Theatre Trivia

1. Which was the first character shown in the play?

From Quiz Mighty Morphin Power Rangers World Tour

Answer: Alpha 5

The stage play opened with a prerecorded video clip in the Ranger's Command Center. The camera panned up to Alpha 5 as he was looking through the viewing globe and started a conversation with Zordon about the activities of Lord Zedd.

From Quiz It's Curtains, I Tell Ya! Curtains!

Answer: The Fire Curtain

The fire curtain is motorized, so nobody has to hang around to make sure it drops into place. It is usually set to stop momentarily at about 4 feet, so any person needing to get to the other side has the opportunity to do so. However, once in place, it seals the space, until the emergency is over and it is raised.

From Quiz I Open At The Close

Answer: Iolanthe

The title character in the Gilbert & Sullivan operetta "Iolanthe" is a fairy princess who provoked the wrath of the Fairy Queen by marrying a mortal - who later became the Lord Chancellor of England. This gave former barrister William Gilbert yet another opportunity to poke fun at the profession as well as the peerage. The "fairy law" had stated that any fairy who marries a mortal was condemned to death. At the end of Act II, the Lord Chancellor adds the word "don't" to the statute, making intermarriage not only legal but compulsory. The entire House of Lords (and at least one soldier) take advantage of the amendment.

From Quiz Stage Directing for Dummies

Answer: Keep one foot pointed toward the audience at all times.

It's actually a "rule of foot". If you keep one foot pointed at the audience at all times, you are more likely to have at least *part* of the front of your body facing outwards. Keeping one hand pointed toward the wings could look awkward and obstruct air flow. Staying upstage keeps you away from the audience, and putting arrows on the floor would require actors to look down--a direction that would make them difficult to see and understand.

From Quiz Technical Theatre

Answer: stage manager

This is called "calling a show." The stage manager has every cue written in his/her script and it is his/her job to "call" all of them. Then the corresponding technician executes the task, but only after the stage manager gives the "go."

From Quiz Theatre for the Techies!

Answer: ghost light

It is also said that a ghost light will keep the theatrical muse in the theatre.

From Quiz Mighty Morphin Power Rangers World Tour

Answer: Putties kidnapped her.

Rita was in the second scene, and first live action, of the play. She annoyed Lord Zedd so he had the putties kidnap her and take her away. Later in the same scene Zedd shrunk her into the size of a doll and had her locked away.

From Quiz It's Curtains, I Tell Ya! Curtains!

Answer: Grand Drape

The Grand Drape is raised and lowered as the performance demands. Not all theaters have one, but it is likely to be found in a space with a stage height of at least fifty feet.

From Quiz The Hardworking Stage Manager

Answer: Prep the stage, call cues, and train understudies

Once a show opens, the director usually leaves to go work on another show. The stage manager remains behind to make sure that the show remains true to the director's vision for the rest of the run. This includes making sure that the set looks the same every night, the lighting happens in the same place, and the actors perform their roles the same way.

From Quiz Technical Theatre

Answer: above the stage near the ceiling

The grid is a support system lining the ceiling. It is not to be confused with fly-lines, which are lower than the grid, or with the electrics, which is where lights are hung, which is also beneath the grid.

From Quiz Theatre for the Techies!

Answer: Paper Tech

I've never actually heard the terms "cue tech" or "stage tech" used. An actors' tech is the rehearsal during which the actors are introduced to the technical elements of the production; a dry tech is a technical run-through without the actors.

From Quiz It's Curtains, I Tell Ya! Curtains!

Answer: Traveler

A Traveler usually is on tracks, which means it will open like your house curtains, either in the middle or from either side. Theaters with a limited height backstage will likely use these.

From Quiz I Open At The Close

Answer: Idiot's Delight

"Idiot's Delight" won playwright Arthur Sherwood the 1936 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. On Broadway, stars (and spouses) Alfred Lunt and Lynne Fontanne portrayed the unhappy couple. The story is set in an exclusive resort in the Italian Alps - strangely adjacent to an air force base - as assorted travelers take refuge from the impending world war. Sherwood was off by about three years, and had World War Two starting with an Italian bombing raid on Paris. Yet, the sense of impending doom proved all too real. The movie version premiered in January 1939, starring Clark Gable and Norma Shearer, mere months before the real war began.

From Quiz Technical Theatre

Answer: installing the set onstage

Many theatres use the concept of "load in" and "load out." Load ins are when not only the set goes up, but the lights are finalized, the sound is reconfigured, and props are finished. Another common term for load out is "strike", which is taking away all elements of that particular show.

