on Broadway b Songs reveal character c Written in a direct style that portrays what characters say i Not proper English more colloquial realistic d Tells story of 2 groups of people in Indian territory at beginning of 20 th 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 projects b 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 Raitt k 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 Juliet d Not a happy ending musical places dramatic action within songs dances e Story telling stops in the songs dances after West Side Story f Most credit goes to Jerome Robbins choreographer What was gypsy about a b c d 1959 Broadway debut Book by Lawrence directed by Robbins music by Stein lyrics by Sondheim Tells story of burlesque performer Gypsy Rose Lee Combination of comedy and drama Mama Rose is iconic in musical theater Lecture 22 Who was Arthur Miller a Died in 2005 won Pulitzer in 1949 b Very critical of post war politics plays are a rebuke of perfection of America c Married to Marilyn Monroe d Miller called to testify before the HUAC blacklisted because he didn t say names of communists he knew What was the play Death of a Salesman about a Story of Willy Lowman salesman and his final days b About the dying death of American dream written in style of selective realism c Original production directed by Kazan d Miller tries to give wake up call to America about the way it approaches dreams Who was Tennessee Williams a Won Pulitzer in 1948 and 1955 the most poetic lyrical quality in his plays b 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 Broadway b Broadway is filled with musicals and comedies c 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 Broadway Who is Neil Simon a Playwright born in 1927 still alive won Pulitzer in 1949 writes comedies b Plays relate to New Yorkers c Famous Works Barefoot in the Park The Odd Couple Star Spangled Who was Jerry Herman a Composer and lyricist known for the hummable quality of his music b 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 Broadway c Spaces are smaller and more flexible d An anti commercial movement 1 Original purpose wasn t to make money 2 Has now became a commercial thing but still smaller than Broadway What 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 work Lecture 23 What was the Avante Garde movement about a A group of people leading the way artists push boundaries of theater forward b Emergence of performance art during this period i Performance Art performance that doesn t fit full definition of theater c Happenings come about i 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 groups i 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 community c 1954 founds New York Shakespeare Festival Shakespeare in the Park d 1967 founded the Public Theater e One of first directors to aggressively seek out color blind casting f Worked hard to increase visibility of colored people on stage What was the play The Fantasticks about a Showed up in 1960 written by Harvey Schmidt and Tom Jones b Played at Sullivan Street Playhouse during its Off Broadway time e The longest running musical EVER ran for 42 years i Had small cast simple to produce and run simple show in plot and setting takes advantage of theatricality which is why it s often