Th 210 - Cal Poly Exam 2025
Questions and Answers 100% Pass
4th wall - ✔✔imaginary wall between actors and audience
History of Athens - ✔✔
Functions of the Greek Chorus - ✔✔-Provided link from audience to actors, responding
to the play in a manner the playwright hoped the audience would respond--the ideal
spectator
-Provided tension release
-Reflected upon what has happened, pondered what might happen, asked questions
-At times advised central characters
-Often functioned as the conscience of the people, establishing an ethical perception
from which to view the action
-Helped to establish mood and to heighten the dramatic moments through movement
and song
-Added theatricality to the performance
-Helped to establish important pacing of the play, pointing moments at which the
audience should reflect upon what has occurred and what most yet transpire
COPYRIGHT © 2025 BY GRACE AMELIA, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 1
,-Could be in the play or outside of it, by either participating in the action or by
commenting on the action as merely an observer
-Separated scenes of action from one another
-Usually through a leader as spokesperson, could interact with the central characters
Greek tragedy - ✔✔a play dealing with tragic events and having an unhappy ending,
especially one concerning the downfall of the main character who has a fatal flaw that
becomes their undoing.
Greek comedy - ✔✔plays that criticized Greek society with humor and irony
Catharsis - ✔✔the process of releasing, and thereby providing relief from, strong or
repressed emotions.
Hubris - ✔✔excessive pride
Dithyramb - ✔✔a wild choral hymn of ancient Greece, especially one dedicated to
Dionysus
Hamartia - ✔✔a fatal flaw leading to the downfall of a tragic hero or heroine
Ovation inflation - ✔✔The emotional pressure that audiences feel to stand and applaud
after watching a show
Color theory - ✔✔Color theory is the study of how colors interact and affect each other,
as well as the emotions and meanings they convey. It is an essential tool for set
designers, who use color to create mood, atmosphere, contrast, harmony, and
symbolism in their theatrical productions.
Renaissance - ✔✔"rebirth"; following the Middle Ages, a movement that centered on the
revival of interest in the classical learning of Greece and Rome. The establishment of
large and profitable public theatres was an essential enabling factor in the success of
COPYRIGHT © 2025 BY GRACE AMELIA, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 2
,English Renaissance drama. Once they were in operation, drama could become a fixed
and permanent rather than a transitory phenomenon.
The Globe Theatre - ✔✔Shakespeare's theatre
iambic pentameter - ✔✔a poetic meter that is made up of 5 unstressed syllables each
followed by a stressed syllable
Rhythm - ✔✔The repetitive, quantitative relationship of active, agreed length-values in
any given tempo or time signature
3 worlds in Midsummers Night's Dream - ✔✔the worlds of the Lovers, the Mechanicals,
and the Fairies. Love tangles them all.
Subtext - ✔✔the underlying message being conveyed by a piece of dialogue. Some call
it the "lines between the lines" or "the unsaid meaning." Writers love to use subtext in
scripts because it adds an extra layer of complexity to scenes and their characters.
"Wright" - ✔✔wright', meaning craftsman or builder
Imagery - ✔✔visually descriptive or figurative language, especially in a literary work.
Dynamic light - ✔✔Dynamic lighting refers to the use of lighting techniques in theater
productions that can change in color, intensity, direction, and pattern during a
performance, achieved through advanced lighting equipment and technologies for
enhancing mood, atmosphere, and visual storytelling by allowing lighting designers to
create a wide range of effects, transition between scenes, highlight actors or set
elements, and evoke emotional responses from the audience.
Aesthetic distance - ✔✔Aesthetic distance in theater refers to the psychological or
emotional separation between the audience and the events happening on stage,
allowing viewers to engage critically with the performance while still being emotionally
involved.
COPYRIGHT © 2025 BY GRACE AMELIA, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 3
, Presentational vs representational - ✔✔Presentational: A theatrical style where actors
directly acknowledge the audience, often breaking the fourth wall, and performances
may emphasize stylized movements or exaggerated gestures.
Representational: A theatrical style where actors do not acknowledge the audience,
aiming to create a realistic portrayal of characters and situations, often using sets and
costumes to create a believable environment
Dramatic criticism vs reviews - ✔✔Dramatic criticism: In-depth analysis and evaluation
of theatrical works, focusing on artistic merit, thematic exploration, performances,
direction, and overall significance within the context of theater history and theory. Is
scholarly.