From Quiz Theatre for the Techies!

Answer: proscenium arch

A proscenium arch frames the front of the stage as the audience looks at it.

From Quiz Mighty Morphin Power Rangers World Tour

Answer: Tommy

Tommy, who was the White Ranger, was the only option that was actually in the play. The other three characters had been written out of the show before the play was written. A small piece with the actors from the show was recorded on video for the play, then different actors were hired to play the morphed Rangers. That allowed the "real" rangers to be in the theater for the fans, and didn't stop production on the show.

From Quiz I Open At The Close

Answer: The Mousetrap

Don't disappoint the late Agatha Christie, please. As of 2013, "The Mousetrap" is still running in London after 25,000+ performances and over 60 years of generally obedient audiences. The script has been published, but see the play instead if you can, and don't go looking on-line for spoilers. I am permitted to say that the the suspects gather at an isolated inn, scrutinized by a police detective - but that's only the beginning.

From Quiz Technical Theatre

Answer: master electrician

The catwalk is an elevated space usually above the house (or audience) that is used for lighting positions.

From Quiz Theatre for the Techies!

Answer: scrim

A scrim allows a scene to either be played in front of it or behind it, depending on the desired effect.

From Quiz Mighty Morphin Power Rangers World Tour

Answer: Lumitor

Zedd unveiled the new monster right after returning Rita Repulsa to her full size with a "Stretching Chamber". The creature was called Lumitor, and was described as a fire lion. Zedd said his mere touch could burn a house to cinders.

From Quiz It's Curtains, I Tell Ya! Curtains!

Answer: Legs

Legs are just needed to cover small areas, so are quite narrow.

From Quiz Oh Noh!

Answer: one

By rehearsing only once, the Noh performance could embody the ancient Japanese art philosophy of ephemerality and transience, as cited in the Japanese term "ichi-go ichi-e". "Ichi-go ichi-e" translates to "one time (or chance), one meeting".

From Quiz Oh, What a Night!

Answer: casting

Auditions can actually include crew as well, depending on the production. If you're only auditioning for cast, some points to keep in mind might be: height, voice, singing voice, acting ability, and stage presence. From the other side of the fence, those auditioning are likely to be excited and very nervous. This may be their first audition. Be polite, firm and patient--ok, hard to be perfect, but try to keep in mind that this experience could help them blossom in more ways than simply talent on a stage.

From Quiz Stage Directing for Dummies

Answer: Stages used to be built on a ramp

Stages used to be "raked" so that audiences (sitting on flat ground) could see all of the action. Today, most audiences are "raked". This way the stage is safer for the actors, and audiences can still see the stage.

From Quiz Technical Theatre

Answer: assists the actor with quick costume changes

Dressers are very important to the timing of a play or musical. It is the duty of the dresser to change an actor's costumes in a very short amount of time.

From Quiz Theatre for the Techies!

Answer: gobo

A gobo is often used to indicate a window frame, or leaves; it casts a picture in shadow to create a mood or setting.

From Quiz Mighty Morphin Power Rangers World Tour

Answer: Aisha and Adam

Aisha (yellow) and Adam (black) were the two imprisoned by Goldar. He then left them with guards who were to take them to Lord Zedd. Aisha then faked an ankle injury to trick their captors into removing her chains. She convinced her jailers Squat and Baboo that she couldn't walk with the chains.

From Quiz It's Curtains, I Tell Ya! Curtains!

Answer: Olio

Being midstage, this curtain gives room for the old-style song and dance routines descended from vaudeville. It is usually painted canvas, and is raised and lowered on a long rigid tube. It is also referred to as Speaker setting, which may be in place to allow a speaker adequate room at a podium without placing him/her too close to the edge of the stage. In this case, it may not be canvas, and may not be painted.

From Quiz I Open At The Close

Answer: South Pacific

"South Pacific" was drawn from multiple stories in James Michener's 1947 Pulitzer Prize-winning book, "Tales of the South Pacific". The Rogers and Hammerstein musical won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1950. Set on a Pacific island during World War Two - an experience fresh in the minds of some audience members - the complex and emotionally moving story has Nurse Nellie Forbush declining the obvious choice of wealthy young Marine Lieutenant Joe Cable in favor of late middle-aged French expatriate planter Emile de Becque. The musical combines fabulous and familiar songs with trenchant comments about racism and prejudice.

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