Reviews: Typically shorter evaluations of theatrical productions, often published in
newspapers, magazines, or online platforms, providing an overview of the
performance, highlighting strengths and weaknesses, and offering recommendations to
potential audience members
Realism - ✔✔Realism in theater is a theatrical movement that emerged in the late 19th
century, aiming to portray life on stage with a high degree of accuracy and fidelity to
everyday reality. It emphasizes believable characters, settings, and situations, often
exploring the struggles and experiences of ordinary people. Realism seeks to create a
sense of authenticity and truthfulness in theatrical representations
Selective Realism - ✔✔Selective realism in theater refers to a stylistic approach where
elements of realism are employed selectively to achieve specific dramatic effects. While
the overall presentation may aim for a realistic portrayal of characters and situations,
certain aspects such as set design, dialogue, or character behavior may be stylized or
COPYRIGHT © 2025 BY GRACE AMELIA, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 4
Questions and Answers 100% Pass
4th wall - ✔✔imaginary wall between actors and audience
History of Athens - ✔✔
Functions of the Greek Chorus - ✔✔-Provided link from audience to actors, responding
to the play in a manner the playwright hoped the audience would respond--the ideal
spectator
-Provided tension release
-Reflected upon what has happened, pondered what might happen, asked questions
-At times advised central characters
-Often functioned as the conscience of the people, establishing an ethical perception
from which to view the action
-Helped to establish mood and to heighten the dramatic moments through movement
and song
-Added theatricality to the performance
-Helped to establish important pacing of the play, pointing moments at which the
audience should reflect upon what has occurred and what most yet transpire
COPYRIGHT © 2025 BY GRACE AMELIA, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 1
,-Could be in the play or outside of it, by either participating in the action or by
commenting on the action as merely an observer
-Separated scenes of action from one another
-Usually through a leader as spokesperson, could interact with the central characters
Greek tragedy - ✔✔a play dealing with tragic events and having an unhappy ending,
especially one concerning the downfall of the main character who has a fatal flaw that
becomes their undoing.
Greek comedy - ✔✔plays that criticized Greek society with humor and irony
Catharsis - ✔✔the process of releasing, and thereby providing relief from, strong or
repressed emotions.
Hubris - ✔✔excessive pride
Dithyramb - ✔✔a wild choral hymn of ancient Greece, especially one dedicated to
Dionysus
Hamartia - ✔✔a fatal flaw leading to the downfall of a tragic hero or heroine
Ovation inflation - ✔✔The emotional pressure that audiences feel to stand and applaud
after watching a show
Color theory - ✔✔Color theory is the study of how colors interact and affect each other,
as well as the emotions and meanings they convey. It is an essential tool for set
designers, who use color to create mood, atmosphere, contrast, harmony, and
symbolism in their theatrical productions.
Renaissance - ✔✔"rebirth"; following the Middle Ages, a movement that centered on the
revival of interest in the classical learning of Greece and Rome. The establishment of
large and profitable public theatres was an essential enabling factor in the success of
COPYRIGHT © 2025 BY GRACE AMELIA, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 2
,English Renaissance drama. Once they were in operation, drama could become a fixed
and permanent rather than a transitory phenomenon.
The Globe Theatre - ✔✔Shakespeare's theatre
iambic pentameter - ✔✔a poetic meter that is made up of 5 unstressed syllables each
followed by a stressed syllable
Rhythm - ✔✔The repetitive, quantitative relationship of active, agreed length-values in
any given tempo or time signature
3 worlds in Midsummers Night's Dream - ✔✔the worlds of the Lovers, the Mechanicals,
and the Fairies. Love tangles them all.
Subtext - ✔✔the underlying message being conveyed by a piece of dialogue. Some call
it the "lines between the lines" or "the unsaid meaning." Writers love to use subtext in
scripts because it adds an extra layer of complexity to scenes and their characters.
"Wright" - ✔✔wright', meaning craftsman or builder
Imagery - ✔✔visually descriptive or figurative language, especially in a literary work.
Dynamic light - ✔✔Dynamic lighting refers to the use of lighting techniques in theater
productions that can change in color, intensity, direction, and pattern during a
performance, achieved through advanced lighting equipment and technologies for
enhancing mood, atmosphere, and visual storytelling by allowing lighting designers to
create a wide range of effects, transition between scenes, highlight actors or set
elements, and evoke emotional responses from the audience.
Aesthetic distance - ✔✔Aesthetic distance in theater refers to the psychological or
emotional separation between the audience and the events happening on stage,
allowing viewers to engage critically with the performance while still being emotionally
involved.
COPYRIGHT © 2025 BY GRACE AMELIA, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 3
, Presentational vs representational - ✔✔Presentational: A theatrical style where actors
directly acknowledge the audience, often breaking the fourth wall, and performances
may emphasize stylized movements or exaggerated gestures.
Representational: A theatrical style where actors do not acknowledge the audience,
aiming to create a realistic portrayal of characters and situations, often using sets and
costumes to create a believable environment
Dramatic criticism vs reviews - ✔✔Dramatic criticism: In-depth analysis and evaluation
of theatrical works, focusing on artistic merit, thematic exploration, performances,
direction, and overall significance within the context of theater history and theory. Is
scholarly.
Reviews: Typically shorter evaluations of theatrical productions, often published in
newspapers, magazines, or online platforms, providing an overview of the
performance, highlighting strengths and weaknesses, and offering recommendations to
potential audience members
Realism - ✔✔Realism in theater is a theatrical movement that emerged in the late 19th
century, aiming to portray life on stage with a high degree of accuracy and fidelity to
everyday reality. It emphasizes believable characters, settings, and situations, often
exploring the struggles and experiences of ordinary people. Realism seeks to create a
sense of authenticity and truthfulness in theatrical representations
Selective Realism - ✔✔Selective realism in theater refers to a stylistic approach where
elements of realism are employed selectively to achieve specific dramatic effects. While
the overall presentation may aim for a realistic portrayal of characters and situations,
certain aspects such as set design, dialogue, or character behavior may be stylized or
COPYRIGHT © 2025 BY GRACE AMELIA, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 4
